Affiliation:
1. School of Education Science, Hunan University of Arts and Science, People's Republic of China
2. Student Affairs Department, Xiangnan University, People's Republic of China
Abstract
We examined the chain mediating role of self-support and self-esteem in the link between family functioning and sense of school belonging among Chinese junior high school students. Students in Grades 1 to 3 ( N= 728) completed the Family Cohesion and Adaptability Scale, the Adolescent
Students' SelfSupporting Personality Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Psychological Sense of School Membership Scale. A mediating effect analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The results were as follows: (a) there were significant positive correlations among family functioning,
sense of school belonging, self-esteem, and self-support; (b) self-support mediated the effect of family functioning on sense of school belonging, and self-esteem mediated the effect of self-support on sense of school belonging; and (c) self-support and self-esteem played a significant chain
mediating role between family functioning and sense of school belonging, with the mediating effect accounting for 34.48% of the total effect. Thus, family functioning affects students' sense of school belonging both directly and also indirectly through selfsupport and self-esteem. To improve
students' sense of belonging at school, educators should focus on the functioning of students' families, and on the level of students' self-support and development of self-esteem.
Publisher
Scientific Journal Publishers Ltd