An Ecological Perspective on Sense of School Belonging Gap among Language Minority Students

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thursday 9:45am
  In Poster Session: Reimagining Inclusive Learning Environments

Abstract

Prior studies have primarily examined students’ sense of belonging within the general population, with little research focusing on language minority (LMI) students or accounting for environmental factors. Grounded in ecological systems theory, our study examined how home- and school-level factors predict students’ sense of belonging using PISA 2018 dataset. We conducted correlation and stepwise regression analyses on 4,838 students from 164 middle schools in the United States. Results suggested that LMI status negatively predicted sense of belonging even after accounting for other environmental factors. Additionally, teacher support, parent emotional support, socioeconomic status, and peer co-operation were robust positive predictors of sense of belonging. These findings contribute to advocating inclusive school environments for linguistically diverse students.

Authors

• Yan Wu, Johns Hopkins University

• Marcia H. Davis, Johns Hopkins University