Student well-being, sense of belonging, and alienation among secondary school students in Colombia, India, and Malawi

Growing evidence supports the importance of students’ well-being, sense of belonging, and alienation for their success in school and the labor force. Although research points to some school-related factors that influence these important outcomes, evidence from lower- and middle-income countries is limited. In this paper we report the results of a cross-country survey of over 1500 youth in urban and rural schools in Colombia, India, and Malawi. For each country we estimate ordinary least squares multiple regression models relating student well-being, sense of belonging, and alienation to school climate variables. In all three countries, we find that these three outcomes are associated significantly and in the expected direction with a range of affective experiences that teachers and school leaders can shape, including students’ sense of safety and fairness in school and the quality of students’ relationships with teachers, school leaders, and peers. These findings suggest that teachers, school leaders, and educational policymakers in marginalized locations can enhance students’ schooling experiences by looking beyond traditional academic processes and outcomes to improve school climate.