Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Concept of Connectedness and Its Relevance to the Study of Student-Teacher Relationships

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Importance of Connectedness in Student-Teacher Relationships

  • 2812 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter introduces the concept of connectedness and delineates its use in school research and the evolution of its definition. First, I identify the numerous challenges that are involved in the conceptualisation and measurement of school connectedness and related constructs, such as belonging and engagement. Next, I underscore the need for thorough analyses of the commonalities and differences between these constructs and recommend combining meta-constructs and broad-spectrum theories with more specific narrower constructs such as student-teacher connectedness. This chapter concludes with a brief overview of the aims and methodology of the Teacher Connectedness Project, which serves as an introduction to the following chapters.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Allen, K., Kern, M. L., Vella-Brodrick, D., Hattie, J., & Waters, L. (2018). What schools need to know about fostering school belonging: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 30(1), 1–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. K., & Schluterman, J. M. (2008). Connectedness in the lives of children and adolescents: A call for greater conceptual clarity. Journal of Adolescent Health, 43(3), 209–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497–529.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blum, R. W., & Libbey, H. P. (2004). Executive summary. Journal of School Health, 74(7), 231–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, R. L., Buckley, L., Sheehan, M., & Shochet, I. (2013). School-based programs for increasing connectedness and reducing risk behavior: A systematic review. Educational Psychology Review, 25(1), 95–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darling, N., Hamilton, S. F., & Hames, K. (2003). Relationships outside the family: Unrelated adults. In G. R. Adams & M. D. Berzonsky (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of adolescence (pp. 249–370). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J., & Wang, M.-T. (2013). Part I Commentary: So what is student engagement anyway? In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 133–145). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S., Midgley, C., Wigfield, A., Buchanan, C. M., Reuman, D., Flanagan, C., & Mac Iver, P. (1993). Development during adolescence: The impact of stage-environment fit on young adolescents’ experiences in schools and in families. American Psychologist, 48(2), 90–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erickson, L. D., McDonald, S., & Elder, G. H. (2009). Informal mentors and education: Complementary or compensatory resources? Sociology of Education, 82, 344–367.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson, M., & Lindström, B. (2006). Antonovsky’s sense of coherence scale and the relation with health: A systematic review. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 60(5), 376–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • García-Moya, I., Brooks, F., & Spencer, N. (2018). School-level factors associated with teacher connectedness: A multilevel analysis of the structural and relational school determinants of young people’s health. Journal of Public Health, 40(2), 366–374.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • García-Moya, I., Bunn, F., Jiménez-Iglesias, A., Paniagua, C., & Brooks, F. (2019). The conceptualization of school and teacher connectedness in adolescent research: A scoping review of literature. Educational Review, 71(4), 423–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • García-Moya, I., Johansson, K., Ragmasson, S., Bergstrom, E., & Petersen, S. (2019). School experiences in relation to emotional and conduct problems in adolescence: A 3-year follow up study. European Journal of Public Health., 29(3), 436–441. 

    Google Scholar 

  • García-Moya, I., Moreno, C., & Jiménez-Iglesias, A. (2013). Understanding the joint effects of family and other developmental contexts on the sense of coherence (SOC): A person-focused analysis using the classification tree. Journal of Adolescence, 36(5), 913–923.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goodenow, C. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates. Psychology in the Schools, 30(1), 79–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagerty, B. M. K., Lynch-Sauer, J., Patusky, K. L., & Bouwsema, M. (1993). An emerging theory of human relatedness. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 25(4), 291–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, B. B., Simovska, V., Larsen, N., & Holm, L. G. (2005). Young people want to be part of the answer. Copenhagen, Denmark: WHO Regional Office for Europe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jimerson, S. R., Campos, E., & Greif, J. L. (2003). Toward an understanding of definitions and measures of school engagement and related terms. The California School Psychologist, 8(1), 7–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laursen, B., & Collins, W. A. (2009). Parent–child relationships during adolescence. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology. Vol. 2: Contextual influences on adolescent development (3rd ed., pp. 3–42). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maddox, S. J., & Prinz, R. J. (2003). School bonding in children and adolescents: Conceptualization, assessment, and associated variables. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 6(1), 31–49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McNeely, C., & Falci, C. (2004). School connectedness and the transition into and out of health-risk behavior among adolescents: A comparison of social belonging and teacher support. Journal of School Health, 74(7), 284–292.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Skinner, E. A., & Pitzer, J. R. (2013). Developmental dynamics of student engagement, copying, and everyday resilience. In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 21–44). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thapa, A., Cohen, J., Guffey, S., & Higgins-D’Alessandro, A. (2013). A review of school climate research. Review of Educational Research, 83(3), 357–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Townsend, K. C., & McWhirter, B. T. (2005). Connectedness: A review of the literature with implications for counseling, assessment, and research. Journal of Counseling & Development, 83(2), 191–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, M.-T., & Degol, J. L. (2016). School climate: A review of the construct, measurement, and impact on student outcomes. Educational Psychology Review, 28(2), 315–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitlock, J. L. (2006). Youth perceptions of life at school: Contextual correlates of school connectedness in adolescence. Applied Developmental Science, 10(1), 13–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WHO (2014). Investing in children: The European child and adolescent health strategy 2015–2020. Copenhagen, Denmark: WHO Regional Office for Europe. Available at: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/253729/64wd12e_InvestCAHstrategy_140440.pdf?ua=1. 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Seville, Sevilla, Spain

    Irene García-Moya

Authors
  1. Irene García-Moya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Irene García-Moya .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

García-Moya, I. (2020). The Concept of Connectedness and Its Relevance to the Study of Student-Teacher Relationships. In: The Importance of Connectedness in Student-Teacher Relationships. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43446-5_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation