You Belong!

Study of Students' Sense of

Belonging and its Effects on Student
Retention
Andrew Choe
Mentorship G/T II
13 March 2020

Advisor: Kevin Youngstrom

Instructor: E. Leila Chawkat

You Belong! Study of Students' Sense of Belonging and its Effects on Student Retention

Abstract
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The student retention in church youth programs is parallel to student retention in schools,

and community-building strategies that work in a church can be used in a high school. This

study focuses on the behavioral responses as well as the academic and social outcomes of

students who face different levels of belonging. Surveys and interviews are used to measure the

academic environment that the students feel reflect the cultural climate of Glenelg and the

culture of Grace Students. The results of the data collection identify the current culture and

issues with belonging as well as areas that schools and churches can change to improve the

cultural proficiency of schools and youth programs which will ultimately lead to improvements

regarding student retention for both school and church.

Table of Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………………..……......Pages 2-3

Literature Review…………………………………………...............................................Pages 3-6

Data Rationale, Data, Analysis, and Conclusions…………………………………...….Pages 6-13

Conclusions………………………………………………………………..…...…...…Pages 13-14

References……………………………………………………………………………..Pages 15-17

Introduction

Both schools and youth ministries are experiencing rising rates of attrition, and parallels

drawn from behavioral outcomes from both students in schools as well as youth groups. For

example, there are students who want to be in school, don’t want to be in school, and are forced

to be in school as well as students who want to be at church, don’t want to be at church, and are

forced to be at church. In order to improve student retention rates, students need to feel

motivated and encouraged to be engaged. Increasing the sense of community and emphasizing
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the point of belongingness will help cultivate an environment where students will want to be at

their high school or youth group.

The understanding of how crucial cultural proficiency is to promote an environment

where students are welcomed and want to be in school and church can be identified. Through

this study, factors that affect a student’s sense of belonging, strategies school staff can use to

study the degree to which a school population is engaged, and ways for students to promote

change will lead to the cultivation of an atmosphere of inclusivity where all students feel

acknowledged and valued.

Literature Review

With the rise in student attrition rates, the most important way to improve retention is

through building an environment where there is a high sense of community as well as

emphasizing the point of belonging. Karyn Lewis, an educator promoting better classroom

climate, beautifully describes the sense of belongingness as “a fundamental human need;

whether [others] are conscious of it or not, [they] are always monitoring how well [they] feel

[they] fit in during all of [their] social interactions”.

One of the major factors that can contribute to a better culture in schools is through better

faculty-student relations. As a teacher trying to build a better community, Thomas Gibbon

believes that “it is critical that instructors provide safe environments for preservice teachers to

share, reflect, and evolve throughout the cultural competence continuum”. The concept of

teachers shaping the learning environment for their students is something held very highly by

Gibbon and many other professionals in education agree. For example, Chris Lehmann agrees

that aiding students in navigating the “space between what they believe and what others believe

is perhaps one of the best ways we can overcome the hate we see in so many facets of our society
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today”. Also, Lisa Johnson, another educator analyzes a study where the relationship between

belongingness, teacher support, and school context all have strong links. Clearly, all three

professionals in education agree and believe the teachers’ role to be very crucial to the student’s

learning environment and their sense of belonging.

Teachers are very pivotal in shaping the climate of a classroom, and according to teacher

Christina Lee, it is easier said than done. For example, Lee explains that 41% of teachers who

filled out a survey agree that it is “challenging or very challenging to make their students feel

like they belong in the classroom”. However, Lee believes that “A sense of belonging is

important in [teachers’] diverse classrooms where students come from all walks of life,

backgrounds, and experiences”.

With the sense of belonging being improved in some schools, academic performance also

improves. Studies show an increased sense of academic motivation by students who have a

stronger sense of community. Teacher Megan Pedler, shares that “A study from the US found

students’ sense of belonging declines from year 7 through to year 11. With it, students’

educational aspirations also decrease”.

Researchers and professionals in education, Patrick O’Keefe, Tierra Freeman, and Carol

Goodenow have analyzed the effects of belongingness in academics. For example, O’Keefe

found that “a sense of belonging within the higher education institution is recognised by this

paper as being a critical factor determining student retention”. Similarly, Freeman discovered

that the increased sense of belonging leads to academic self efficacy and intrinsic motivation.

Goodenow concludes that “even when controlling for the impact of the immediate peer group's

values, a student's subjective sense of belonging appears to have a significant impact on several

measures of motivation and on engaged and persistent effort in difficult academic work”. The
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academic motivation among students conclusively increases parallelly with a student's sense of

belonging.

Not only do academics improve, but students’ emotional and social well-being also

improve with a better sense of community within schools. Researchers Janna Juvonen conducted

a study and analyzed the “social climate of belonging; teacher-student relationships; school-

based peer relationships; mechanisms and functions of school-based social bonds; and finally,

why and how social bonds promote disengagement” (Juvonen). Juvoven believes that cliques

can cause disengagement, and promotes the need for better, broader relationships among students

in school. Another researcher, Mohammad Sukor found that the more cheerful and hospitable

learning environments can be achieved through humor.

