Only Half of High School Students Feel a Sense of Belonging at Their School, Qualtrics Research Shows
August 02 2022 - 8:30AM
Business Wire
26% of high school students say they have been
the target of bullying
Only half of U.S. high school students (51%) say they feel a
sense of belonging at their school, according to new research from
Qualtrics (Nasdaq: XM). Many teenage students say the events of the
pandemic over the past two years have made them feel less connected
to peers, teachers and staff. However, students who report feeling
like they belong are more likely to say they plan to graduate from
their current school (by 9 percentage points). More results from
the study can be found here.
With mental health issues on the rise for young people and
increasing concern about the risk of self-harm and violence as a
result, educators are focusing more of their attention on teaching
social-emotional skills like social awareness and
relationship-building, as well as creating a network of support for
students to rely on when facing personal challenges.
However, a large percentage of teenagers do not currently feel
like they are part of their school community, and more than a
quarter (26%) have been the target of bullying. Although a majority
of high school students (56%) are confident they can call or text a
classmate if they have a question about an assignment, just 40% are
confident they can go to another student for emotional support, and
only 38% are confident they can rely on other students to help them
make friends.
When it comes to teachers, 66% of students say they would be
comfortable discussing an academic problem, while only 32% say they
would be comfortable discussing a personal problem.
In contrast, in college — where students exercise greater choice
in whether to attend school and where — 81% of students feel like
they belong at their school and 86% of students are glad they
attend their school. College students also report higher levels of
confidence in their ability to rely on classmates and faculty for
both academic help and emotional support.
“These findings emphasize how important it is for school leaders
to understand how their students are feeling, identify those who
may be struggling and take urgent action to help them feel like
school is a place where they belong,” said Katie Johnson, principal
research analyst for education at Qualtrics. “Belonging is a
critical component of a school culture that supports social and
emotional learning, which is important for both academic success
and student well-being.”
How One School District is Building Trust and Promoting
Inclusion for Students
Bullying is prevalent in high schools and can lead to a lack of
a sense of belonging. According to the Qualtrics study, 51% of high
school students say they have witnessed bullying at their school.
When it comes to reporting, just under half (49%) say they would be
comfortable talking to a teacher about bullying they witnessed,
while just 34% would be comfortable if they were the ones being
bullied.
Iowa City Community School District, which serves over 14,000
students in grades K-12, uses Qualtrics to make it easier for
students to communicate their concerns about bullying, sexual
assault or harassment, discrimination and school safety to
administrators. Students can scan QR codes on posters prominently
displayed in bathrooms, cafeterias and hallways to report what they
have witnessed or experienced, anonymously or not. Students can
even upload videos, pictures or screenshots to help identify the
problem.
The “Say Something” campaign has resulted in more than 300
reports, triggering automatic emails to principals and select
administrators, who have then taken quick action to protect
students in cases of bullying, sexual harassment, hazing and
more.
“Before we had this campaign in place, the process to submit a
concern or report an incident was very formal, and students were
not always comfortable,” said Kristin Pedersen, director of
Community Relations at Iowa City Community School District.
“Qualtrics has given us a tool that utilizes something students
already have in their hands — their phones. In these sensitive
situations, it can make the difference between a student feeling
helpless and a student getting the support that they need.”
Ultimately, taking action based on the reports submitted
increases trust between students and administrators and makes the
schools across the district a safer, more inclusive community for
everyone, Pedersen added.
Methodology
This study was fielded between May 20, 2022 and June 1, 2022.
Respondents were identified through a panel and considered eligible
if they were a 14-19 year old high school student living in the
United States and enrolled at a traditional public, public charter,
or private or religious school. Respondents who did not pass
quality standards were removed. The total number of respondents is
1,039.
About Qualtrics XM for Education
With over 20 years of experience in education, Qualtrics now
serves education institutions across K-12 and Higher Education
around the world—including 99 of the top 100 business schools and
over half of the top 50 U.S. school districts—helping them
understand and improve the experiences they deliver. Qualtrics
solutions are purpose-built to help leaders in education understand
experiences across departments, take the right actions to attract
and retain students and staff, and increase engagement and success.
Qualtrics XM for Education uncovers unique insights into the
student and faculty journeys and empowers school leaders to close
experience gaps—driving increases in enrollment, retention and
graduation.
To learn more about XM for Education please visit
qualtrics.com/education
About Qualtrics
Qualtrics, the leader and creator of the experience management
category, is changing the way organizations manage and improve the
four core experiences of business—customer, employee, product and
brand. Over 16,750 organizations around the world use Qualtrics to
listen, understand and take action on experience data (X-data™)—the
beliefs, emotions and intentions that tell you why things are
happening, and what to do about it. The Qualtrics XM Platform™ is a
system of action that helps businesses attract customers who stay
longer and buy more, engage employees who build a positive culture,
develop breakthrough products people love and build a brand people
are passionate about. To learn more, please visit
qualtrics.com.
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Press Contact: Erica Evans press@qualtrics.com
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