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Ethnic Pride, Self-Esteem, And School Belonging: A Reciprocal Analysis Over Time, Maciel M. Hernández, Richard W. Robins, Keith F. Widaman, Rand D. Conger

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

School belonging (i.e., social connectedness to school) has positive implications for academic achievement and well-being. However, few studies have examined the developmental antecedents of school belonging, particularly for students of Mexican origin. To address this gap in the research literature, the present study examined reciprocal relations between school belonging and two self-affirmation beliefs—self-esteem and ethnic pride—using data from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin students followed from fifth to ninth grade (N = 674, Mage at Wave 1 = 10.4 years, 50% girls). Furthermore, we evaluated whether the associations were stronger for boys than girls. Using multiple group analysis in a …