Social and Academic Sources of Science Classroom Belonging in Middle School

Although previous belonging research has investigated social belonging sources, few studies have examined academic sources that include teacher and peer behaviors. Questions remain concerning the contextualization of belonging in specific disciplines and pedagogies. This study explores middle schoolers’ science classroom belonging within two distinct curricular contexts. Seventy-three middle schoolers from classrooms enacting traditional and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)–aligned inquiry science curricula completed surveys and semistructured interviews on their experience of science classroom belonging. Chi-square analyses examined frequency differences in students’ perceptions of science classroom belonging between contexts. Qualitative content analyses were grounded in extant theoretical designations and informed by students’ described characterizations. Findings provided extensions to avenues for belonging, including peer academic interactions and domain competence. Results indicated that belonging was contextualized in pedagogical structures, with inquiry students providing more frequent and richer elaboration of opportunities for knowledge co-construction with peers in argumentation and collaboration structures.