Do school resources influence the relationship between adolescent financial background and their school perceptions?

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Sociology of Education
• Public Health

Background:

• Socioeconomic status (SES) is a known determinant of student academic performance, engagement, and attitudes.
• Understanding how school-level economic factors interact with individual student SES is crucial for equitable educational outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of school socioeconomic status (SES) and available school resources on the relationship between individual student SES and their perceptions of school.
• To analyze how student-level factors (grade, gender, hunger) and school-level factors (SES, resources, urbanicity) affect school perceptions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multilevel analysis on a nationally representative sample of 12,642 students (grades 5-10) from the 2009-2010 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study.
• Assessed individual perceptions (school liking, social relationships, family affluence, hunger) and school characteristics (meal programs, funding, resources, urban/rural status).

Main Results:

• Individual SES and grade level were associated with school perceptions; boys and students experiencing hunger reported lower school liking.
• School-level SES, indicated by free/reduced meal eligibility, explained a significant portion (33%) of the variance in social relationship perceptions between schools.
• Rural students and those experiencing hunger reported poorer school perceptions and social relationships.

Conclusions:

• Student socioeconomic status, family economic background, and grade level are key influences on how students perceive their school environment.
• School health professionals must acknowledge and address the economic challenges students face, as these impact their school experiences and perceptions.