The High Tide Raises All Ships: Middle Grades Teachers’ Perspectives on School Belonging in Early Adolescence

Keonya Booker

doi:10.1080/19404476.2018.1505402

Abstract

ABSTRACTMiddle grades students have developmental needs that are unique from those of younger children and those in late adolescence. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how middle grades teachers create a sense of belonging with their students and the ways in which their knowledge of early adolescent development influences that process. Self-determination Theory, Stage-Environment Fit Theory, and the Model of Academic Engagement provided a framework for a qualitative investigation that involved interviews with five middle grades teachers. Participants emphasized four themes including the importance of an increased emphasis on community building activities, a need for modeling positive attitudes, the ability to encourage positive peer relationships, and making course content relevant to students’ lives. Implications for teachers of young adolescents are discussed.

Highlights

Student engagement goes beyond students’ physical presence in the classroom; it encompasses their affective domain of functioning
Whereas explorations of belongingness have typically focused on student perceptions (Faircloth & Hamm, 2005; Roeser, Midgley, & Urdan, 1996; Schmakel, 2008), the current study sought to address the ways in which middle grades teachers manage to create positive learning environments with a keen eye to the developmental needs of young adolescents
This study examined how middle grades teachers use their understanding of adolescent developmental needs to create learning environments that are supportive of competence, independence, connection, and cognitive maturity

Summary

Introduction

Student engagement goes beyond students’ physical presence in the classroom; it encompasses their affective domain of functioning. Important markers of school belonging (Green, Emery, Sanders, & Anderman, 2016; Wentzel, 2012) This project examined the perspectives of teachers and, in particular, their understanding of the unique need systems of younger adolescents and how that informed their ability to create positive learning environments for middle grades students. At the core of school belonging is a student’s need to be connected to others in the environment Three models support this assertion and underscore how teachers and classmates influence the levels of community present in the classroom. For most adolescents, perceived autonomy is an indication of how much choice they have in what they learn, how they are assessed, and the level of freedom adults give them to explore topics of interest. The degree to which a student feels welcomed in their educational environment is a measure of the interpersonal relationships in that learning space (Niemiec, 2009)

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Discussion

Conclusion