Individual-difference themes (academic motivation, emotional stability, gender, race and ethnicity) are associated with school belonging¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2018 · checked against its sources 2026-10-17 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Academic motivation, emotional stability, gender, and race and ethnicity each emerged as student-level themes influencing school belonging. → Allen 2018

Evidence¶

Allen 2018¶

Allen, K., Kern, M.L., Vella-Brodrick, D., Hattie, J., & Waters, L. (2018). What Schools Need to Know About Fostering School Belonging: a Meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 30, 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-016-9389-8

q3 · i? · quant-synthesis · r2

Systematic review phase identifying the ten themes, including the individual-difference themes "academic motivation, emotional stability, personal characteristics" and "gender, race and ethnicity". These were then meta-analytically examined across 51 studies (N = 67,378).

"First, a systematic review identified 10 themes that influence school belonging at the student level during adolescence in educational settings (academic motivation, emotional stability, personal characteristics, parent support, peer support, teacher support, gender, race and ethnicity, extracurricular activities and environmental/school safety)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Belonging — outcome: instruction changes it
• Gender — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause
• Race and Ethnicity — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• Teacher support is among the strongest predictors of school belonging — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Contextual themes (extracurricular activities, environmental/school safety) are associated with school belonging — related
• Social support factors (parent, peer, teacher) are among the themes associated with adolescent school belonging — related
• Across nearly all race/ethnicity groups, transgender high school students report fewer school supports, lower safety, lower motivation, and lower connectedness than non-transgender peers — related
• The need to belong is relevant to all academic disciplines that study human behavior, with immense importance to educational psychology — related
• Positive personal characteristics are among the strongest predictors of school belonging — related
• Racial, ethnic, and cultural identity development emerged as the core need for students of color beyond academic subjects — related
• Latino girls reported higher belonging and achievement than boys, and Latino subgroup and parent-education differences emerged in the sixth grade — related
• Belonging mediates the relationship between racial/ethnic identity and both academic achievement and emotional symptoms — related
• Black and Latinx students were less likely than their peers to be in the On-Track category, and within each race/ethnicity group boys were less likely to be on-track than girls — related