Perceptions Of Belongingness Research Articles

The effect of successful educational actions in transition from primary to secondary school.

While data show improvement in terms of educational access, dropout rates are significant in many countries. In Spain, 28% of students drop out of school without finishing secondary school, more than double the EU average. Thus, extensive research has shown the consequences of the dropout phenomenon, including negative effects on employment, welfare dependency, as well as health and emotional problems. The transition from primary to secondary education is a critical turning point. This situation worsens in the case of refugee and migrant minors who are refugees or with migrant backgrounds. Although there is strong evidence revealing the potential of SEAs to advance educational success for all in different contexts, no research has yet explored the effect of SEAs on enabling a successful transition from primary to secondary education, which could considerably impact decreasing dropout rates. Drawing on a qualitative case study of a secondary educational centre in Spain, this study analyses the impact of the implementation of three SEAs in key aspects related to primary-secondary transitions. Findings show how the systematic implementation of SEAs impacts the ease of the primary-secondary transition: positive relationships between the educational community are promoted, school connectedness across transition is strengthened, and academic support networks are enhanced. The study therefore suggests the benefits of SEAs as strategies that can enhance positive primary-secondary school transitions in terms of students' perception of belongingness, and academic performance.

Students' industrial work experience scheme (SIWES): exploring higher institution student’s participation and sense of belonging

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which students' industrial work experience scheme (SIWES) students in higher education institutions experienced a high level of engagement in workplace activities and a strong sense of affiliation with their workplace environment. The additional purpose encompassed the identification of factors that both facilitated and hindered their engagement and self-efficacy.Design/methodology/approachThe data for this study were collected via a cross-sectional survey of 243 students who were undertaking the SIWES as a mandatory component of their graduation requirements. The survey was conducted at selected tertiary institutions in Nigeria.FindingsThe qualitative replies yielded valuable insights on the factors that motivated and supported participation, with self-efficacy emerging as a significant facilitator as well as a potential barrier. There is a positive association between more interactions, a professional atmosphere and self-efficacy.Research limitations/implicationsThe study may not comprehensively include all contextual variables that might potentially impact students' perception of belongingness and self-efficacy during the SIWES program, including the distinct industry or workplace setting.Practical implicationsThis exploratory study analyzes SIWES students' cultural and personal affiliation. The study suggests these changes improve student performance. Engagement and belonging techniques for students, supervisors, coworkers and professionals are classified by the study. The study found that supervisors and coworkers help students at work. It underlines academics' responsibility in creating SIWES curricula that increase student confidence and active learning. According to this study, students should receive self-confidence therapy before SIWES. Self-confidence and student success and well-being need additional investigation, the report says.Originality/valueThis study takes a unique approach by examining belongingness and self-efficacy in the SIWES course. It examines the interdependence of these notions and the curriculum's various challenges and opportunities. By addressing these important issues, study adds to existing knowledge and lays the groundwork for future research.

Relational dynamics and meaning in life: Dominance predicts perceived social support, belongingness, and meaning in life

Social relations arguably contribute to meaning in life. Here, we investigated the role of a disposition that fosters social connections and the desire to influence others - dominance. We hypothesised that dominance is associated with increased meaning in life through social mechanisms: perceptions of belongingness and social support. Two cross-sectional studies and one cross-lagged panel study tested these hypotheses. In Study 1, dominance boosted meaning in life through greater belongingness. Study 2 found support for a causal effect of dominance at Wave 1 on meaning in life at Wave 2, driven by elevated belongingness. Study 3 further demonstrated that elevated belongingness of dominant individuals derives from perceptions of increased social support and that both perceptions of social support and belongingness contributed to elevated meaning in life. We conclude that if social relations contribute to meaning in life, a dominant position within social relations can further promote a meaningful existence.

How Followers’ Perception of Insider Status Influences the Relationship Between Servant Leadership and Work Attitude?

