Exploring Connections between Students' Psychological Sense of School Membership and Their Resilience, Self-Efficacy, and Leadership Skills

Throughout the history of psychological research, scholars have investigated the fundamental human want to build and keep social bonds and ties with others and have thus generated a large pool of constructs with different names but essentially analogous meanings. This desire has been variously discussed as the need for belongingness (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Goodenow, 1993b; Maslow, 1954), the affiliative motive (McClelland, 1987), and the need for relatedness (Alderfer, 1969; Deci & Ryan, 1991). While terminology may differ, there are certain undeniable overlaps in the way different theorists have conceptualized this need. McClelland (1987) contended that individuals with a high need for affiliation seek harmonious relationships with people who make them feel accepted. Baumeister and Leary (1995) proposed the 'belongingness hypothesis' pointing out that "human beings have a pervasive drive to form and maintain at least a minimum quantity of lasting, positive, and significant interpersonal relationships" (p. 497).Belongingness is relevant for almost all aspects of human existence. Taking Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model (1979) into account, human experiences are embedded within a number of systems ranging from micro-systems (comprising of an individual's immediate environment) to the macro-systems (encompassing the overarching social fabric of a community).The need for social approval, acceptance, and connectedness within significant social circles is especially strong during adolescence. As it is a developmental phase characterized by a heightened need for the search of personal identity outside of familial boundaries, adolescents tend to engage more in the exploration of social contexts beyond family and family relations. It is a period when a young person's "sense of personal "place" is still largely malleable and susceptible to influence in both positive and negative directions" (Goodenow, 1993, p. 81). School forms part of a young person's 'microsystem' and is therefore a central social setting exerting influence on their psycho-social development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Students' experiences with and in school, including their relations and interactions with their peers, teachers, and school authorities, may thus serve as a vital link in understanding the development of their psycho-social capacities.Psychological sense of school membershipIn the past few decades, the idea of a 'community' has cropped up in the academic discourse concerning schools. The term community is often used to refer to the same concept that expressions like 'belongingness' or 'connectedness' describe. Belonging in a school community means that the student has friendly interactions with others, perceives being valued and accepted by them, and is engaged in the pursuit of shared institutional goals (Goodenow, 1991).Of the diverse experiences that children have in school, an encompassing sense of being attached to or being a part of the school is of prime importance. Studies have related the students' sense of belongingness or school membership to positive academic outcomes (Goodenow, 1993; Osterman, 2000; Sanchez, Colon, E Voelkl, 1995), increased student motivation (Goodenow, 1993), positive attitudes toward learning (Roeser, Midgley, & Urdan, 1996), decreased health-risk behaviors (Bond et al., 2007; McNeely & Falci, 2004), and low social rejection and school problems ( Anderman, 2002), among other variables.Finn ( 1989), based on his review of the literature on student dropout behavior from school, proposed the 'participation-identification model'. The model postulates that when students identify with their school, they develop a sense of attachment and belonging toward the school, which facilitates an increased commitment and participation in school activities and larger school goals. This identificationparticipation may be instrumental in decreased drop-out rates from school through a decrement in the at-risk students' sense of alienation. …