Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Examining Schools' Practices That Support Immigrant Students' Feelings of Belonging

• In Event: Exploring Students' Sense of Belonging and the Home-School Connection

Abstract

A quarter of all students in U.S. schools are either immigrants or children of immigrants (Child Trends, 2018). This paper examines how schools can support these students’ feelings of belonging. Given the important relationship between students’ feelings of belonging and a range of academic, motivational and social-emotional outcomes, this study specifically asks, how do students experience symbolism, symbolic acts, subtle messages, and overt actions of belonging in these two schools? To answer this question, this paper draws from two studies of two high schools serving recently arrived immigrant students. Our analysis revealed that students’ feelings of belonging developed along four dimensions. These schools’ differing approaches have several implications for school leaders, teachers, and educational policy makers.

Authors

• Kristina Brezicha, Georgia State University

• Chandler Patton Miranda, Barnard College