Servant leadership starts with an individual whose main interests are to serve, inspire and lead followers. Thus, the servant leader is an individual who is always pursuing and looking for better ways to achieve shared goals with fellow workers. The current study investigates the influencing mechanism of servant leadership on job satisfaction based on the social identity theory. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to develop a model of perceived insider status that mediates the relationships between servant leadership and employee job satisfaction. Data were collected from matched 90 leaders and 285 followers from the service industry in Taiwan. To avoid common method variance issue, we collected data across three-time points from two different sources. The statistical analyses included descriptive analysis, correlational approach, confirmatory factor analysis, and multi-level analyses. Using the bootstrapping method, the indirect effects of servant leadership on job satisfaction via perceived insider status were found to be significant. This study underscores the importance of encouraging leaders to engage in servant leader behaviors, thereby enhancing followers’ perception as insiders and improving followers' job satisfaction. Since servant leaders focus on employee-oriented tactics, it is essential to train leaders to enhance followers’ intrinsic motivation and shape their perceptions of belongingness and effectiveness.

Beyond brick and mortar: Staying connected in post-pandemic blended learning environments.

The authors reflect on how students’ perception of belongingness is central to their learning and how a Sense of Community needs to be encouraged, shaped and continuously sustained.

Irish adolescents’ perspectives on the factors influencing motivation in team sport

ABSTRACT A greater understanding of the mechanisms underpinning motivation for team sport during adolescence, a period when search for identity intensifies, is necessary to promote sport involvement amidst declining rates of participation. This study explored factors underpinning Irish adolescents’ motivation to participate in team sport. Six gender-specific focus-group discussions were conducted with 40 athletes (21 males and 19 females) aged 11 to 16 years from three Gaelic sport community clubs in Dublin, Ireland. Thematic analysis revealed four themes that underpinned adolescents’ team sport motivation: ‘Desire for Competence’, ‘Opportunity to Experience Relatedness’, ‘Transformational Leadership Style’, and ‘Gendered Expectations and Identity’. The first two themes, ‘Desire for Competence’, and ‘Opportunity to Experience Relatedness’, reflected the basic needs participants perceived as crucial to their sport motivation. The sport team context facilitated opportunities for identity formation through perceptions of belongingness with other team members, which was a key driver of youth sport participation. The third theme, ‘Transformational Leadership Style’ represented a key mechanism through which these basic needs were facilitated. The final theme ‘Gendered Expectations and Identity’ exposed a gendered lens through which motivation can be understood in the Irish adolescent team sport context. Identification with a sports team may be particularly important to enable girls to establish gender role expectations that incorporate athleticism. In this manner, teammates can contribute to healthy identity development, a central task of the young person’s development. Drawing on self-determination theory and identity theory, the findings extend our understanding of the way in which social processes influence adolescents’ distinct motivations to participate in team sport.

Internal branding and employees’ brand outcomes: do generational differences and organizational tenure matter?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating effect of brand identification between internal branding and brand citizenship behavior as well as brand loyalty, and the roles of working generation and organizational tenure as moderators of the relationship between internal branding and brand identification.Design/methodology/approachThis research used a survey method and a structured questionnaire to collect data from salespeople working in the cement and construction materials industry. The hypothesized relationships were tested and analyzed by means of a confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, hierarchical regression and a bootstrapping procedure.FindingsBrand identification partially mediates the link between internal branding and brand citizenship behavior and fully mediates that between internal branding and brand loyalty. Also, the influences of internal branding on brand identification are varied among generational cohorts and employees with different tenure.Research limitations/implicationsThe current research took place among customer-interface employees, which can be extended to back-end or supporting workers, in order to better reflect the overall effect of internal branding efforts.Practical implicationsOrganizations need to undertake internal branding to induce a shared understanding among employees about brand insights, and to foster their perception of belongingness in order to motivate desired brand behaviors. Furthermore, managers may improve internal branding mechanisms by taking generational differences and duration of employment into consideration, since these factors impinge on the effects of internal branding.Originality/valueThis study contributes to internal branding research by addressing the contingent influences of employees’ differences on the success of internal branding efforts.

