Measures and References: Sense of Belonging

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Measures

Numerous measures exist to gain a full picture of a student's learning strengths and challenges. Following are examples of measures used to assess this Learner Factor. These measures should be administered and interpreted by experienced professionals.

Panorama's Sense of School Belonging Scale (Gehlbach, 2015): A brief survey measuring how much students feel they are valued members of the school community.

References

Alexander-Passe, N. (2015). The dyslexia experience: Difference, disclosure, labelling, discrimination and stigma. Asia Pacific Journal of Developmental Differences, 2(2), 202-233.

Boutte, G. S., Lopez-Robertson, J., & Powers-Costello, E. (2011). Moving beyond colorblindness in early childhood classrooms. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39(5), 335-342.

Butler-Barnes, S. T., Leath, S., Williams, A., Byrd, C., Carter, R., & Chavous, T. M. (2018). Promoting resilience among African American girls: Racial identity as a protective factor. Child Development, 89(6), e552-e571.

Dansey, D., Shbero, D., & John, M. (2019). Keeping secrets: How children in foster care manage stigma. Adoption & Fostering, 43(1), 35-45.

DeNicolo, C. P., Yu, M., Crowley, C. B., & Gabel, S. L. (2017). Reimagining critical care and problematizing sense of school belonging as a response to inequality for immigrants and children of immigrants. Review of Research in Education, 41(1), 500-530.

Derlan, C. L., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. B. (2017). Longitudinal relations among Mexican-origin mothers' cultural characteristics, cultural socialization, and 5-year-old children's ethnic-racial identification. Developmental Psychology, 53(11), 2078-2091.

Fisher, B. W., Dawson-Edwards, C., Higgins, E. M., & Swartz, K. (2020). Who belongs in school? Examining the link between Black and White racial disparities in sense of school belonging and suspension. Journal of Community Psychology, 48(5), 1481-1499.

Hoffman, A. J., Kurtz-Costes, B., Rowley, S. J., & Adams, E. A. (2017). Bidirectional influence between African American mothers' and children's racial centrality from elementary through high school. Developmental Psychology, 53(6), 1130-1141.

Loomis, A. M. (2021). The influence of early adversity on self-regulation and student-teacher relationships in preschool. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 54, 294-306.

Macedo, D. M., Smithers, L. G., Roberts, R. M., Paradies, Y., & Jamieson, L. M. (2019). Effects of racism on the socio-emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal Australian children. International Journal for Equity in Health, 18(1), 1-16.

Marcelo, A. K., & Yates, T. M. (2019). Young children's ethnic-racial identity moderates the impact of early discrimination experiences on child behavior problems. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 25(2), 253-265.

Mckown, C. (2013). Social equity theory and racial-ethnic achievement gaps. Child Development, 84(4), 1120-1136.

McKown, C., & Weinstein, R. S. (2003). The development and consequences of stereotype consciousness in middle childhood. Child Development, 74(2), 498-515.

Nunes, T., Pretzlik, U., & Olsson, J. (2001). Deaf children's social relationships in mainstream schools. Deafness and Education International, 3(3), 123-136.

Quintana, S. M., & Mckown, C. (2012). Handbook of race, racism, and the developing child. Wiley.

Rivas-Drake, D., Hughes, D., & Way, N. (2009). A preliminary analysis of associations among ethnic-racial socialization, ethnic discrimination, and ethnic identity among urban sixth graders. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 19(3), 558-584.

Rogers, L. O., Zosuls, K. M., Halim, M. L., Ruble, D., Hughes, D., & Fuligni, A. (2012). Meaning making in middle childhood: An exploration of the meaning of ethnic identity. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 18(2), 99-108.

Simons, R. L., Murry, V., McLoyd, V., Lin, K. H., Cutrona, C., & Conger, R. D. (2002). Discrimination, crime, ethnic identity, and parenting as correlates of depressive symptoms among African American children: A multilevel analysis. Development and Psychopathology, 14(2), 371-393.

Tuersley-Dixon, L., & Frederickson, N. (2016). Social inclusion of children with complex needs in mainstream: Does visibility and severity of disability matter?. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 62(2), 89-97.

Williams, C. D., Byrd, C. M., Quintana, S. M., Anicama, C., Kiang, L., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., … Whitesell, N. (2020). A lifespan model of ethnic-racial identity. Research in Human Development, 17(2-3), 99-129.

Witherspoon, D. P., Daniele, L. L., Mason, A. E., & Phillips Smith, E. (2016). Racial-ethnic identity in context: Examining mediation of neighborhood factors on children's academic adjustment. American Journal of Community Psychology, 57(1-2), 87-101.

Yates, T. M., & Marcelo, A. K. (2014). Through race-colored glasses: Preschoolers' pretend play and teachers' ratings of preschooler adjustment. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29(1), 1-11.

Zapolski, T., Fisher, S., Banks, D. E., Hensel, D. J., & Barnes-Najor, J. (2017). Examining the protective effect of ethnic identity on drug attitudes and use among a diverse youth population. Journal Youth and Adolescence, 46(8), 1702-1715.