Interdisciplinary Teaming and the Demographics of Membership: A Comparison of Student Belonging in High SES and Low SES Middle-Level Schools

Abstract

Student sense of belonging or membership in middle-level schools has been given greater importance for its potential to help students become academically engaged. To determine the effect of school socio-economic-status (SES), racial/ethnic status, gender, family structure, and student belonging, a sample of seven teamed and seven non-teamed middle-level schools was analyzed. A total of 1,052 student responses were analyzed. For the high SES schools (matched pairs in which 1%–10% of the students received free and/or reduced price lunches), no statistically significant effects were obtained for any of the five explanatory variables, or two-way interactions between them. In contrast, in the low SES schools (schools in which 25% to 55% of the students received free and/or reduced price lunches), statistically significant main effects were obtained for student gender, student racial/ethnic group, and school organization. In addition, a significant interaction was obtained between student gender and racial/ethnic group.