The Relationship between Sense of School Belonging and Acts of Vandalism among Students by Gender

Vandalism is a serious issue in schools. However, previous research has limited information on how this relates to a sense of school belonging among both male and female students. To address this gap, this study aims to analyze the relationship between sense of school belonging and vandalism among students, based on gender. This study employed a quantitative, correlational approach involving 84 high school students. Data were collected using an 18-item sense of school belonging scale and a 21-item vandalism questionnaire, with satisfactory validity and Cronbach's Alpha values of .915 and .961, respectively. Data were analyzed using product moment and independent sample t-tests. The results showed a significant, negative relationship between sense of school belonging and vandalism among high school students. Male students had a lower average score (mean = 39.45) compared to female students (mean = 56.07) for sense of school belonging, and vice versa for vandalism (male Mean = 53.03 and female Mean = 37.59). These findings reveal a significant difference in terms of student gender. The implications of this study provide insights for educators and policy makers in school institutions regarding student vandalism and build awareness among students to be more responsible and play an active role in maintaining the school.