School belonging starts at home

Belonging is a hot topic right now. It’s on posters and internet memes, with some schools making it their number one priority. A sense of belonging at school has been linked to better grades, improved physical and mental health, and positive outcomes for future education or employment. But what does school belonging mean and what steps can you, as a parent, take to encourage it?

Most children first begin to form bonds of belonging with their family circle. As they grow up, their social connections expand beyond the household. Naturally, since kids spend a significant portion of their days at school, the school becomes a key environment to form connections and experience feelings of belonging.

Benefits of school belonging

School belonging is “the extent to which students feel personally accepted, respected, included, and supported by others in the school social environment.” Multiple supports (teachers, parents, peers, etc.) come together to encourage school belonging.

When kids feel like they belong at school, they enjoy greater overall wellbeing, improved academic achievements, better physical and mental health, and increased self-esteem. They behave better, are kinder, and participate more in classroom and extracurricular activities when they feel connected to their schools. School belonging can also have the potential to prevent negative outcomes such as school dropout, low academic achievement, low self-esteem, behavioural issues, and feelings of anxiety and loneliness.

Sound good? How can we create a stronger feeling that our kids “belong” at school?

Offer academic support and encouragement

In a 2007 study of American middle school girls, Pauline Garcia-Reid found that parental support is directly related to school engagement. That’s important because school engagement (e.g., participation in class or extracurriculars) increases school belonging. The students in Garcia-Reid’s study who reported higher levels of supportive parental behaviours were more positively engaged in school.

So, let’s stop the psychobabble and focus on how we do this: The researchers said it’s by having regular conversations about school, classes your kid is taking, and plans for the future. These conversations can help nurture a desire to engage and achieve at school and inspire plans for higher education. Pretty simple, right?

Get involved

Research shows involvement is important – but not the controlling kind. Instead, we are going to help build belonging best when we are supportive.

What does this mean? Show up to school activities. Take opportunities to provide input in educational decisions. Other examples of at-home involvement include encouraging education conversations and being across schoolwork more generally.

A lot of parents check out of being involved as their children mature. This might not be so helpful. Research suggests that parental school involvement is just as important during the middle and later years of education as it is for younger years. Of course, that may be easier said than done. As teens gain more independence and busy schedules get in the way, it is typical for parents to step back from school involvement. But remember – school involvement comes in many forms. Small steps, like attending a parent evening or getting in touch with a teacher, can still go a long way for your kid’s engagement and performance in school.

Form close family relationships

Positive family relationships incorporate all the strategies we have explored so far. Supportive behaviour, encouraging communication, and active involvement in your kid’s life – at school and beyond – all contribute to a strong relationship.

Close family relationships may not seem especially relevant to education. However, research shows that family relationships directly affect school connectedness and academic performance.

At the end of the day, it’s about being there for your kids. When kids feel like they can come to you for support and advice in their everyday lives, that feeling will extend to support for school. A sense of belonging at home, in the community, and at school can do wonders for your kid’s academic engagement and achievement.

Most of us take the first steps to a healthy sense of belonging at home, closely followed by school. Although we continue to form our sense of belonging throughout our lives, school belonging plays a crucial role in kids’ development and motivation to belong moving forward. Teachers, educational policymakers, and parents all have a role to play in encouraging school belonging..

AUTHOR

Dr Kelly-Ann Allen

Dr Kelly-Ann Allen, PhD FAPS, is an Educational and Developmental Psychologist, a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education, Monash University, and an Honorary Senior Fellow at the Centre for Wellbeing Science, University of Melbourne. Her research underscores the importance of a sense of belonging as a universal human need and she has built an international reputation for her work in the area of school belonging.


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