Research Article Review: School Connectedness

Rebecca Menuzzo

Long Island University College of Education and Information Technology

EDD 1000: Pro-Seminar in the Philosophy of Science and Interdisciplinary Approaches to

Education Studies

Dr. David Bennardo

Fall 2021
 “A longitudinal study of school connectedness and academic outcomes across sixth

grade” details the work of Niehaus et al. (2012), who examined sixth-grade students’ perceptions

of their connectedness to school. Surveying and analyzing data for 330 students in two schools

found in a large public school district, researchers attempted to find a relationship between the

students’ perceived connectedness and their academic achievement. Defining “connectedness”

as the students’ perceptions of school support and the number of adults with whom they have a

positive relationship, Niehaus et al. determined that results show the importance of perceived

connectedness to school in helping economically disadvantaged students experience a safe and

successful transition to middle school.

According to Niehaus et al., sixth grade marked a significant year of education worth

examining, due to the many changes taking place in students’ lives and the fact that this

transitional period is often characterized by lower self-esteem and self-concept, as well as lower

achievement motivation and declining school performance. The same is true for students living

in poverty, though these students are at an even greater risk academic failure and behavioral

issues. Students focus on trying to survive rather than thrive, with many subjected to dangerous

activities, higher stress levels, and greater feelings of hopelessness about the future. With a lack

of research regarding school connectedness and underprivileged students, the purpose of this

study was to “examine students’ perceptions of school connectedness across sixth grade as they

relate to academic outcomes and behavior at the end of the year for students living in high

poverty neighborhoods” (444).

As Baumeister and Leary (1995) posit, “feelings of belonging are a fundamental human

need and…all individuals are inherently motivated to connect with others and form social bonds”

(Niehaus et al., 2012, 444). Further supporting the importance of connectedness, Neihaus et al.
cite the work of Deci & Ryan (2000) who propose that “human behavior is motivated by three

essential needs: competency, autonomy, and relatedness…critical for intrinsic motivation,

positive affective experiences, and overall mental wellbeing” (444). Because school is a

“primary environmental context for children,” this need for relatedness, or “the innate human

desire to form secure and supportive relational networks,” is crucial for school-aged children; it

seems logical, then, that “adolescents who perceive a positive school environment and share

positive relationships with their teachers tend to have higher grades, higher classroom

motivation, higher academic self-efficacy, and more cognitive, emotional, and behavioral

engagement at school” (445). Based on previous research, one could conclude that students who

are more deeply connected to their school environments have more positive academic outcomes

and are less likely to have behavioral issues.

What makes this study unique, in addition to its longitudinal examination of students

living in poverty, is its focus on the relationships students have with all adults at school,

including their principal, librarian, and school psychologist, among others, rather than just their

classroom teacher(s). To measure school connectedness, researchers combined three tools,

including the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS 88; tapping students’ feelings

about teacher-student and student-student interactions and caring), the Need Satisfaction Scale

(LaGuardia, Ryan, Couchman & Deci, 2000; examining students’ feelings of connection and

closeness in school), and the Scale of Caring Adult Relationships in School (Jennings, 2003;

assessing the number of adults whom students feel connected to in school).

Survey items included questions such as, “How many adults in this school do you feel

really know you as a person? Feel comfortable talking to about problems having to do with your

school work? Want to tell when something good happens in your life? Want to tell when
something bad happens in your life?” and students were asked to rate statements such as, “When

I am at my school I feel free to be who I am; I feel cared about; and I have a say in what happens

and can voice my opinion” (Neihaus et al., 2012, 449).

As a result of this study, researchers concluded that “students’ perceptions of school

support declined” substantially from the beginning of the year to the end, students who believed

the level of support grew across the year, or those whose perception of support did not decline as

much as the average, “had higher end-of-year GPAs than students who experienced more than

average decline in school support,” and female students reported a stronger connectedness to

school and performed better than their male classmates in terms of academic success and

behavioral outcomes (Neihaus et al., 2012, 455).

One key takeaway from this study is that a strong sense of school support may be a

protective factor against negative outcomes and a greater sense of relatedness could improve

school success. As Neihaus et al. (2012), point out, “What is significant from this study is that

the protective factor that emerged (i.e., school support) is an environmental factor that is

changeable at the school level. Specifically, faculty and staff can work to create an environment

in which students feel more cared for and supported when they are at school” (456). However, it

could also be concluded that adults in a school, including teachers, administrators, school

psychologists, and counselors, will need to take steps to ensure students’ perceptions of school

support do not decline over the course of the school year, as this could result in a negative impact

on their success, especially since there was little to no change in the number of adults that

students felt connected to from the beginning of the year to the end. While this study presents

findings that are helpful for educators, it is clear that more research is needed to understand the
connections between students’ sense of belonging and connectedness and the actual behaviors of

educators that can impact these perceptions.

 References

Niehaus, K., Rudasill, K. M., & Rakes, C. R. (2012). A longitudinal study of school

connectedness and academic outcomes across sixth grade. Journal of School Psychology,

50(4), 443-460.