Abstract
This study investigated sense of school belonging in a sample of 13 African American high school students. Findings suggest that students felt a stronger sense of connection to their school community when they perceived fewer differences between themselves and others in the school body. In addition, student responses revealed that feelings of comfort and tolerance were essential to personal descriptions of belongingness. Although, likeness and comfort were important when students discussed school belongingness, the same was not true of factors related to academic performance. Limitations of the study and directions for future work are addressed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baumeister R. F., Leary M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497–529
Booker K. C. (2004). Exploring school belonging and academic achievement in African American adolescents. Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, 6, 133–146
Chipuer H. M. (2001). Dyadic attachments and community connectedness: Links with youths’ loneliness experiences. Journal of Community Psychology, 29, 429–446
Datnow A., & Cooper R. (1997). Peer networks of African American students in independent schools: Affirming academic success and racial identity. The Journal of Negro Education, 66, 56–72
Deci E. L., Vallerand R. J., Pelletier L. G., Ryan R. M. (1991). Motivation and education: The self-determination perspective. Educational Psychologist, 26, 325–346
Faircloth B., Hamm J. (2005). Sense of belonging among high school students representing four ethnic groups. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 293–309
Fine M. (1991). Framing dropouts. Albany, NY: SUNY Press
Finn J. D. (1989). Withdrawing from school. Review of Educational Research, 59, 117–142
Ford D. Y., & Harris J. J. (1996). Perceptions and attitudes of black students toward school, achievement, and other educational variables. Child Development, 67, 1141–1152
Fordham S., Ogbu J. U. (1986). Black students’ school success: Coping with the burden of ‘acting White’. Urban Review, 18, 176–206
Furrer C., Skinner E. (2003). Sense of relatedness as a factor in children’s academic engagement and performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 148–162
Goodenow C. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates. Psychology in the Schools, 30, 79–90
Graham S., Taylor A. Z., Hudley C. R. (1998). Exploring achievement values among ethnic minority early adolescents. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 606–620
Hagborg W. J. (1994). An exploration of school membership among middle and high school students. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 12, 312–323
Hamm J. V. (2000). Do birds of a feather flock together? The variable bases for African American, Asian American, and European American adolescents’ selection of similar friends. Developmental Psychology, 36, 209–219
Hemmings A. (1996). Conflicting images? Being Black and a model high school student. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 27, 20–50
Isakson K., Jarvis P. (1999). The adjustment of adolescents during the transition into high school: A short term longitudinal study. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 28, 1–26
Mahoney J. L., & Cairns R. B. (1997). Do extracurricular activities protect against early school dropout? Developmental Psychology, 33, 241–253
Marchant G. J., Paulson S. E., Rothlisberg B. A. (2001). Relations of middle school students’ perceptions of family and school contexts with academic achievement. Psychology in the Schools, 38, 505–519
Marin, P. (1995). Using open-ended interviews to determine why Puerto Rican students drop out of school. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 23, 158–169
Marshall C., Rossman G. B. (2006). Designing qualitative research 4th Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications
Maslow A. (1999). Toward a psychology of being 3rd Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand
Murdock T. (1999). The social context of risk: Status and motivational predictors of alienation in middle school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 62–75
Newman B. M., Newman P. R. (2001). Group identity and alienation: Giving the weits due. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 30, 515–538
Ogbu J. U. (1998). Voluntary and involuntary minorities: A cultural-ecological theory of school performance with some implications for education. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 29, 155–188
Osterman K. F. (2000). Students’ need for belonging in the school community. Review of Educational Research, 70, 323–367
Peshkin, A. (1991). The color of strangers, the color of friends: The play of ethnicity in school and community. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
Phelan P., Davidson A. L., Cao H. T. (1991). Students’ multiple worlds: Negotiating the boundaries of family, peer, and school cultures. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 22, 224–250
Smerdon B. A. (1999). How perceptions of school membership influence high school students’ academic development: Implications for adolescents at risk of educational failure. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 60, 1511
Voelkl K. E. (1995). School warmth, student participation, and achievement. Journal of Experimental Education, 63, 127–138
Voelkl K. E. (1997). Identification with school. American Journal of Education, 105, 294–318
Way N., Chen, L. (2000). Close and general friendships among African American, Latino, and Asian American adolescents from low-income families. Journal of Adolescent Research, 15, 274–301
Way N., Pahl K. (1999). Friendship patterns among urban adolescent boys. In M. Kopala, L. A. Suzuki (Eds.), Using qualitative methods in psychology (pp. 145–161). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Wehlage G. (1989). Dropping out: Can schools be expected to prevent it In L. Weis, E. Farrar, H. Petrie (Eds.), Dropouts from school (pp. 1–19). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press
Wentzel K. R. (1998). Social relationships and motivation in middle school: The role of perceived pedagogical caring. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 411–419
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Keonya Booker, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of educational psychology in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Dr. Booker graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a concentration in educational psychology, measurement, and evaluation. Her primary research interests focus on the relationship between school belonging, motivation, teacher caring, and academic performance for African American high school and college students. A secondary research line involves leadership development in young women. She teaches courses in adolescent development, advanced child development, and qualitative research methods.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Booker, K.C. Likeness, Comfort, and Tolerance: Examining African American Adolescents’ Sense of School Belonging. Urban Rev 39, 301–317 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-007-0053-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-007-0053-y