School bonding, attachment, and engagement through remote learning: Fostering school connectedness

Over 2020 and 2021 we have seen significant disruption to schooling across the world as COVID-19 forces school closures. Education sectors migrated to distance learning arrangements and teachers and students primarily communicated through digital means. Under challenging conditions, school leaders and teachers made rapid changes to pedagogy and curriculum to accommodate their students’ diverse range of learning needs. We present an interview drawn from a qualitative study undertaken in Australia to illustrate (from a teacher’s perspective) how a school response to COVID-19 integrates elements of school connectedness during the shift to distance learning. School connectedness is an umbrella term that has been theorised in many different ways. In this article, we illustrate school bonding, attachment, and engagement as three interrelated aspects of school connectedness that came to the fore during lockdown measures associated with COVID-19. Leaders, teachers, students, and school communities benefit from school connectedness. When adversity is experienced, school connectedness can be seen in the relationships between teachers, the commitment to students, and the all-important pastoral support from school leaders. Strong and supportive relationships develop through practices that support school bonding, school attachment, and school engagement.

Parent-Child Attachment and Social Adaptation Behavior in Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of School Bonding

Family and school are two main places for adolescents to develop socialization, which can be contributed by good parent-child attachment and school bonding. Earlier studies suggested that parent-child attachment played an important role in promoting the formation of high-level school bonding, which is also likely to influence social adaptation. This study aimed to explore the relationship between parent-child attachment and social adaptation, and the mediating role of school bonding. Using stratified cluster sampling, 1,440 college students were first randomly selected from four universities and then stratified by specialty with a balance between genders and grades. Participants voluntarily participated in this study and completed questionnaires including the Parent-Child Attachment Scale, School Bonding Scale, and Social Adaptation Scale. Finally, a total of 1,320 college students were included in the analysis (59.5% female; aged 18–24years, Mage=20.39±1.52years). Data analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted using SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 23.0. The results indicated that the overall level of parent-child attachment in females (M=75.72, SD=12.36) was significantly higher than that of males (M=73.71, SD=12.68; F=8.22, p<0.01). Difference was also found between sibling status (F=13.90, p<0.001), and the only-child (M=76.16, SD=12.72) scored significantly higher than their counterparts (non-only children, M=73.60, SD=12.19). Parent-child attachment was positively correlated with social adaptation (p<0.01) and school bonding (p<0.01), while school bonding was also positively correlated with social adaptation score (p<0.01). School bonding played a partial intermediate role in the relationship between parent-child attachment and social adaptation (β=0.15). Our research identified a direct influence of parent-child attachment and an indirect influence via school bonding on social adaptation among college students.

Validation of the European Drug Addiction Prevention Trial Questionnaire (EU-Dap) for substance use screening and to assess risk and protective factors among early adolescents in Chile

Background Substance use is highly prevalent among Chilean adolescents, and the damage it causes at the neurobiological, psychological, and social levels is known. However, there are no validated screening instruments that also assess risk and protective factors for this population in Chile, which is essential for evaluating future prevention interventions. Objective To determine the psychometric properties of the European Drug Addiction Prevention Trial Questionnaire (EU-Dap) questionnaire. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out in 13 schools in the city of Santiago de Chile. The sample included 2261 adolescents ranging from 10 to 14 years old. Linguistic and cultural adaptation was assessed using focus groups with adolescents, the construct validity was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis, and measures of its reliability were also determined. Furthermore, the associations regarding risk and protective factors with substance use were explored. Results Substance use questions were well understood and seemed to adequately capture the consumption of different drugs. Regarding the subscales of risk and protective factors, the analyses showed that most subscales had good psychometric properties, and few needed some degree of improvement (e.g., some items were removed). After the changes, most final subscales had good or adequate goodness of fit adjustments and good or acceptable internal consistency. Finally, the main associated factors with the substance use outcomes were: future substance use and school bonding for tobacco use; negative beliefs about alcohol, future substance use, school bonding and refusal skills for alcohol use; and negative beliefs about marihuana, positive attitudes towards drugs, risk perception, and substance abuse index for marihuana use. Normative beliefs increased the risk for all substances use. Conclusions The current findings suggest that the EU-Dap is a valid and reliable instrument, and it may help to evaluate the effectiveness of drug use prevention interventions.

