Constructing School Belonging(s) in Disadvantaged Urban Spaces: Adolescents’ Experiences and Narratives in Mexico City

Abstract

School belonging is a topic of growing interest given its connection with school dropout, academic achievement, students’ behavior, and adolescent well-being. Until recently, most of this literature came from Anglo-Saxon contexts, mainstream schools, and quantitative analysis. As a result, there is still a research gap on this issue in different cultural contexts, social classes, and minority groups. This article makes a contribution exploring school belonging among adolescents from disadvantaged backgrounds, in an emerging economy (Mexico), and using a qualitative methodology that prioritize meanings and experiences of individuals. Focusing on three dimensions (stigmatization processes, school climate, and social relations with teacher and peers), we capture how the engagement of adolescents with their schooling process is shaped by institutional as well as sociocultural aspects. The study provides significant implications for a continuous professional development of high schools in disadvantaged contexts regarding student involvement, teacher support, and social recognition.