Ethnicity, self-concept, and school belonging: effects on school engagement

Singh, Kusum; Chang, Mido; Dika, Sandra L.

doi:10.1007/s10671-010-9087-0

Cited by 53 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…When measured concurrently, students’ perceived school belonging and indices of achievement are positively related (Anderman, 2003; Goodenow, 1993; Singh, Chang, & Dika, 2010). Longitudinal studies have also documented associations between middle school students’ school belonging and academic engagement and achievement (Wang & Holcombe, 2010).…”

Section: School Belonging During Middle Schoolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of school belonging trajectories in grades 6–8 on achievement: Gender and ethnic differences

Hughes

Allee

2015

Journal of School Psychology

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This study investigated the association between trajectories of school belonging across grades 6–8 and academic achievement in grade 8 in an ethnically diverse sample of 527 academically at-risk adolescents. Students reported annually on school belonging. Reading and math achievement were assessed at grade 5 (baseline) and grade 8. Interactive effects of gender and ethnicity were found in the conditional growth models for school belonging. Girls of all ethnicities had identical growth trajectories and reported higher initial school belonging than Euro-American or Latino boys. Latino and Euro-American males had lower initial level of school belonging than African American males, and Latino males had lower growth in school belonging than Euro-American males. In structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses, initial level of school belonging predicted grade 8 reading for girls and grade 8 math for boys and girls, above prior achievement and school and child covariates, but growth in school belonging predicted grade 8 achievement only for African American students. Implications for strategies to improve school belonging among academically at-risk youth are discussed.

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Section: School Belonging During Middle Schoolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of school belonging trajectories in grades 6–8 on achievement: Gender and ethnic differences

Hughes

Allee

2015

Journal of School Psychology

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“…USA researchers have demonstrated that academic self-concept generally has a positive direct relationship with achievement (Marsh and Martin, 2011) or reciprocal relationship with achievement (Guay et al, 2003). It is important to point out though that this relationship does not hold true for all ethnic groups as school environments play a role in moderating this relationship for African Americans high school students (Mboya, 1988;Singh et al, 2010). Nevertheless, the findings from this study demonstrate that is does hold true for Afro-Caribbean students in England.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Exploring social and psycho-social factors that might help explain the Afro-Caribbean boy underachievement in England

Bowe

2015

International Journal of Educational Development

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“…Gonzalez-Pienda et al [68] used data for 503 12-to 18-year-old adolescents, and reported that their self-concept was statistically related to their academic achievement. Singh et al [69] collected data through a survey in three school divisions in the Southwest region of Virginia, USA. There was a slight association between school outcomes (self-reported grades) and self-concept (at least for White students), and a slightly stronger link between a student's school outcomes and their sense of school belonging.…”

Section: Individual Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Querying the Causal Role of Attitudes in Educational Attainment

Gorard

2012

ISRN Education

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This paper synthesizes the evidence on the causal impact of attitudes on educational attainment using a simple four-element model of causation-requiring association, sequence, intervention, and explanation. Overall, there was no clear evidence that intervening to change the educational attitudes of disadvantaged students will lead to enhanced attainment. Some mental concepts, such as external motivation, show promise and could be developed further. Others, like locus of control, show little promise and could even be dangerous if used without care. Given that there are other approaches that can help to overcome the poverty gradient in schools, raising aspirations is not the way for policy to go. The stratification of educational outcomes is more likely to be structural rather than mental. An improved attitude without the competence to do something about it could be ineffective, whereas competence may be sufficient in isolation. The current evidence is that attitudes do not cause variation in attainment, and so policies and practices based on a belief that they do are being, and will continue to be, ineffective. Such policies also present opportunity costs, using budget that could be used for more promising approaches, and leaving the poverty gradient largely untouched for yet another generation. BackgroundThis paper summarises the findings from part of a larger review of evidence on the causal relationship between attitudes and educational attainment. The immediate background was a report for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation [1] which reiterated that there is a considerable gap between the average recorded school attainment of children from richer and poorer families in the UK-a "poverty gradient." It also showed reasonably substantial correlations between levels of attainment and student and family attitudes to education. Those students with better and more favourable attitudes also tend to perform better in assessments of learning. The problem for policy is to decide whether such attitudes and aspirations are a key link between socioeconomic background and school outcomes, which can be harnessed to improve outcomes for the less well-off.One of the main reasons for having universal, compulsory and free at point-of-delivery early education in developed countries is to reduce the influence of social, familial, and economic background, so promoting social mobility and a just and equitable society. Yet the stratification of educational outcomes in terms of the socioeconomic status (SES) of individuals persists [2]. Understanding the reasons for the poverty gradient and devising approaches that help reduce it are directly relevant to current policy in the UK and elsewhere. It would be unethical and inefficient to base real-life approaches on one study or on a clearly incomplete picture, even though this happens regularly and internationally. It is accepted that there is a positive correlation between some measures of attitudes and individual attainment at school. A vital next step is therefore an appropriately sceptica...

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Ethnicity, self-concept, and school belonging: effects on school engagement

Cited by 53 publications

References 51 publications

Effect of school belonging trajectories in grades 6–8 on achievement: Gender and ethnic differences

Effect of school belonging trajectories in grades 6–8 on achievement: Gender and ethnic differences

Exploring social and psycho-social factors that might help explain the Afro-Caribbean boy underachievement in England

Querying the Causal Role of Attitudes in Educational Attainment

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