How do disengaged Australian youth experience psychological empowerment during a youth re-engagement programmes?

Glenn Weatherford; Kristen Tulloch; Emily Moir; Kate Mulgrew

doi:10.1080/02667363.2026.2697836

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How do disengaged Australian youth experience psychological empowerment during a youth re-engagement programmes?

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

How do disengaged Australian youth experience psychological empowerment during a youth re-engagement programmes?

Glenn Weatherford, Kristen Tulloch, Emily Moir and Kate Mulgrew

Educational Psychology in Practice, Vol.Advanced access

04-Jul-2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02667363.2026.2697836

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Abstract

adolecence

education

NEET

re-engagement

youth work

Educational disengagement is a significant problem globally with disadvantaged populations overrepresented. Educational disengagement hinders mental and physical health, finances, career prospects and employment. Although these societal disadvantages are clear, for some young people disengagement is enacted as empowering action as young people seek to develop their identity, distinct from academic or behavioural failure and poor adult relationships within schools. Increases in psychological empowerment (PE) have been associated with increases in prosocial behaviour, responsible decision making and displays of social support – along with a decrease in delinquency. In the present study, nine males aged 13–19 years in southeast Queensland, Australia, completed interviews about their experiences of a psychological empowerment programme for young people not in education, employment or training. Results were analysed using framework analysis addressing intrapersonal, interactional, relational and behavioural psychological empowerment, along with psychological empowerment catalysts of agency, purpose, mentoring and community engagement. Findings provided commentary on the young people’s relationships with and power within their immediate communities, along with the roles of significant adult relationships. Disengagement was understood to be an agentic act which may contribute to the challenges in supporting young people to re-engage in community via education, employment or training. Implications for practice are discussed.

Details

Title: How do disengaged Australian youth experience psychological empowerment during a youth re-engagement programmes?
Authors: Glenn Weatherford (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Kristen Tulloch - University of the Sunshine Coast
Emily Moir - University of the Sunshine Coast
Kate Mulgrew - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Educational Psychology in Practice, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: Routledge
DOI: 10.1080/02667363.2026.2697836
ISSN: 1469-5839
Copyright note: © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Data Availability: Original transcripts are not available due to the level of consent provided.
Organisation Unit: Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; Graduate Research School; Cancer Research Cluster; School of Health - Psychology; School of Law and Society; Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991242586402621
Output Type: Journal article

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