Relationship Between Students’ Sense of Belonging and Academic Performance among Form Five Students of the North East Region in Botswana

Abstract

Research on academic achievement has shown a global decline in performance. A similar trend is evident in the North East region of Botswana, where form five students have experienced a drop in academic outcomes. This poor performance has led to many students missing opportunities to progress to tertiary institutions for further studies. Consequently, this study sought to examine the relationship between students’ sense of belonging and academic performance among form five students in the North East region of Botswana. The study was anchored in the self-determination theory proposed by Deci and Ryan (2000). A correlational research design using a quantitative approach was adopted. The target population consisted of 2,632 form five students drawn from all three public senior secondary schools, while the sample included 407 students from these schools. Sampling techniques applied were purposive sampling, proportionate stratified sampling, and simple random sampling. Data collection instruments included the Psychological Sense of School Membership Scale (PSSMS) developed by Goodenow (1993) and students’ academic records. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS Version 25. Pearson’s product-moment correlation analysis was used to test the hypotheses at a significance level of 0.05. The findings indicated that students’ sense of belonging (r = .289, p < .001) had a significant positive correlation with academic performance. Based on these findings, it is recommended that teachers and counsellors foster collaborative learning environments through structured group projects and mentorship programs that deliberately encourage positive peer relationships and support academic collaboration among students.