TEACHERS’ SUPPORT AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF SCHOOL CONNECTEDNESS: A MULTILEVEL STUDY

Abstract

School connectedness is a significant construct that has various positive outcomes for students, so it is important to investigate its determinants. Students’ connectedness to school depends on their interaction with teachers. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between teachers’ support and students’ perceptions of school connectedness. Participants were 325 students from 29 high school classes. Data were collected using research tools for assessing students’ perceptions of teachers’ support, homeroom teachers’ support, and school connectedness. Multilevel modeling was applied, since students were nested within classrooms. The obtained results revealed that, after controlling the effects of gender and type of school, the teacher’s support significantly predicted the students’ connectedness to school at the individual (student) level. In addition, class-level homeroom teacher’s support was positively associated with students’ school connectedness at the class level. The relation between teachers’ support and students’ school connectedness did not significantly vary across classes. This study indicates that teachers’ support plays an important role in fostering students’ connectedness to school. Implications of this study are relevant for teachers’ initial education and professional development.