Making the Most of Adolescence

This qualitative study investigated the relationship between adolescents' sense of school belonging and opportunities to integrate aspects of their identity with their 9th-grade English assignments. The study provided evidence of a positive relationship between these two experiences for an ethnically diverse group of students. Moreover, issues of identity (connections made with issues that were important to the self, connections with their background, and the ability to make themselves known) contributed significantly to belonging. Students' sense of connection and engagement in their classroom was supported while they participated in activities designed to encourage curricular connections with their identity and culture.