English Language Learners: Exploring Connections to the School
Emily Gorski, M.S.Ed. & Jocelyn Newton, Ph.D., NCSP
School Psychology Program, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Introduction
Introduction, cont.
Abstract:
Study purpose:
School connectedness leads to positive outcomes for
students in terms of academics, behaviors, and general
well-being. Little research has focused specifically on the
school connectedness of English Language Learners
despite the increasing ELL student population. The
current study investigated differences in students’ school
connectedness as a function of English language
proficiency and grade level. Results indicated that there
were no differences in level of school connectedness
based on English proficiency status or grade level.
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Background:
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English Language Learners (ELL’s) presently
comprise 10.8% of the total public school enrollment in
the U.S. (equivalent to over 5 million ELL students),
and their population is projected to continue to
increase (NCELA, 2011).
ELL students face a variety of challenges when
compared to their native English-speaking peers,
including being at a higher risk for academic failure
and dropping out of school (Genesee, Lindholm-Leary,
Saunders, & Christan, 2005; Janzen, 2008; Verdugo &
Flores, 2007).
Research also suggests that racial minority groups
may experience lower levels of school connectedness
and engagement than Caucasian students (Bonny,
Britto, Klostermann, Hornung, & Slap, 2000).
Therefore, some ELL students may experience lower
levels of school connectedness than their native
English-speaking peers.
School connectedness has been defined by
Goodenow (1993) as being “the extent to which
students feel personally accepted, respected,
included, and supported by others in the school social
environment” (p. 80).
Research has consistently demonstrated that higher
levels of school connectedness are related to positive
academic, behavioral, and psychological outcomes.
Students with higher school connectedness tend to
have higher levels of academic achievement, are less
likely to drop out of school, and have greater
academic motivation (Waters, Cross, & Runions,
2009).
Additionally, school connectedness is an important
factor in protecting against grade retention, dropout,
delinquency, violence, and substance abuse
(Neumark-Sztainer, Story, French, & Resnick, 1997;
Resnick et al., 1997, Wehlage, Rutter, Smith, Lesko, &
Fernandez, 1989).
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Cronbach’s Alpha for the “Hemingway: Measure of
Adolescent Connectedness” was .823. Therefore, the
survey used for this study was found to be a reliable
measure of students’ school connectedness.
As important as school connectedness appears to be for
student success, little research currently exists that
examines this construct relative to English Language
Learners.
To address this gap in the literature base, this study
examined the differences between ELL students and
native English-speaking students and middle-school and
high-school students in the area of school connectedness.
By identifying student groups with low levels of reported
school connectedness, school psychologists can help to
develop programming and supports that promote school
connectedness.
Method
Results: Univariate Analysis of Variance
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Results of the ANOVA revealed that students did not
differ significantly in their reported level of school
connectedness as a function of their grade level or
English proficiency status as determined by the results of
this study, F (1, 211) = 0.96, p = .328, partial eta² = .005.
Figure 1
Mean School Connectedness Ratings for Middle School and
High School ELL and non-ELL Students
Participants:
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215 middle- and high-school students from a small
Midwestern school district were administered a school
connectedness survey and a demographics
questionnaire.
Instrumentation:
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The school connectedness survey was an adapted
version of Michael Karcher’s “Hemingway: Measure of
Adolescent Connectedness” (Karcher, 1999).
A demographics questionnaire was used to obtain
information about grade level and ELL status.
Students also had the option of responding to some
additional qualitative questions.
Data Analyses:
• Reliability analyses were conducted to assess the
current adaptation of the adolescent connectedness
survey.
• A Univariate Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was
conducted to determine if there were differences
between the groups as a function of their reported
levels of school connectedness.
Table 1
Demographics of participants (N=215)
Middle School
High School
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ELL Status
ELL Student
Non-ELL Student
ELL Student
Non-ELL Student
58
57
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56
55
54
52
51
M.S. Non-ELL
H.S. ELL
H.S. Non-ELL
Student Type
Results: Qualitative Responses
An analysis of students’ responses to the open-ended
qualitative questions revealed distinct themes about their
attitudes toward school. Both ELL students and native
English-speaking students had similar opinions about what
would make school a better place:
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The results of this study indicate that ELL students/native
English-speaking students and middle-school/high-school
students do not differ in their reported levels of school
connectedness.
These results suggest that, in this school district,
students report relatively similar levels of school
connectedness regardless of their level of English
proficiency or grade level, and that school connectedness
is relatively stable between the middle and high school
years.
These findings are inconsistent with previous research,
which has shown that minority students tend to report
lower levels of school connectedness.
Based on the findings of this study, ELL and native
English-speaking students in middle and high school are
equally likely to feel connected to their school. However,
there are several other factors that contribute to
adolescents’ overall connectedness (e.g., family,
community) that should also be acknowledged when
considering students’ overall well-being.
Both ELL and native English-speaking students would
likely benefit from school-wide campus climate initiatives,
better resources, and improved instruction and classroom
management.
53
M.S. ELL
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N
25
73
16
101
59
50
Demographics
Grade Level
Discussion
60
Mean School Connectedness Ratings
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Results: Reliability Analysis
Improved School Climate
• “A bully-free school, be nice to everyone”
• “Teachers should be handling bullying problems”
• “Less racism”
• “Having the kids get along more with other
students that are new”
Better School Resources, Supports, & Opportunities
• “Help students who cannot do their homework”
• “More computers, more extracurricular options”
• “Healthier meals”
Changes to Staff & Administrator Practices
• “If teachers actually were into what they teach”
• “Better controlled, organized teachers”
Directions for Future Research
• Investigate student connectedness in districts with
smaller populations of ELL students and with fewer
supports and programming in place.
• Compare connectedness of recently-immigrated ELL
students to that of more acclimated ELL students.
• Explore and compare the connectedness of additional
ELL student populations
• Expand the study to include elementary school students,
as younger ELL students may have a different school
experience than older adolescents.
References
Bonny, A. E., Britto, M. T., Klostermann, B. K., Hornung, R. W., & Slap, G. B. (2000, November). School
disconnectedness: Identifying adolescents at risk. Pediatrics, 106(5), 1017-1021.
Genesee, F., Lindholm-Leary, K., Saunders, W., & Christian, D. (2005). English language learners in U.S.
schools: An overview of research findings. Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk, 10(4), 363385.
Goodenow, C. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development
and educational correlates. Psychology in the Schools, 30(1), 79-90.
Janzen, J. (2008). Teaching English language learners in the content areas. Review of Educational
Research, 78(4), 1010-1038.
Karcher, M.J. (1999). The Hemingway – Measure of Adolescent Connectedness: A manual for interpretation and
scoring. Unpublished manual, University of Wisconsin – Madison.
National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA). (2011, February). The growing number of
English learner students. In National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition & Language
Instruction Educational Programs. Retrieved June 1, 2011
Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M., French, S., & Resnick, M. (1997). Psychosocial correlates of health
compromising behaviors among adolescents. Health Education Research, 12(1), 37-52.
Resnick, M., Bearman, P., Blum, R., Bauman, K., Harris, K., Jones, J., et al. (1997). Protecting adolescents from
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