Being and belonging – identifying “invisible” children and young people's voices within educational contexts in regional, rural and remote Australian communities: A systematic literature review of empirical studies

This systematic literature review (SLR) examines empirical research on marginalised children and young peoples' sense of belonging in regional, rural and remote (RRR) Australian educational contexts. Following PRISMA Guidelines and utilizing JBI quality appraisal tools, five databases were searched. Inclusion criteria encompassed English-language, online full-text peer-reviewed empirical studies from RRR Australia. Fourteen studies (four qualitative, ten cross-sectional) were included in the final corpus and synthesised employing Bronfenbrenner's socio-ecological model and thematic analysis. The synthesis revealed six themes that influence sense of belonging: 1) Relational factors; 2) Fostering supportive relationships, sense of community and school connectedness factors; 3) Recognition of diversity and individuality factors; 4) Factors of adaptation and fitting in; 5) Role of school and community for engagement factors; and 6) Spatial design and architectural factors. The review highlights the need for inclusive practices and policies to foster belonging in RRR Australian educational settings. The limited studies identified and emphasis on student voice inclusion in the 2013 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child amendment, underscore the need for expanded belonging research in RRR settings. Gathering diverse perspectives is essential to develop inclusive policies and practices that support marginalised cohorts' visibility, belonging, connectedness, and overall health and wellbeing. • Marginalised RRR children and young people are often ‘invisible’ in decisions made about them. • A systematic literature review identified six themes influencing RRR young people's sense of belonging. • More inclusive practices and policies that foster a sense of belonging are needed.