Open Collections

Molyneux, Tonje M.

University of British Columbia

Background: School belonging is a key developmental asset during adolescence, but adolescents’ school belonging experience varies widely, and challenges have been reported consistently. Research suggests that adolescents’ school belonging can be influenced by individual, relational, and organizational factors; however, little is known about if and how students perceive these factors as affecting their experience of school belonging. Moreover, there is a lack of research employing a mixed methods approach that analyzed population-based quantitative data alongside qualitative data to rigorously explore this phenomenon. Objectives: The goal of this study was to investigate young adolescents’ perceptions of factors that affect their experience of school belonging. Method: Convergent parallel mixed methods research design was employed to yield a comprehensive understanding of Grade 6-8 students’ perceptions of factors that affect their experience of school belonging. Qualitative data, generated from 14 focus groups (N = 114) and quantitative data, drawn from a population-level database of self-reports (N = 23,241), were analyzed separately, then compared to see where they converged, diverged, or expanded on each other. Results: Three themes developed from the qualitative data—comfort, care, and connection—were evident at individual, relational (peers and adults), and organizational (school system and environment) levels. Multilevel modeling of the quantitative data found a combination of individual (grade, sex, and optimism), relational (connectedness with adults at school, connectedness with peers at school, and peer victimization), and organizational (school type: elementary, middle, secondary, K-12) factors explained a significant portion of the variance in school belonging. Mixed analysis showed that the qualitative and quantitative results converged and expanded on each other. Discussion: The findings expand the research base and highlight actions schools can take to effectively promote school belonging among young adolescents. Ensuring students experience comfort, care, and connection at individual, relational, and organizational levels is paramount. Further, schools need to tailor transition supports to the context, in particular providing support for students transitioning into middle school. Finally, the findings underscore the need to include students’ voices in the design and implementation of policies and programs that aim to support their experience of school belonging and overall well-being.

Text

2025-03-18

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/90502

Human Development, Learning, and Culture

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/