ADJUSTMENT OF RESIDENTIAL SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN RELATION TO SOCIAL INTEGRATION: A SECONDARY-DATA-BASED REVIEW

Abstract

Residential schooling creates a distinctive educational environment in which academic learning, peer relationships, institutional routines, recreation, discipline, and personal development occur within the same social space. Consequently, students’ adjustment cannot be understood only in terms of academic performance; their ability to develop meaningful relationships, experience belonging, negotiate diversity, and participate constructively in the residential community is equally important. This paper examines the adjustment of residential secondary school students in relation to social integration through an exclusively secondary-data-based descriptive research design. Published scholarly literature, government policy documents, international reports, and institutional sources were reviewed thematically and comparatively. The evidence indicates that residential education can create strong opportunities for peer bonding, collective identity, independence, cooperation, and social learning, but these benefits are not automatic. Adjustment may be influenced by school climate, teacher support, peer acceptance, discrimination, cultural and linguistic diversity, institutional routines, family separation, and opportunities for meaningful participation. Recent research consistently identifies school belonging and connectedness as important dimensions of adolescent adjustment and well-being. Indian policy developments, including the National Education Policy 2020 and expansion of Eklavya Model Residential Schools, increasingly emphasize holistic development, inclusion, socio-emotional learning, and safe learning environments. The review suggests that residential schools should move beyond an academic-hostel model toward an integrated psychosocial ecosystem in which students are supported academically, emotionally, culturally, and socially.