This book explores the complex ways in which belonging, identity and time are entangled in shaping young people engagement with the middle years of school. The authors argue that these entanglements need to be understood in ways that move beyond a focus on why individual young people engage with the middle years. Instead, there should be a focus on the socio-ecologies of particular places, and the ways in which these ecologies shape the possibilities of young people engaging productively in the middle years. Drawing on extensive qualitative data from an outer-urban metropolitan context, this book will appeal to scholars of sociology, education and policy studies.

Seth Brown is Lecturer in the School of Education at RMIT University, Australia. His research expertise lies in socio-cultural studies of education and sport in the context of wider social and cultural change.  Peter Kelly is Professor of Education at RMIT University, Australia. His research interests include a critical engagement with young peoples well-being, and resilience and enterprise in the Anthropocene.  Scott K. Phillips is Director at Kershaw Phillips Consulting. He works with companies, governments and communities to research and understand young peoples needs. He has published in the fields of youth policy, multicultural drugs education in schools, and community ethnography.

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Identity.- Chapter 3. Belonging.- Chapter 4. Time.- Chapter 5. Conclusions.