Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mainland immigrant and Hong Kong local students’ psychological sense of school membership

  • Published:
Asia Pacific Education Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A Chinese version of the Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) scale was developed to find out the subjective PSSM of Mainland immigrant and local Hong Kong students. Five schools participated with 295 boys and 252 girls from Primary years 4, 5, and 6 taking part. Among those, 264 students were local Hong Kong students, while 283 were Mainland immigrant students who claimed that they had lived in Hong Kong for 7 years or less. The Chinese version of the PSSM scale was found to be reliable, and interestingly, Mainland immigrant students were found to have a significantly higher sense of school belonging, but had a lower feeling of rejection than Hong Kong students did. Results would be useful to understand how students feel towards support in school.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arhar, J. M., & Kromrey, J. D. (1993, April).Interdisciplinary teaming in the middle level school: Creating a sense of belonging for at-risk middle level students. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Atlanta, GA.

  • Brown, D. W., & McIntire, W. G. (1996, October).Sense of belonging in rural community high school and boarding of belonging magnet high school students. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Rural Education Association, San Antonio, TX.

  • Chan, H. Y. (2002). The adaptation and needs of newly arrived students in learning.Newly Arrived Students Education Newsletter, 9.

  • Chan, J., et al. (1998).Psychological adaptation of children and youth newly arrived in Hong Kong from Mainland China: Research, theory and practice. Hong Kong: Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association Social Service Center.

  • Chow, H. P. H. (2000). The determinants of academic performance: Hong Kong immigrant students in Canadian schools.Canadian Ethnic Studies, 32 (3), 105–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallagher, S. L. (1996).Adolescents’ perceived sense of belonging. Unpublished master’s thesis, Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodenow, C. (1991, April).The sense of belonging and its relationship to academic motivation among pre- and early adolescent students. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Convention. Chicago, IL.

  • Goodenow, C. (1992, April.)School motivation, engagement, and sense of belonging among urban adolescent students. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Ann Arbor, MI.

  • Goodenow, C. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates.Psychology in the Schools, 30, 79–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodenow, C., & Grady, K. E. (1993). The relationship of school belonging and friends’ values to academic motivation among urban adolescent students.Journal of Experimental Education, 62 (1), 60–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hagborg, W. J. (1994). An exploration of school membership among middle- and high-school students.Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 12, 312–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagborg, W. J. (1998). An investigation of a brief measure of school membership.Adolescence, 99(130), 461–468.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, R. M., & Davis, C. (2000). Cultural orientation, past multicultural experience, and a sense of belonging on campus for Asian American college students.Research in Brief, 41(1), 110–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norušis, M. J. (2000).SPSS 10.0: Guide to data analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osterman, K. F. (2000). Students’ need for belonging in the school community.Review of Educational Research, 70(3), 323–367.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinto, V. (1997). Classrooms as communities.Journal of Higher Education, 68(6), 599–623.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wehlage, G. (1989). Dropping out: Can schools be expected to prevent it? In L. Weis, E. Farrar, & H. Petrie (Eds.),Dropouts from school. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, X., & Berry, J. W. (1991). Psychological adaptation of Chinese sojourners in Canada.International Journal of Psychology, 26(4), 451–470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China

    Hoi Yan Cheung

  2. The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong China

    Sammy King Fai Hui

Authors
  1. Hoi Yan Cheung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sammy King Fai Hui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hoi Yan Cheung.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cheung, H.Y., Hui, S.K.F. Mainland immigrant and Hong Kong local students’ psychological sense of school membership. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 4, 67–74 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03025553

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03025553

Keywords

Search

Navigation