Linking Hong Kong Secondary Students' School Belongingness with Pre-School Characteristics, School Experiences, and Out-of-Class Experiences

Framed with the model of Cashmore et al.(2011),this study examined the pattern of school belongingness of Hong Kong students with their pre-school characteristics,school experiences,and out-of-class experiences using PISA 2015 data.The total sample included 4703 Hong Kong secondary school students aged 15.Regression analysis revealed that Hong Kong secondary students9 school belongingness was predicted by pre-school characteristics,school experiences,and out-of-class experiences.Compared with two other categories of variables,out-of-class experiences had a stronger prediction in terms of peer relationships.Overall,family socioeconomic status(SES),student performance,selfmotivation,student-teacher ratio,and peer relationship were positive predictors,whereas school size was negatively predictive.In addition,the relationships of school belongingness with three categories of variables differed by immigrant status.Immigrant children had a greater sense of school belonging than local students.The findings add to the existing literature and may have implications for school administrators and teachers in relevant areas.

Place and Belonging: How Rural Primary School Principals can Promote Boarders’ Development by Building their Sense of Belonging to School?

Rural boarding schools in compulsory education in China have proliferated with school merger program.This paper analyzes the relationship between school belonging and student development and the factors that influence students'sense of belonging in rural boarding schools.The paper examines how principals in rural boarding schools in China can promote student development by building a sense of belonging.The paper argues that building this sense of belonging can serve as a solution to the current problems affecting rural boarding schools,improve the quality of rural primary education,and promote student development.