School belonging in adolescents : theory, research and practice

138 Pages·2017·2.49 MB·English

by  Allen

SPRINGER BRIEFS IN PSYCHOLOGY
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY
Kelly-Ann Allen
Margaret L. Kern
School Belonging
in Adolescents
Theory, Research
and Practice
Foreword is by Hugh MacKay
123
SpringerBriefs in Psychology
School Psychology
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/10334
Kelly-Ann Allen Margaret L. Kern
(cid:129)
School Belonging
in Adolescents
Theory, Research and Practice
Foreword is by Hugh Mackay
123
Kelly-Ann Allen Margaret L. Kern
TheUniversity of Melbourne TheUniversity of Melbourne
MelbourneGraduate Schoolof Education MelbourneGraduate Schoolof Education
Parkville, VIC Parkville, VIC
Australia Australia
and
Toorak College
Mt Eliza,VIC
Australia
ISSN 2192-8363 ISSN 2192-8371 (electronic)
SpringerBriefs inPsychology
ISSN 2520-8918 ISSN 2520-8926 (electronic)
SchoolPsychology
ISBN978-981-10-5995-7 ISBN978-981-10-5996-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-5996-4
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017947027
©TheAuthor(s)2017
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This book is dedicated to all young people.
May your educational aspirations be filled
with compelling passion, boundless
motivation, and a true sense of belonging.
Foreword
What is the Purpose of Education?
Everyonehastheirownanswertothisquestion,rangingfromlearning“thebasics”,
equippingyourselffortheworkforceand“learninghowtothink”;allthewayupto
discovering pathways to enlightenment. Whatever the academic or vocational
purposes of education might be, every society with a formal school education
systemusesittosocialiseandacculturateitsyoung.Soperhapsitisnotsurprising
that,inretrospect,manypeoplevaluethesocialaspectsoftheirschoolexperience.
They recall a community where they were learning how to belong.
The role of schools as local community hubs can be seen in the swarming of
parentsaroundtheschoolgateswhenchildrenarebeingdroppedoffandcollected;
in the crowds that attend fundraising activities; in the willingness of parents and
grandparents to volunteer to coach slow readers, mentor students who are strug-
gling academically or socially, paint classrooms,run barbequesatsportscarnivals,
serveintheschoolcanteen,offerclericalassistanceintheschoolofficeorlibrary,or
help with supervision on school excursions and camps.
Itcanbeseenintheintenseinterestshownintheappointmentofnewschoolor
preschool principals, and in any school-based gossip. It is not only a matter of
schools and preschools being places where our children are being educated, nur-
tured and influenced by strangers (so we want to know as much as possible about
thosestrangers),butalsothatalocalschoolisahighlyvisiblesymbolofthehealth
and well-being of a community.
vii
viii Foreword
For most of us, life’s richest meanings spring from our personal relationships
and connections. That is why the desire to belong is a throbbing urge that will not
be stilled until our hearts find safe lodgings.
2014 Hugh MacKay
Social Researcher and Author
Reference
MacKay,H.(2014).TheArtofBelonging,Sydney,AU:PanMacmillanAustralia.
Acknowledgements
We wish to acknowledge the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the
University of Melbourne, and specifically the support and dedication of Kelly’s
Ph.D. supervisors, Prof. Lea Waters and Associate Professor Dianne Vella-
Brodrick, and Ph.D. committee Chair Dr. Vicki McKenzie all of whom played
pivotalrolesintheformulationandexecutionoftheresearchpresentedinthistext.
Thisbookhasbeenwrittenforresearchers,academicsandpractitionersworking
in school settings. A driving impetus for this text was to create a resource with a
high level of applied impact for secondary school settings. Thus, the research
presented in this text has relevance for intervention design and organisational
structures within educational settings, particularly in respect to further research,
policyandpractice.Wehopethatstudentsandschoolsasawholecanbenefitfrom
the research and perspectives presented here.
ix
Contents
Part I Belonging: What and Why
1 Introduction... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 3
2 The Need to Belong. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 5
2.1 What Is Belonging? ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 6
2.2 Theoretical Underpinnings .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 8
2.3 The Benefits of Belonging .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 9
2.4 Belonging During Adolescence. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 11
3 School Belonging... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 13
3.1 What Is School Belonging? ... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 14
3.1.1 School Belonging .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 14
3.1.2 School Connectedness. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 14
3.1.3 School Attachment ... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 15
3.1.4 School Bonding.. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 15
3.1.5 School Engagement... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 16
3.1.6 School Community ... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 16
3.1.7 Towards a Consistent Terminology... .... ..... .... 17
3.2 Measures of Belonging... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 17
3.2.1 Psychological Sense of School
Membership (PSSM).. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 18
3.2.2 Hemingway Measure of Adolescent
Connectedness (HMAC) ... .... .... .... ..... .... 18
3.2.3 School Connectedness Scale (SCS)... .... ..... .... 18
3.2.4 Student Engagement Instrument (SEI). .... ..... .... 19
3.2.5 Other Measures.. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 19
3.3 The Benefits of School Belonging .. .... .... .... ..... .... 20
3.4 A Research-Practice Gap . .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 21
xi