Why schools need to earn students’ trust
Students who distrust institutions are more likely to drop out of school
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npj Science of Learning
When Catrin Finkenauer worked with adult victims of child abuse and family violence, she learned that a lack of trust is one of the most important factors contributing to often lifelong, devastating consequences for victims and their families. She also discovered that trust was understudied in young people. Catrin tells Annie Brookman-Byrne about her recent research on the links between trust, family wealth, and school dropout rates.
Annie Brookman-Byrne: What inspired you to conduct research on trust in an educational setting?
Catrin Finkenauer: Trust, especially institutional trust, is an undervalued and neglected topic in research on children, adolescents, and young adults. Without trust, society is unable to function. Trust is critical to navigating the myriad interdependent interactions that people engage in every day, in banking, parenting, business negotiations, and intimate relationships. We know very little about how to repair and rebuild trust once it has been violated by people or institutions.
ABB: What are the key findings from your recent work on trust, family wealth, and school dropout rates?
CF: We found, unsurprisingly, that vocational education students who experienced financial scarcity were more likely to drop out of school than students who felt more financially stable. But interestingly, distrust in institutions such as government, education systems, and law enforcement was a significant factor in linking financial scarcity to dropout – whereas beliefs about the unfairness of society were not. Students who experienced more financial scarcity tended to have lower levels of institutional trust, which in turn increased their risk of dropping out of school 9 months later. These results could not be explained by mental health problems or by sociodemographic factors like age, gender, or migration background.
This suggests that students’ trust in institutions is more influential in determining their educational persistence than are their broader beliefs about societal fairness. We were surprised to discover that trust in teachers did not affect dropout rates, nor did it buffer the effects of a lack of trust in institutions. While teacher support is valuable, it may not be enough to offset the effects of financial scarcity and low institutional trust on dropout.
“Strengthening students’ trust in institutions could help reduce dropout rates.”
ABB: How can your findings be used to improve students’ outcomes?
CF: Our study suggests that strengthening students’ trust in institutions could help reduce dropout rates, especially for students facing financial challenges. School dropout is not just a personal issue related to individual student characteristics or mental wellbeing. We need to take a broader, systemic approach and adopt a more holistic way of thinking: Rather than focusing solely on individual students, schools need to consider how they, as institutions, contribute to students’ trust, including fostering a sense of belonging, fairness, and support. Schools and educators need to earn, maintain, or rebuild students’ trust—especially in those from financially insecure backgrounds who may have lower levels of institutional trust. To earn trust, people and institutions must be trustworthy.
Philosopher Onora O’Neill identifies three essential ingredients in trust: competence, honesty, and reliability. I think these ingredients may be relevant to schools, too. Schools could demonstrate competence by educating students effectively, managing resources appropriately, and creating a safe, supportive environment. This requires maintaining high standards for teaching quality, providing appropriate academic support, and proactively addressing student needs. In a school setting, teachers, administrators, and other staff could demonstrate honesty by communicating openly with students about policies on such issues as grading and discipline, and about expectations and available resources. Crucially, staff need to acknowledge mistakes and be transparent about how decisions are made. Reliability in a school environment could mean, for example, consistently delivering on commitments and promises regarding procedures related to discipline as well as offering academic support, safety, and caring, even in challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic.
“School systems that embody these elements of trustworthiness foster an environment where students feel safe, valued, and understood.”
School systems that embody these elements of trustworthiness foster an environment where students feel safe, valued, and understood, which is the foundation of trust. This holistic approach addresses not just students’ academic needs, but also their psychological need for a supportive and predictable environment, ultimately reducing the likelihood of dropout.
ABB: What have you learnt personally from your work on trust?
CF: I have become more aware that trust has to be earned. It’s not something I can simply ask for or assume. To be trusted, I need to be trustworthy. But what does that mean, exactly? I’ve come to realize that the devil is in the details: Seemingly small behaviours—keeping promises, being on time, apologizing when I’m wrong, and taking responsibility—in interactions with close friends and family, colleagues, or students can help them build trust in me. In my academic setting, I’m motivated to integrate the ingredients of trustworthiness into our structures and organizational processes, making trustworthiness an explicit goal in how we work and interact with students, colleagues, and team members.
Footnotes
Catrin Finkenauer is a Professor of Youth Studies in the department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Netherlands, and Scientific Director of Utrecht University’s Dynamics of Youth strategic theme. Her research bridges disciplines and sectors to address urgent social challenges affecting youth, including climate change, trauma, and migration. As Scientific Director, she promotes interdisciplinary collaborations that engage children, adolescents, and young adults. The Dynamics of Youth research area brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to build sustainable partnerships that have real-world impact, based on trust and the principles of team science. Together, these efforts strive to enable young people to thrive in an increasingly complex and uncertain world.
Catrin’s university profile, lab website, community platform
Catrin on LinkedIn
Catrin Finkenauer contributed to a special collection on understanding and addressing inequality in education in the journal npj Science of Learning. This interview is part of a series dedicated to sharing practical takeaways and personal insights from authors.
The interview has been edited for clarity.
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