Abstract
We study whether a family’s economic situation and parental educational level are associated with classroom belonging among students in comprehensive secondary, upper secondary general and upper secondary vocational education in Finland. We also study whether there are educational-level differences in this possible association. We use survey data from the Finnish School Health Promotion study from 2017 (N = 114,528). We conduct random effect linear probability models with schools as the second-level grouping variable. The results show that family’s low economic situation predicts a higher probability of lack of sense of classroom belonging in Finland, despite the country having one of the world’s most equal educational systems and comparably low economic inequality. Neither mother’s nor father’s educational level has any association. A family’s low economic situation seems to predict the lack of a sense of belonging most strongly in comprehensive secondary education and most weakly in upper secondary vocational education. Our results slightly support the proposed significance of context-specific hierarchies in determining the association between economic resources and sense of belonging. A family having a poor economic situation is not reflected in the sense of classroom belonging as strongly in schools where students have a low average economic situation compared to those where students have a high average economic situation. We suggest measures, in addition to alleviating economic inequalities, to support the sense of school belonging, especially for low-income students.
Highlights
Students’ high sense of school and classroom belonging can be associated with various positive outcomes such as higher academic motivation and engagement, academic competence and achievement, self-efficacy, self-esteem and well-being in general (Ryan & Patrick, 2001; Pittman & Richmond, 2007; Niemiec & Ryan, 2009)
Even though international research in particular has widely shown the association between school and classroom belonging and different positive outcomes, fewer studies have investigated the factors predicting belonging in the classroom
The estimate is statistically significant and negative for children whose father has secondary education compared to children with a tertiary-educated father
Summary
Students’ high sense of school and classroom belonging can be associated with various positive outcomes such as higher academic motivation and engagement, academic competence and achievement, self-efficacy, self-esteem and well-being in general (Ryan & Patrick, 2001; Pittman & Richmond, 2007; Niemiec & Ryan, 2009). Existing findings have mostly concerned factors related to the school environment, such as teacher supportiveness, peer relationships and participation in extra-curricular activities (e.g. Wang & Holcombe, 2010; Dotterer & Lowe, 2011; Ryan & Patrick, 2011). Existing research concerning the significance of family background usually applies to higher education, focusing on working-class students in high-SES environments, such as universities (e.g. McGregor et al, 1991; Hertel, 2002; Pittman & Richmond, 2007). Economic situation Good economic situation Moderate economic situation Bad economic situation Parent’s level of education Mother’s tertiary level Mother’s secondary level Mother’s compulsory level Father’s tertiary level Father’s secondary level Father’s compulsory level Respondent’s school degree Secondary comprehensive Upper secondary general Upper secondary vocational Gender Boys Girls Parental unemployment No unemployment in the family One or two parents unemployed Family type Two-parent family One-parent family Immigrant background Both parents born in Finland Immigrant background, born in Finland Born outside Finland Total Belonging
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