Gardner Center study explores teen and parent perspectives about belonging during the transition to high school
Findings highlight how strategies already in use could be scaled to bolster attendance and achievement
A journal might just be the one place where a teen can share their true thoughts as they do the important work of figuring out who they are, how they feel, and their place in the world — and that's exactly what a small group of brave freshman did this past year as they chronicled their first semester of high school.
Their efforts were one piece of an ongoing initiative by the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities to understand the challenges students face while navigating the transition from middle school to high school, the role that belonging plays in that process, and the things schools can do to make a difference.
Over the past two years, Gardner Center researchers have prioritized this work because several local school partners — the Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD) and two elementary school feeder districts, Redwood City and Ravenswood — identified the middle to high school transition as a critical moment that sets the stage for high school success. It's also one that can easily fall through the cracks between organizations, and that's why the districts wanted to see if they could identify opportunities to create a more unified and supportive student experience.
This work nests within a broader effort to support the mental health and wellbeing of students in the region.
With funding from Stanford's Office of Community Engagement, the Gardner Center brought together school district leaders and staff in a series of events that identified belonging as a key ingredient for student success and wellbeing. These gatherings were supplemented by an exploratory qualitative research study to better understand student and parent experiences.
The role of belonging
Lead researcher Sebastian Castrechini explains that decades of research show that when students feel like they belong, they tend to be motivated to engage in their school work and are more likely to have better attendance and achievement. But many young people struggle to feel a sense of belonging when they transition from middle school to high school, especially when this involves moving to larger, more diverse settings where they may find themselves in the numerical minority for the first time.
Students entering SUHSD from the Ravenswood and Redwood City school districts experience exactly this kind of demographic shift. Compared to these K–8 school districts, SUHSD’s overall student body is comprised of:
- A lower percentage of students who are identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged (based on eligibility for free or reduced price lunch or because their parents did not complete high school)
- A lower percentage of students designated as English Language Learners (who have not yet been reclassified as Fluent English Proficient)
- A higher percentage of white students.
In the face of such major demographic shifts, bolstering students' sense of belonging can buffer against declines in attendance and achievement. That said, current policies mandating high-stakes testing can force schools into seeing academic interventions and promoting belonging as competing priorities for time and resources.
"Through this work, we show that youth notice when they feel like they belong — and when they don't — and those moments have a big effect on how they engage at school," says Castrechini. "There are fairly easy ways to build up students’ sense of belonging. The trick is to move beyond individual actions toward a system-wide approach that will move the needle for more students."
An insider's perspective
The Gardner Center has always prioritized hearing directly from young people, so the research team recruited four freshman students to keep electronic journals and write about experiences in which they did and did not feel they belonged at school. Students also responded to periodic prompts on related topics, like identity and social interactions, and were interviewed at the conclusion of their first semester. Finally, the researchers spoke with a number of Spanish-speaking parents.
What the researchers heard pointed to some of the challenges students face, including this comment from one study participant:
"Belonging in high school was not quite easy at the beginning. As someone who is very shy and had no friends that are going to the same school it was very difficult and scary for me."
They also heard some concrete ways that educators’ practices built up students’ sense of belonging, including seating arrangements and instructional strategies that helped students connect with one another.
"We had these table groups, and then we did all these introduction things where we went around and talked to people. Then, we had a lot of class discussions, and [the teacher] made us . . . share with the groups first and then share out to the class. We, basically, did that a few times every day for certain things. I think that definitely helped, because we got to know our group better.”
Every study participant expressed concerns about meeting the higher academic expectations of high school, and how those concerns affected their sense of belonging. One participant described how their teachers helped them find their footing in this unfamiliar territory:
“I feel nervous as well, because I've never done the finals before and it makes me feel overwhelmed. But I'm glad we get one week before to study, and the teachers will help us all study. I think when the teachers help you study for the test, it makes everybody feel better, because then you'll have a better understanding of what to do and what to study for.”
Actionable strategies
After a rigorous process of coding responses and analyzing data, the researchers were able to identify four important domains of belonging during the high school transition phase, what it means to feel a sense of belonging in each, and actionable strategies foster it.
A coordinated effort
One of the things that came across loud and clear in this exploratory study is that experiences shaping students’ and parents’ sense of belonging take place in a wide range of contexts: classrooms, school clubs, afterschool programs, and unstructured spaces where students interact with peers and staff.
The districts involved in this initiative are actively considering their next steps, and the Gardner Center team is bringing its findings to broader audiences, including Stanford colleagues engaged in improving school-based mental health systems.
"All school staff contribute to students’ sense of belonging," says Castrechini. "But when responsibility is so diffuse, we need a coordinated approach — across classrooms, departments, grade levels, and even districts — to ensure that all students have access to opportunities for belonging and the benefits that go along with it."
Photo: Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash
