Year of Award

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

School Psychology

Department or School/College

Psychology

Committee Chair

Anisa Goforth

Commitee Members

Julie Olomi, Jingjing Sun, Sara Castro-Olivo

Keywords

school, belonging, authenticity, identity, safety, Latine

Subject Categories

School Psychology

Abstract

School belonging is strongly associated with positive outcomes, including overall wellness and higher educational attainment. These outcomes can have lasting impacts on the lives of students. The construct of school belonging is defined as the degree to which a student feels accepted, supported, valued, and comfortable expressing themselves authentically within the school community. Students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, especially recent immigrants, often have experiences within the school setting that interfere with the development of a strong sense of school belonging. Unfortunately, much of the prior research on school belonging has relied on survey data, correlational studies, or teacher reports, rather than from the voices of students about whom assumptions about belonging are made. Additionally, quantitative studies may fail to capture the nuances of the lived experiences of students. This can result in important details to inform future research and interventions being missed. This is particularly important for Latine immigrant students who experience disproportionate rates of school dropout compared to White students and students from other culturally and linguistically diverse groups. Given the large number of Latine immigrant youth attending public schools in the United States, it is crucial to gain insight into the unique factors that influence their sense of school belonging. This study utilized a phenomenological qualitative research methodology to give voice to the lived experiences of Latine immigrant students related to school belonging during high school. Four participants between the ages of 19-22 years were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. All participants immigrated to the US between the ages of 10-13 years of age. Two participants immigrated from Mexico, one from Colombia, and one from Brazil. Utilizing reflexive thematic analysis of interview transcripts, four themes were identified. The first two themes centered around participants’ experiences of a dialectical opposition between seeking belonging rooted in authentic self-expression and seeking safety rooted in anonymity. The third theme was that school belonging unfolded within relationships through participants' interactions with peers, teachers, and family or community members. Finally, in the fourth theme, participants shared their experiences in newcomer programs at school and how those experiences impacted their sense of school belonging.

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© Copyright 2025 Deborah A. Ith