Kuwait is home: perceptions of happiness and belonging among second plus generation non-citizens in Kuwait

ABSTRACTKuwait is an oil-rich Gulf country where temporary foreign workers and their families comprise two-thirds of the population, without access to permanent residence or citizenship. Several residents, however, stay for long durations, raising a second or third generation there. Surveys of second plus generation non-nationals were conducted among 973 high school students and 246 working persons in 2012. These surveys were analysed in order to: (i) Advance the understanding of how non-citizens relate to their impermanent status in terms of being happy in Kuwait and considering it home; and (ii) To identify characteristics that enhance the above perceptions. Among students, 48 per cent were extremely happy and 52 per cent considered it as home very strongly; corresponding percentages among working persons were 35 per cent and 48 per cent, respectively. Arab nationality, female gender, longer duration of residence and bilingual proficiency were positively associated with perceptions of belongingness, which may enhance societal harmony.

Increasing consumer identification with a service company: key influencing factors

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Creating and strengthening meaningful relationships with the firm’s customers should be a top priority for any marketing manager. Greater positivity toward the organization and increased loyalty are among the rewards attainable for those willing to expend the effort. The magnitude of the issue has lead to growing attention on consumer-company identification. Core to this construct is the notion that people consider themselves to be psychologically connected to a particular firm. This perception of belongingness often leads to deeper relations and higher levels of commitment reflected in such as willingness to act as an advocate for the firm and spread positive word-of-mouth, lower vulnerability to negative information about the company, increased purchase intention and higher levels of both attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. Practical implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The personal and contextual contributors to school belongingness among primary school students.

School belongingness has gained currency among educators and school health professionals as an important determinant of adolescent health. The current cross-sectional study presents the 15 most significant personal and contextual factors that collectively explain 66.4% (two-thirds) of the variability in 12-year old students’ perceptions of belongingness in primary school. The study is part of a larger longitudinal study investigating the factors associated with student adjustment in the transition from primary to secondary school. The study found that girls and students with disabilities had higher school belongingness scores than boys, and their typically developing counterparts respectively; and explained 2.5% of the variability in school belongingness. The majority (47.1% out of 66.4%) of the variability in school belongingness was explained by student personal factors, such as social acceptance, physical appearance competence, coping skills, and social affiliation motivation; followed by parental expectations (3% out of 66.4%), and school-based factors (13.9% out of 66.4%) such as, classroom involvement, task-goal structure, autonomy provision, cultural pluralism, and absence of bullying. Each of the identified contributors of primary school belongingness can be shaped through interventions, system changes, or policy reforms.

The protective role of school friendship ties for substance use and aggressive behaviors among middle school students.

Few studies have examined the interplay among quantifiable aspects of peer bonds, friendship types, personal characteristics, and behavioral outcomes in schools in distressed neighborhoods. The aim of this study was to identify compensatory and protective factors that can be promoted in school-based prevention programs. The sample was comprised of students in East Los Angeles County (N=184). We investigated the association between 3 measures of social influence (friends in gangs, nominations of schoolmates as friends [out-degree], and the number of nominations received from schoolmates [in-degree]) and social self-control with lifetime alcohol, tobacco, inhalant, "other" drug use, and aggression. Friendships were protective for substance use and aggression and moderated the relationship between social self-control, substance use, and aggression. We found important sex differences; girls who nominated more friends were less likely to report alcohol use and aggression relative to boys but were more likely to have reported drug use as social self-control scores increased. Our results have important implications for school-based prevention and intervention programs. We provide preliminary evidence that school ties and perceptions of belongingness can mitigate the effects of several risk factors linked to substance use and aggression.

Belonging to a workplace: first-year apprentices’ perspectives on factors determining engagement and continuation through apprenticeship

The transition to work through apprenticeship is one taken by many young people. A sense of belonging to a workplace is posited to be an important precursor for initial and on-going engagement with practice communities. This article details a study of beginning apprentices in ten trades. The project sought to identify factors influencing apprentices’ decisions to enter and commit to apprenticeship. Through comparisons of the experiences of continuing and disengaged first-year apprentices, processes of belonging to a workplace were found to be important contributors to apprenticeship continuation. Factors contributing to apprentices’ perceptions of belongingness are identified, examined and discussed.

