The Role of Teachers and Peers in Supporting Early Adolescent Academic Motivation, Engagement, and School Belonging

• In Event: Innovation in Research on the Role of Context in Engagement

Abstract

The aim of this mixed method study was to gain a comprehensive understanding of how teachers and peers foster a responsive learning environment that supports early adolescent motivation, engagement, and belonging within one large, urban, diverse middle school. Student surveys (N=209, 61% females) examined: 1) relations among perceived teacher autonomy support and structure, teacher and peer support, and adjustment; and 2) potential gender differences in mean levels among constructs. Follow-up individual student and educator interviews (N=24) illustrated how teachers and peers may have fostered a responsive learning environment that supports adolescent motivation, engagement, and belonging. Findings indicate teachers and peers provided unique supports for motivation, engagement, and belonging and have important implications for supporting early adolescents’ school adjustment.

Authors

• Sarah M. Kiefer, University of South Florida

• Kathleen Marie Alley, Mississippi State University

• Cheryl R. Ellerbrock, University of South Florida