Positive Relationships Make the Difference: A Case Study of Secondary Educators' Perspectives on Student Connectedness to School2022
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Authors
Fox, Thomas R.
Issue Date
2022-11-08
Item Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
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Alternative Title
Abstract
The typical high school in the United States can be considered a community comprised of students, teachers, administrators, counselors, coaches, and support staff interacting with one another. A student’s level of connectedness to the school community can have several short and long-term positive impacts on his or her well-being. However, not all students feel as connected to their school as others. This is especially true for students in grades 9-12 in the United States (typically adolescents between the ages of 14-18). This qualitative case study sought a deeper understanding of student connectedness to school from the vantage point of students and educators at a high school in Connecticut. This study utilized pre-existing survey data (n = 643) and educator interviews (n = 10) to address the research questions. The pre-existing survey data from students were utilized to select educators who were interviewed. The survey data also provided descriptive statistics to help the reader better understand the students in the school where the research occurred. The interview data served as the primary data focus. The survey findings demonstrated that students form meaningful connections with a diverse range of adults within the high school. The findings from the educator interviews suggested that educators believed that they could increase students’ feelings of connectedness to school by purposefully working towards creating trusting and psychologically safe learning environments, mindfully humanizing interactions with students, and leveraging opportunities to increase informal interactions with and between students. The findings also indicated that educators believed increasing students’ feelings of connectedness to school can be accomplished by encouraging their students to engage.
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Citation
Publisher
Western Connecticut State University