Student Characteristics and Perceived Sense of Connectedness in Middle School Online Learning Environments

Nina B. Hollis Institute for Educational Reform. 421 North Woodland Blvd, DeLand, FL 32723. Tel: 386-822-7081; Web site: https://www.voicesofreform.com/

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Student Characteristics; Sense of Community; Student Attitudes; Middle School Students; Electronic Learning; COVID-19; Pandemics; Suburban Schools; Instructional Program Divisions; Gender Differences; Racial Differences; Individual Differences; Grade 7; Grade 8; School Closing

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted face-to-face instruction in schools across the United States and the world. Using the Online Student Connectedness Survey (OSCS), we analyzed data from three middle schools in a suburban school district in the southeastern United States in order to determine if there were any statistically significant interaction effects between student characteristics (grade level, gender, and race/ethnicity) and their sense of connectedness in a nontraditional online learning environment. Factorial Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests revealed that neither grade level nor gender independently were associated with students' perceived connectedness during online instruction. However, there was a statistically significant difference in student connectedness within the online environment based on race/ethnicity, such that White students reported significantly higher sense of connectedness than non-White students. We also found a statistically significant interaction effect between students' grade level and gender on students' perceived connectedness in the online learning environment. Female students had a lower sense of connectedness in the 7th grade, but sense of connectedness increased in the 8th grade. Finally, we found no statistically significant interaction effects among grade-level, gender, and race/ethnicity on students' perceived connectedness in the online learning environment.

As Provided

2025

EJ1455277