Putting Ourselves Together: School Belonging, Parental Socialization, and Teacher Support of Latinx Youth

Limited research has considered how family and school factors combine to support Latinx students' academic achievement in early adolescence. We examined associations between parental academic socialization (PAS), teacher support (TS), school belonging, and achievement outcomes to understand the roles of family and teacher factors in youths' school belonging and achievement. Youth (N = 65, mean age = 11.74, SD = 1.11) and their parents completed questionnaires on school belonging, PAS, and TS, and we collected grade point average, standardized test results, and teacher perceptions of student skills and traits from their schools. Results indicated that TS, but not PAS, was negatively associated with school belonging and achievement. Belonging mediated the effect of TS on academic outcomes through a positive indirect relation. Findings implicate the role of school psychologists in guiding teacher support strategies for Latinx students.