The items forming the Sense of School Belonging scale asked students about their attitudes toward school, including the extent to which they like being in school, feel that they belong, and have good relationships with teachers. Both fourth and eighth grade students were asked how much they agreed or disagreed with the five statements listed in Exhibit 7.9 (see About the Scale).

The percentages of fourth grade students assigned to the three categories on the TIMSS 2019 Sense of School Belonging scale are shown in Exhibit 7.10 in relation to mathematics achievement and in Exhibit 7.11 in relation to science achievement. Overall, the majority of fourth grade students had positive attitudes toward school, and each successive category of increased school belonging was related to an increase in average achievement. More than half of students (58%) reported having a “high sense of school belonging,” and these students had the highest average mathematics achievement (508) and average science achievement (497). On average, 34 percent of students had a “moderate sense of school belonging” with comparatively lower achievement (498 in mathematics and 487 in science). Only 8 percent of fourth grade students had “little sense of school belonging,” and these students had the lowest average achievement (484 in mathematics and 476 in science).

Exhibits 7.12 and 7.13 present the same results for eighth grade students in relation to mathematics achievement and science achievement, respectively. Compared with the fourth grade, smaller percentages of eighth grade students reported having a “high sense of school belonging,” and larger percentages reported having a “moderate sense of school belonging.” On average, across countries, 37 percent of eighth grade students reported a “high sense of school belonging,” and 49 percent had a “moderate sense of school belonging.” Like the fourth grade, there was a positive association between eighth grade students’ sense of school belonging and their average achievement in mathematics and science. The 14 percent of students with “little sense of school belonging” had the lowest average achievement (470 in both mathematics and science). Students in the “high sense of school belonging” and “moderate sense of school belonging” categories had comparatively higher average achievement (500 and 489, respectively, in mathematics, and 502 and 490, respectively, in science).