Student Community within the School Context: A Research Synthesis
By: Karen F. Osterman
Ways in which a sense of community can be fostered within a school are examined in this literature review. The text opens with an overview of the conceptual framework and rationale for community, focusing on the collegiality among students rather than among adults or between adults and students. The sources used for the review were identified by searching the ERIC and PsychLlit databases and by examining references in published studies. Most of the sources had been published in peer-reviewed journals and books, and they address two major areas of inquiry: those dealing directly with belongingness (a psychological variable measured by examining students’ perspectives about their own experience) and those that do not deal directly with belongingness but shed light on various aspects of it. The review describes research addressing the need for belongingness, including the development of basic psychological processes; attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to school success; attitudes toward self and others; participation and engagement; achievement; students’ sense of community in school; peer relationships, their development and importance; structuring schools and classes to support student community; the classroom climate; authority relations and autonomy; and other organizational characteristics.