Education professionals, Kelly Allen and Lisa Johnson believe that “the field of research

concerned with school belonging and social and emotional competencies holds promise” (Allen)

and that “schools which place greater emphasis on the developmental needs of adolescent

students are more likely to foster a sense of belongingness and may, in turn, have important

effects on a variety of student and teacher outcomes” (Johnson). There are different

professionals making similar conclusions to researchers stating that there are many mental and

social benefits from a strengthened sense of belonging among students and better faculty-student

relations.

All factors that have just been described that contribute to a better student environment in

schools can also be applied in youth groups. Pastors Aaron Crumbey, Shawn Harrison, and

John Gilman all agree that the sense of belonging is most paramount for students in youth

groups. Crumbey simply states that everyone has a powerful, innate longing to feel accepted.

For example, Harrison conveys that the sense of belonging is crucial because it will “attract
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teenagers and keep them there, solely because they know they’re safe and wanted. If teens don’t

feel like they belong, they won’t walk through your doors again, or ever”. Similarly, Gilman

explains that “At a certain point, it becomes the children’s choice and responsibility to decide if

they want to continue going to church every Sunday or not”, and he conveys to the audience the

different methods that can be used to engage students in the youth programs at church that will

ultimately improve student retention (Gilman).

Data Collection:

With the main goal of identifying methods to encourage, engage and motivate students to

continue attending school and youth groups, students should have their voices heard. While a lot

of what the culture looks like lies on the teachers or adult leaders, student voices are what help

give light towards the specifics that can be fixed.

The data collected in this study was collected through the use of surveys and interviews

that look to find current issues about belongingness students at Glenelg and Grace Community

Church face. Since this data is a non-numerical characterization and observations of student

bodies, it is considered qualitative data. For the survey, all Glenelg High School students were

asked to complete a survey that describes the level of belongingness they experience during their

time in school. Students that were interviewed are Howard County high school students that

attend Grace Community Church (GCC).

Survey Responses of Glenelg High School Students:

Glenelg Students Who Ranked Their Sense of Belonging as: 1/5

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Students Who Ranked Their Sense of Belonging as: 5/5

Glenelg Students Who Ranked Their Sense of Interest from Teachers as: 1/5
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Glenelg Students Who Ranked Their Sense of Interest from Teachers as: 5/5
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Glenelg Students Who Ranked If They Have At Least One Adult they Can Turn To for Help

as: 1/5

Glenelg Students Who Ranked If They Have At Least One Adult they Can Turn To for Help

as: 5/5
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Overall Glenelg High School Demographic

Interview Responses from GCC High School Students:

Student 1: “Cliqueness is a big problem”

“The different small groups act as if they are there own thing rather than Grace

Students”

Student 2: “It’s overwhelming to be a new student trying to join a group in such a large setting”

“A lot of us have basically grown up together, so of course there is some disconnect

when it comes to new people”

Student 3: “There are ingroups and outgroups; I wish we acted as one body”

“It’s hard to have everyone feeling included when we are such a big school”

Student 4: “I feel like the leaders are aware, but they don’t want to do anything about it”

“I feel like the leaders should care more”

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Student 5: “A lot of the group dynamics is set by the adult leaders”

“During the switch to larger groups, I started to feel rejected by my group”

Analysis/Conclusions:

The lack of sense of belonging at Glenelg High School is very apparent, and there are

many contributing factors to this detriment. Some of these factors include: faculty-student

relations, cliques, and most obvious, race. According to the survey responses, the most dominant

ethnicity happens to be white, and student responses to two of the questions clearly show how

this has an impact.

On the question asking if a student feels as if they are a part of Glenelg High School,

52.2% of students that are not white responded that the level of belongingness they feel is 1/5.

However, for those that responded that the level of their sense of belonging at Glenelg is a 5/5 is

78.1%. This goes to show that race and being a minority has effects on a student’s sense that

they belong and are a part of a school community.

This trend can similarly be seen with responses to the other questions. However, the

difference is less great and can be explained simply by Glenelg’s majority white population. For

the questions involving the students’ sense of value from their teachers as well as having at least

one teacher that they feel comfortable going to if they have a problem, race/ethnicity has less to

do with the student responses. For both questions, the difference in percentages of which white

people responded is approximately 10%, so race can be overlooked as a major factor in this case.

Instead, the issue of faculty-student relations comes up. The data shows that some students in

general feel that their teachers do not value them, and students don’t have any staff member they

feel safe to go to if they have a problem.

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The students at GCC gave identical responses to the questions in interview form.

Similarly, GCC students explained how they feel like the leaders may not care as much about

their students and that it is difficult to confide in some adults. There is also an issue of

cliqueness among both Glenelg and Grace Students. While the ingroup and outgroup mentality

may be intentional in both groups, it is more likely that students both from Glenelg and GCC

have just known each other for so long that the sense of belongingness feels more organic than

for someone who is newly trying to fit in.

