School Lives as Comprehensible, Manageable, and Meaningful: How Restorative Justice Builds Students' Sense of Coherence

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Abstract

Why do students thrive in the midst of innumerable stressors? This article explores the role of restorative justice in facilitating student wellbeing in one Canadian primary school. The article mobilizes Antonovsky’s (1979) idea that individuals are most likely to thrive when they have a ‘sense of coherence’ and perceive their lives as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful. Data suggest that the Canadian school’s policies and practices, especially restorative justice, helped students to make sense of the complexity of their school lives, building within them a strong sense of coherence. Such findings allow us to ask questions of restorative justice and other similar approaches, to ensure they are consistent with building a sense of coherence and, ultimately, student wellbeing at school.

Author

• Kristin Reimer, Monash University