ERIC Number: EJ740877
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Sep
Pages: 12
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1050-8392
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Examining School Connectedness as a Mediator of School Climate Effects
Loukas, Alexandra; Suzuki, Rie; Horton, Karissa D.
Journal of Research on Adolescence, v16 n3 p491-502 Sep 2006
Researchers have suggested that good-quality school climates foster a sense of connection to the school and in this way contribute to fewer emotional and behavioral problems. However, few studies have directly assessed the role of school connectedness as a mediator of school climate effects. Using path analysis, this brief report examined whether four aspects of student perceived school climate (cohesion, friction, competition among students, and overall satisfaction with classes) were indirectly associated with subsequent early adolescent conduct problems and depressive symptoms through school connectedness. Participants were four hundred and eighty-nine 10- to 14-year old middle school students involved in two waves of a study. The results showed that school connectedness mediated the relations between perceived cohesion, perceived friction, and overall satisfaction with classes and subsequent student conduct problems 1 year later. School connectedness was not, however, predictive of subsequent depressive symptoms and thus did not mediate the school climate effects on early adolescent emotional problems.
Descriptors: Educational Environment, Path Analysis, Student Attitudes, Depression (Psychology), Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Middle School Students, Context Effect, Predictor Variables, Student Participation, Early Adolescents, Satisfaction, Behavior Problems, Emotional Response
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A