Relationship Between Parent Education and Students' Sense of Belonging in Secondary School

• In Event: Youth Engagement and Belonging

Abstract

Sense of belonging is associated with several academic outcomes. Additionally, literature suggests minority students experience a low sense of belonging in school. This study’s aims were to: 1. examine the sense of belonging of students at a majority American Indian secondary school and 2. analyze whether there was a relationship between a student’s sense of belonging and his/her parent’s educational level. 226 9-12th graders were surveyed. The data suggested students generally felt a low sense of belonging, and that there was a significant positive relationship between parent education level and student sense of belonging. Results suggest parent’s education level is related not only to academic achievement, but also to student’s psychological well-being, which in turn can also affect academic outcomes.

Authors

• Nidia Ruedas-Gracia, Stanford University

• Teresa D. LaFromboise, Stanford University

• Saima Malik, Stanford University

• Shadab Hussain, Stanford University