ERIC Number: EJ1235463
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Dec
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0007-0998
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Classroom Identification in Ethnic Minority and Majority Students: Effects of Relationships and Ethnic Composition
Thijs, Jochem; Keim, Abigail C.; Geerlings, Jolien
British Journal of Educational Psychology, v89 n4 p707-725 Dec 2019
Background: Many studies have shown that school belonging is crucial for students' school adjustment, but the construct has been operationalized in different ways. Moreover, most research has focused on adolescents and not compared its antecedents for ethnic minority versus majority students. Aims: Based on Goodenow and Grady's (1993) seminal paper, we examined classroom identification as a central aspect of school belonging in minority and majority preadolescents, and predicted it from relationships with peers and teachers, taking into account classroom ethnic composition and perceived multicultural teaching. Sample: Participants were 485 grade 4-6 students from 39 classrooms in Dutch primary schools. Of these children, 68 had a Turkish background, 72 had a Moroccan background, and 345 had a native Dutch background. Methods: Participants completed questionnaires at two waves (4.5 months apart). We used self-reports to measure classroom identification at both waves, and student-teacher relationship closeness and conflict, multicultural teaching, and peer friendship and rejection at Wave 1. We conducted multilevel analyses to predict classroom identification at Wave 2, while controlling for classroom identification at Wave 1. Results: Children of all ethnicities reported more classroom identification over time if they were less rejected by their peers and had more co-ethnic classmates. For minority children, both closeness and conflict with the teacher predicted less identification, but the effect of conflict appeared to result from their ethnic underrepresentation in the classroom. Conclusions: Negative peer relationships can undermine classroom identification, and the student-teacher relationship has special significance for ethnic minority students.
Descriptors: Minority Group Students, Ethnicity, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Foreign Countries, Teacher Student Relationship, Conflict, Multicultural Education, Culturally Relevant Education, Peer Relationship, Friendship, Identification (Psychology), Peer Acceptance
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades; Grade 5; Middle Schools; Grade 6
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Netherlands; Turkey; Morocco
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305B090007
Author Affiliations: N/A