Exploring the role of gender similarity in school connection among pre-adolescents: feeling similar to at least one gender collective matters

Social connections within school play a critical role in multiple aspects of child and adolescent development. The goal of the current study was to explore why some students form strong connections with teachers and peers, whereas others do not. A person-centered approach assessed how gender variations related to classroom supportiveness and teacher-student relationships in 1,642 U.S. pre-adolescents (M_age = 9.05, SD = 0.91; 47.30% girls, 52.40% boys, 0.30% missing). The results demonstrated benefits of feeling similar to at least one gender collective in students’ school connection. Students who did not feel similar to any gender collective had a greater risk of social disconnection. In addition, feeling similar to girls, in particular, may further benefit the development of connection within school. Overall, these findings highlight that exploring gender variations in school connection beyond the gender binary offers a deeper understanding of the role of gender in school connection and identifies students who may need additional support to foster positive development.