Congratulations to Jessica Rappaport who on Thursday, August 22, 2024, successfully defended her dissertation proposal. The title of Jessica’s dissertation is: MIDDLE SCHOOL SENSE OF BELONGING AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A QUALITATIVE STUDY USING SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY.
The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between middle school students’ sense of belonging and their motivation in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this interpretive inquiry will explore middle school assistant principals and school counselors’ perceptions of learning, loss, chronic absenteeism, and student behavior in relation to middle school motivation connected to student sense of belonging. This interpretive inquiry will also explore how middle school assistant principals and school counselors work together to support students' sense of belonging. Utilizing Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory posits that motivation is influenced by autonomy, competence, and relatedness (sense of belonging). This interpretative qualitative study aims to understand how young adolescents’ sense of belonging in middle school impacts their motivation in the post-COVID-19 school environment.
Dissertation Committee Chair:
Dr. Kenneth Mitchell
Dissertation Committee Members:
Dr. Martin Fitzgerald
Dr. Brian Culot
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