Academic and Social Perceptions as Predictors of Change in Middle School Students’ Sense of School Belonging

ABSTRACT. Change in middle school students’ sense of school belonging was examined in relation to grade point average, motivation variables, and teachers’ promotion of mutual respect in classes. Survey data from 618 students collected in three waves during the sixth and seventh grades were submitted to growth curve analysis. On average, students’ sense of school belonging declined over time. Initial levels of school belonging were predicted positively by students’ grade point average, academic task values, and perceived classroom task goal orientations. Teacher promotion of mutual respect had a small effect in ameliorating the decline in school belonging. The findings suggest that students’ sense of school belonging is enhanced when teachers promote adaptive academic and interpersonal contexts in their classrooms.