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Panel information
Panel 8. Education, Schooling

Abstract

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Research has shown that students’ sense of belonging at school has impacts on children’s cognitive development, school adjustment, as well as and academic motivation and performance (e.g., Gillen-O’Neel & Fuligni, 2013; Raufelder et al., 2021). School belongingness, defined as students' sense of being accepted, valued, and included within their school community (Allen et al., 2018), is a crucial factor in adolescent development. During early adolescence, the need for social connectedness becomes increasingly salient, as peer relationships and social environments play a pivotal role in shaping identity and self-esteem (Erikson, 1993). Research has shown that students who experience a strong sense of school belonging tend to exhibit higher academic motivation, lower dropout rates, and better psychological well-being (Jose et al., 2012). However, little research examined the developmental trajectory of school belongingness during early adolescence and how the development of school belongingness relates to their later post-secondary educational choices, especially for academically at-risk children. Given the critical developmental period of early adolescence and the importance of school belongingness in adolescence, this paper examined the development of school belongingness from 4th to 9th grade and its relation to adolescents’ post-secondary educational enrollment.
Data was on a sample of students who were identified as being academically at risk (i.e., had low literacy scores at school entry; n = 784, 47% female, 37.4% Latinx, 34.1% White, and 23.2% Black). Latent growth curve model was conducted to test the growth trajectory of school belongingness during middle childhood to early adolescence (from 4th to 9th grade). Three models were estimated: (a) a no-change model with only intercept, (b) a linear change model, and (c) a quadratic change model. A linear change model was determined because there is a significant improvement compared to the no growth model. Although the quadratic change model is a better fit than the linear model, the linear and quadratic slopes were not significant. We found that adolescents’ school belongingness declined from 4th to 9th grade. Then, we examined how the intercept and slope of school belongingness relate to post-secondary educational enrollment. The intercepts of school belongingness in 4th grade and slope of school belongingness from 4th to 9th grade were found to be significant predictors of adolescents' post-secondary educational enrollment (β = .15 & .47, p < .05, respectively).
These results underscore the crucial role that school belongingness plays not only during early adolescence but also in shaping long-term educational outcomes for students who were considered academically at-risk at the start of schooling. The findings suggest that fostering a strong sense of belonging in the early grades may be key to supporting higher educational aspirations and eventual post-secondary enrollment, particularly for academically vulnerable populations. This highlights the importance of school interventions and supportive environments during early adolescence to promote sustained educational engagement and success.

Author information

Author	Role
Su Jiang, Ph.D., Texas A&M University	Presenting author
Jeffrey Liew, Texas A&M University	Non-presenting author

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