Feeling Known and Unknown in U.S. High Schools

• In Event: Adolescent–Adult Relationships as Developmental Spaces: Mechanisms Underlying Positive Development for Diverse Youth

Abstract

Research has shown that a positive student-teacher relationship is an important ingredient for supporting students’ overall feelings of school connectedness (Martin & Dowson, 2009). Students’ feelings of belonging and connectedness that result from these developmentally supportive moments can serve as a protective buffer, particularly during the high school years (Crosnoe, 2011). In this study, I explore late adolescents’ active interpretations of what emerged as “being known” in high school. This research with high school youth suggests that an adolescent’s perception of being known by teachers is a distinct component of school connectedness formed phenomenologically by late adolescents through the dynamic experiencing of interpersonal structures. Distinct from a generalized perception of the school environment, namely sense of belonging (Goodenow, 1993), the concept of being known may provide a coherent framework for understanding the intersections of development, psychosocial perceptions and effective teaching.

To examine adult-youth sense of connectedness broadly in high school, 13 focus groups were conducted in California, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. The study draws on two bodies of theory—relationships as developmental contexts in applied developmental science and teacher care in educational research to sketch out a working definition for the concept of “being known” in an educational context. The sample (N=78) included older adolescents ranging in age from 14 years old to 20 years old with a mean age of 17.15 years old (SD= 1.35 years). Across focus groups, participants presented consistent portrayals of both what high-quality interactions with teachers look and feel like as well as what resembled negative and disengaging interactions with teachers. Across these data, there was a clear understanding of positive frequent interaction (Baumeister & Leary, 1995) as a significant factor for students’ sense of being known that can serve a developmental function in student-teacher relationships. In proposing the concept of “being known” as a more developmentally appropriate instantiation of belonging in high school, this study aims to advance our understanding of the processes undergirding adolescent academic engagement.


References
Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497-529.
Crosnoe, R. (2011). Fitting In, Standing Out: Navigating the social challenges of high school to get an education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Goodenow, C. (1993a). Classroom belonging among early adolescent students. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 13(1), 21-43.
Martin, A. J., & Dowson, M. (2009). Interpersonal relationships, motivation, engagement, and achievement: Yields for theory, current issues, and educational practice. Review of Educational Research, 79, 327-365.

Author

• Vichet Chhuon, University of Minnesota