The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether student sense of belonging to school and school absenteeism would play roles as mediators in the association between 15-year-old US students' bullying victimization and student achievement, by drawing upon Finn's (1989) participation-identification model. To this end, this study conducted…

This paper describes the background, methods and key findings from a research project conducted in one Kahui Ako (Community of Learning) in a city in New Zealand. All 12 schools had significant numbers of Indigenous Maori students whose iwi (tribal) ancestry connected to the region over centuries. Using a mixed methods approach, the study…

Students' sense of belonging presents an essential resource for academic and health outcomes, whereas social exclusion at school negatively impacts students' well-being and academic performance. Aiming to understand how feelings of school-related belonging and exclusion shape the "structural" brain development, this study applied…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the experiences of Black male students who are members of Black Greek Letter Fraternities (BGLF) while attending a large institution. This study examines the academic practices of the fraternity members, and the effects fraternity membership has on their academic progress. For this…

Black Virgin Island high schoolers matter but may find themselves questioning if they matter to their schools since the 2017 hurricanes. The current complementarity mixed methods study examined how Black Virgin Island high schoolers in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands perceived school mattering was associated with school practices (i.e.,…

It has long been known that rapport between the client and the counselor is a predictor of counseling success. In the scope of work for school counselor meeting the needs of all students, school counselors work to build rapport and positive relationships with students. The need for further study was indicated to determine the extent to which a…

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Jarjums (children), the cultural and world views they bring from their home life can be very different to those in school, creating an additional layer of adjustments in the Early Years pathway. We describe an Early Years Transitions Framework that demonstrates how changing transition from a process to…

Self-handicapping is a defensive response to self-doubt about one's abilities to perform well on an upcoming task. It involves the creation via behavior, or claiming, of obstacles prior to the performance in order to excuse potential failure. Although past research has focused on individual-level threats to identity, self-doubt could also result…

For years university administrators and faculty have navigated the complex and difficult terrain responding to demands for equity and inclusion from marginalized students. Most recently, the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 responses on communities of color has caused some students to allege the nation's universities did not adequately consider…

The purpose of this mixed-methods program evaluation was to assess how first-generation students related their participation in the Success Program at LU with their sense of belonging. I used the CIPP model to conduct the mixed-methods program evaluation. The evaluation questions were: (1) To what degree do first-generation students who…

Whereas many college freshmen succeed during their first year, some struggle with transitioning. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive generic study was to examine the difficulties some high school graduates experience adapting to the college social environment. First-year college students often have feelings of homesickness, isolation,…

Forcibly displaced youth (FDY) are young people who have resettled in the United States as refugees, asylees, or asylum seekers. FDY access schools almost immediately upon their arrival, which creates an opportunity to address social-emotional needs while providing instruction in the English language and academic content (Fazel et al., 2016; Tyrer…

Unless children attend school, learning is impossible but chronic absenteeism is an issue confronting school leaders, principals and teachers everyday in schools all across America. This Spotlight showcases how educators have confronted this problem, with innovative and cost effective solutions, building family engagement, and learning about their…

Self-determination is an important motive that influences youth development outcomes. Self-determination theory emphasizes the relationship between social context, self-determination, and school educational outcomes. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between parental and teacher support, self-determination, career maturity,…

Research has begun to explore the role of schooling in mental health promotion for children from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds. Most of this research has been conducted in countries of permanent resettlement, with a lack of knowledge regarding these experiences within countries of first/temporary asylum. This study explored the schooling…