Belongingness in the workplace: a study of Malaysian nurses' experiences

The need to belong has been proposed as the most basic need for human psychological well-being. Lack of belongingness has been associated with stress, anxiety and lack of esteem. Social and psychological functioning in the workplace has been linked to nurses' interconnection with others and their perceptions of belongingness. To explore factors contributing to Malaysian nurses' sense of belonging in the workplace. A descriptive questionnaire survey of registered nurses (n = 437) working in two Malaysian hospitals was conducted in 2011. Previously validated questionnaires translated into the Malay language were used. Data were analysed using SPSS 19.0. Nurses enhanced their sense of belonging through acceptance, 'fitting in', respect and group harmony. There were no specific demographic factors contributing to the nurses' perceptions. The findings suggest that these priorities for belongingness were contextually influenced by factors such as elements of Malaysian culture, the nature of nurses' teamwork and stereotypical values on the nursing profession. Data were collected in only two hospitals. Experiences of nurses in other hospitals and areas of Malaysia may not be similar. The influence of Malaysian culture in this study raises issues about utilization of a measurement scale developed in Western cultures, which may not directly accord with cultural values of an Eastern ethnicity. Aspects of belongingness in Malaysian nurses reflect those of nurses elsewhere. However, there are specific cultural influences at play. Therefore, development of a measurement scale based on Eastern culture would help in increasing understanding of workplace practices among these groups. Workplaces that perpetuate an environment that is not conducive to generating a sense of belonging may have an untoward impact on care delivery. Healthcare policies need to ensure patient care has a focus on engaging practitioners within multidisciplinary teams.

Evidence that gendered wording in job advertisements exists and sustains gender inequality.

Social dominance theory (Sidanius & Pratto, 1999) contends that institutional-level mechanisms exist that reinforce and perpetuate existing group-based inequalities, but very few such mechanisms have been empirically demonstrated. We propose that gendered wording (i.e., masculine- and feminine-themed words, such as those associated with gender stereotypes) may be a heretofore unacknowledged, institutional-level mechanism of inequality maintenance. Employing both archival and experimental analyses, the present research demonstrates that gendered wording commonly employed in job recruitment materials can maintain gender inequality in traditionally male-dominated occupations. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated the existence of subtle but systematic wording differences within a randomly sampled set of job advertisements. Results indicated that job advertisements for male-dominated areas employed greater masculine wording (i.e., words associated with male stereotypes, such as leader, competitive, dominant) than advertisements within female-dominated areas. No difference in the presence of feminine wording (i.e., words associated with female stereotypes, such as support, understand, interpersonal) emerged across male- and female-dominated areas. Next, the consequences of highly masculine wording were tested across 3 experimental studies. When job advertisements were constructed to include more masculine than feminine wording, participants perceived more men within these occupations (Study 3), and importantly, women found these jobs less appealing (Studies 4 and 5). Results confirmed that perceptions of belongingness (but not perceived skills) mediated the effect of gendered wording on job appeal (Study 5). The function of gendered wording in maintaining traditional gender divisions, implications for gender parity, and theoretical models of inequality are discussed.

Mediators of the relationship between racial identity and life satisfaction in a community sample of African American women and men.

Few empirical studies have explored the mechanisms through which racial identity, the importance of racial group membership, affects well-being for racial/ethnic minorities. Using a community sample of 161 African American adults, the present study examined whether the association between racial identity (centrality, public regard, and private regard) and life satisfaction is mediated by two identity functions, belongingness and discrimination. Our results indicated that the relationships of centrality and private regard with life satisfaction were mediated by perceptions of belongingness. Furthermore, gender moderated the strength of each of these mediating effects, such that belongingness mediated these relationships for women but not for men. Our results also indicated that the relationship between public regard and life satisfaction was mediated by perceptions of discrimination. Furthermore, higher public regard was related to lower perceptions of discrimination for women but not men. However, a combined model for public regard and life satisfaction as mediated by discrimination failed to show moderated mediation. We discuss these results in relation to research and theory on racial identity and intersectionality.