Resilience in the Face of Risk : Investigating the Moderating Effects of School Connectedness, Educational Commitment, and Educational Belief in the Context of Adolescent Antisocial Behaviour

According to the Social Development Model (SDM), social bonds such as one’s sense of connection to school can significantly impact antisocial behaviour. The current study provides a cross-sectional analysis of school bonding in relation to antisocial behaviour and peer-related risk in a sample of 111 adolescents. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to evaluate the dimensions of school bonding (educational commitment, educational belief, school connectedness) as both predictors and inhibitors of antisocial behaviour. Contrary to the SDM, educational commitment was the only significant predictor of antisocial behaviour. Furthermore, preliminary analyses did not support school bonding variables as moderators of peer-related risk. However, subsequent analyses examining moderation by gender revealed that school connectedness is a moderator of deviant peer affiliation for female youth. The results of this study extend previous findings by demonstrating the continued relevance of school-based resilience in high school and by illustrating the specificity of this resilience by gender.

Resilience in the Face of Risk : Investigating the Moderating Effects of School Connectedness, Educational Commitment, and Educational Belief in the Context of Adolescent Antisocial Behaviour

According to the Social Development Model (SDM), social bonds such as one’s sense of connection to school can significantly impact antisocial behaviour. The current study provides a cross-sectional analysis of school bonding in relation to antisocial behaviour and peer-related risk in a sample of 111 adolescents. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to evaluate the dimensions of school bonding (educational commitment, educational belief, school connectedness) as both predictors and inhibitors of antisocial behaviour. Contrary to the SDM, educational commitment was the only significant predictor of antisocial behaviour. Furthermore, preliminary analyses did not support school bonding variables as moderators of peer-related risk. However, subsequent analyses examining moderation by gender revealed that school connectedness is a moderator of deviant peer affiliation for female youth. The results of this study extend previous findings by demonstrating the continued relevance of school-based resilience in high school and by illustrating the specificity of this resilience by gender.

Εκφοβισμός/Θυματοποίηση, προσκόλληση στο σχολείο και δοκιμή εξαρτησιογόνων ουσιών στην εφηβεία

Research findings have shown associations between smoking and bullying behavior, but they have not yet offered a clear picture concerning students involved in bully/victim incidents and whether they had tried addictive substances. Additionally, it seems that the less students feel connected to their school, the more they try addictive substances and the more they get involved in bullying/victimization. The main aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between bullying/victimization, school bonding during adolescence and whether students had tried substances. The sample consisted of 779 students (426 boys and 353 girls) of middle and high schools who were administered a questionnaire concerning school bullying/victimization (categorization of students in bullies, victims, bully/victims and not involved), four parameters of school bonding, namely commitment, attachment, involvement and faith in school rules, and whether they had tried legal and illegal addictive substances. Results showed that the more the students felt connected to their school, the less they had tried addictive substances. Bullies and bully/victims had tried more substances than victims and students not involved in bully/victim incidents, while they felt less connected to their school in terms of commitment and attachment. There was not any statistically significant relationship between involvement in school activities and bullying/victimization. As far as faith in school rules is concerned, not involved students exhibited the highest scores and bully/victims the lowest. The results of this study confirm previous findings in the field of bullying/victimization and are discussed in terms of their implications for school-based interventions.

The Associations Among Teacher Discrimination, Parents’ and Peer Emotional Supports, and African American Youth’s School Bonding

Drawing on research about the positive benefits of school bonding on youth mental health, academic and overall well-being, and the inequities African American youth face in education, this study examined the associations among teacher discrimination, parents’ and peer emotional support, and African American youth school bonding. Using data from the National Survey of American Life Adolescent Supplement (NSAL-A), findings suggest that teacher discrimination negatively affects African American youth’s school bonding. In addition, while parents’ and peer emotional supports are positively associated with youth’s school bonding, and offset some of the negative effects of teacher discrimination on African American youth’s school bonding, these supports may not be enough to help youth realize the maximum benefits of school bonding, especially in the context of teacher discrimination. Implications for social work practice with African American youth and families are discussed.