Jiao Harmsen
PhD Candidate
My research focuses on school communities in secondary schools. I study how secondary schools function as communities by studying the collaboration and coordination between students, school staff, families, and local partners. Communities in secondary schools are understood in terms of shared practices, mutual goal(s), and common resources these groups of actors engage with. The overall aim of this research is to better understand the role of school communities in supporting students not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well. These academic findings can be translated to practical outputs such as teacher workshops and handbooks for school. In these ways, this research could contribute to teacher training and professionalisation.