Both the data from Glenelg students as well as Grace students have very similar

responses to the culture and belongingness in the sense that much improvement is needed.

Among both groups, common themes that did occur include: adult-student relations being an

issue, cliqueness causing intimidation, and the overall sense that the adults need to lay down the

groundwork for how the culture is inherited. Culture is something that is inherited, and adults

are there for the long term. In order to promote change in the culture, the adult leaders in both

schools and youth programs need to step up first and take charge. For future studies, researchers

can use the same survey to broaden the sample size to all Howard County students. This data

could reflect issues concerning the sense of belonging of Howard County overall.

Conclusion

The increased sense of community in both schools and youth groups will improve student

retention rates. Not only does promoting a strong sense of community contribute to higher

student retention rates, academic success and mental and social health increase parallelly. It is

apparent that these three factors are all related and impact each other. For example, if there is a

strong sense of community in schools, students will want to stay and are motivated to achieve
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more. In youth groups, an increase in the level of belongingness will allow for broader social

groups that can improve the overall mental and social health of the ministry.

Based on the data and information gathered from the literature review, a lot of this

change depends on the teachers or leaders in charge. In both schools and youth programs,

coalitions of students may rise and fall, but the adults are staying for the long term. To simply

put it, adults are just able to do more than students can in many situations, and the responsibility

of cultivating a safe, welcoming environment, should fall on the leaders tasked with shepherding

their students.

The desire to feel accepted is innate and in everyone, yet there is a lack of the sense of

community in both school and youth programs. By increasing the sense of community, no one

should feel left out, thus motivating students to enjoy coming to school or church.

References

Allen, Kelly. (2017). School Belonging and the Role of Social and Emotional

Competencies in Fostering an Adolescent’s Sense of Connectedness to Their School.

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Retrieved December 11, 2019, from www.link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-

10-3394-0_5.

Crumbey, Aaron. (2019). Your Students Have a Longing to Belong. Retrieved

December 11, 2019, from www.youthministry.com/see-me/.

Freeman, Tierra M. (2010). Sense of Belonging in College Freshmen at the Classroom

and Campus Levels. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from

www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3200/JEXE.75.3.203-220.

Gibbon, Thomas, Calli Lewis… Zolkoski, Stacy M. (2017). Developing Culturally

Competent

Preservice Teachers. Retrieved November 15th, 2019, from

www.ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Developing-Culturally-

Competent-Preservice-Teachers.pdf.

Gilman, John. (June 1, 2016). Increasing Youth Retention and Involvement in Your

Church. Retrieved November 15hth, 2019, from www.ministry.acst.com/increasing-

youth-retention-involvement-church/.

Goodenow, Carol. (April 1992). School Motivation, Engagement, and Sense of

Belonging among Urban Adolescent Students. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from

www.eric.ed.gov/?id=ED349364.

Harrison, Shawn. (2019). The Value of Belonging. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from

www.youthministry.com/the-value-of-belonging/.

Johnson, Lisa S. (2009). School Contexts and Student Belonging: A Mixed Methods

Study of an Innovative High School. Retrieved December 11, 2019, from

www.pdfs.semanticscholar.org/840f/b955a4325fb9009f667c5f37271056acc54a.pdf.
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Juvonen, Janna. (2006). Sense of Belonging, Social Bonds, and School Functioning.

Retrieved December 11, 2019, from www.psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-07986-028.

Lee, Christine. (16 Apr. 2019) Ways to Give Your Students a Sense of Belonging.

Retrieved March 30, 2020, from www.turnitin.com/blog/7-ways-to-give-your-students-a-

sense-of-belonging.

Lehmann, Chris. (October 19, 2016). How Leaders Can Improve Their Schools’

Cultural Competence. Retrieved November 15th, 2019, from

www.edutopia.org/article/improving-our-cultural-competence-chris-lehmann.

Lewis, Karyn. (10 Mar. 2016). Building Students' Sense of Social Belonging as a Critical

First Step. Retrieved March 30, 2020, from www.educationnorthwest.org/northwest-

matters/building-students-sense-social-belonging-critical-first-step.

O’Keeffe, Patrick. (2013). A Sense of Belonging: Improving Student Retention.

Retrieved December 11, 2019, from

www.pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2fd4/83eb62cf5094f147c9a129470808bc2d07f2.pdf?

_ga=2.104345667.215856649.1576151706-610843580.1576151706.

Pedler, Megan. (21 Oct. 2019). Teachers Play a Key Role in Helping Students Feel They

'Belong' at School. Retrieved March 31, 2020, from www.theconversation.com/teachers-

play-a-key-role-in-helping-students-feel-they-belong-at-school-99641#:~:text=.

Sukor, Mohammad Saipol Mohd, et al. (17 Apr. 2019). The Influence of Humor Styles on

The Sense of Belonging among University Students. Retrieved March 30, 2020, from

www.sainshumanika.utm.my/index.php/sainshumanika/article/view/1620/877.
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