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.

Bouchard, K., & Berg, D. (2017). Students' school belonging: Juxtaposing the perspectives of teachers and students in the late elementary school years (Grades 4-8). School Community Journal, 27(1), 107-136.

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.

Cochrane, G., Lamoureux, E., & Keeffe, J. (2008). Defining the content for a new quality of life questionnaire for students with low vision (the Impact of Vision Impairment on Children: IVI_C). Ophthalmic epidemiology, 15(2), 114-120.

Crocker, A. D., & Orr, R. R. (1996). Social behaviors of children with visual impairments enrolled in preschool programs. Exceptional Children, 62(5), 451-462.

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.

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.

Fuhrmann, D., Casey, C. S., Speekenbrink, M., & Blakemore, S. J. (2019). Social exclusion affects working memory performance in young adolescent girls. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 40, 100718.

Gonzales, R. G., Suarez-Orozco, C., & Dedios-Sanguineti, M. C. (2013). No place to belong: Contextualizing concepts of mental health among undocumented immigrant youth in the United States. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(8), 1174-1199.

Goodwin, D. L., Lieberman, L. J., Johnston, K., & Leo, J. (2011). Connecting through summer camp: Youth with visual impairments find a sense of community. Adapted physical activity quarterly, 28(1), 40-55.

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.

Macedo, D. M., Smithers, L. G., Roberts, R. M., Haag, D. G., Paradies, Y., & Jamieson, L. M. (2019). Does ethnic-racial identity modify the effects of racism on the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal Australian children?. PloS one, 14(8), e0220744.

Maloney, T., & Matthews, J. S. (2020). Teacher care and students' sense of connectedness in the urban mathematics classroom. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 51(4), 399-432.

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.

McMahon, S. D., Wernsman, J., & Rose, D. S. (2009). The relation of classroom environment and school belonging to academic self-efficacy among urban fourth-and fifth-grade students. Elementary School Journal, 109(3), 267-281.

Morrison, G. M., Cosden, M. A., O'Farrell, S. L., & Campos, E. (2003). Changes in Latino students' perceptions of school belonging over time: Impact of language proficiency, self-perceptions and teacher evaluations. The California School Psychologist, 8(1), 87-98.

National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NSCM) and TODOS. (2021). Positioning Multilingual Learners

for Success in Mathematics. A joint position statement from NCSM: Leadership in Mathematics in Education and TODOS: Mathematics for ALL (Fall, 2021).

Nepi, L. D., Facondini, R., Nucci, F., & Peru, A. (2013). Evidence from full-inclusion model: The social position and sense of belonging of students with special educational needs and their peers in Italian primary school. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 28(3), 319-332.

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

Olson, K. R., Durwood, L., Demeules, M., & McLaughlin, K. A. (2016). Mental health of transgender children who are supported in their identities. Pediatrics, 137(3), e20153223.

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

Ringer, N. (2020). Living with ADHD: A meta-synthesis review of qualitative research on children's experiences and understanding of their ADHD. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 67(2), 208-224.

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.

Rowley, S. J., Burchinal, M. R., Roberts, J. E., & Zeisel, S. A. (2008). Racial identity, social context, and race-related social cognition in African Americans during middle childhood. Developmental Psychology, 44(6), 1537-1546.

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.

Spiegler, O., & Leyendecker, B. (2017). Balanced cultural identities promote cognitive flexibility among immigrant children. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1579.

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.

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.