Home-School Dissonance and Student-Teacher Interaction as Predictors of School Attachment among Urban Middle Level Students

Abstract

The middle level years continue to be of significant concern to educational stakeholders, policymakers, theorists, and researchers. Chief among this concern is the degree to which middle level students adapt to the middle level climate and eventually begin to feel attached to or a sense of belonging at their school. The research literature has identified student-teacher interactions as a leading factor that promotes school attachment and corresponding adaptive behaviors, including academic success. The purpose of this study is to investigate the associations between middle level students’ perceptions of home-school dissonance and reports of school attachment. Seven hundred and seventy-six middle level students participated in the research. Using the Questionnaire of Teacher Interaction (Brekelmans, Wubbels, & Creton, 1990) and a measure of home-school dissonance (Arunkumar, Midgley, & Urdan, 1999), results show that both were significant predictors of school attachment, as measured by the School Attachment Questionnaire (Mouton, Dewitt, & Glazier, 1993). Study limitations and implications along with recommendations for future research are discussed.