How (Do) School Experiences Contribute to Students' Sense of Belonging? Findings From Five Non-Western Countries

• In Event: Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: Social and Cultural Processes in Motivation Research

Abstract

Scholars have long documented the role of students’ sense of belonging (SB) on achievement and retention. However, we know little of what explains variation in students’ SB. Moreover, research on SB has been mostly conducted in North America and Western Europe. This paper examines the effect of student-level and school-level characteristics on students’ SB in five non-Western countries: Chile, Morocco, Russia, Korea, and Turkey. I use data from the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, with two-level Hierarchical Linear Models. Results suggest that effects of each predictor vary by countries; however, experience of being bullied and like-learning mathematics have large effect sizes on students’ SB in all five countries. Additional findings and implications are discussed.

Author

• Chanwoong Baek, Teachers College, Columbia University