Background: The role of teachers in nurturing students’ sense of belonging cannot be over-emphasised. Students who do not feel accepted by their teachers are at risk of withdrawing from school life and feeling disaffected. This study contributes to theories on school belonging by investigating the contribution of teachers to students’ sense of school belonging, the association of students’ attitudes towards teachers, and their sense of school belonging with students’ mathematics achievement. Aim: To provide empirical evidence of how students’ attitudes towards teachers contributed to their sense of school belonging, as well as their mathematics achievement. Setting: A representative sample of 10932 grade 5 students at 297 schools in South Africa completed a contextual questionnaire and a mathematics assessment during the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Methods: The TIMSS 2015 data were used to develop indicators of students’ attitudes towards teachers, sense of school belonging and home socio-economic status. Absenteeism and the extent of bullying were also considered. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed. Results: A high positive correlation between students’ attitudes towards teachers and their sense of school belonging was found. Students’ attitudes towards teachers and their sense of belonging contributed significantly to mathematics achievement. Conclusion: The study confirms the crucial role that a sound student–teacher relationship plays in a healthy sense of school belonging and in terms of academic performance. The school environment should be managed in a manner that allows for mentoring relationships between students and teachers to be strengthened.

中文翻译：

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南非教师对学生的归属感和数学成就的贡献：2015年国际数学和科学研究趋势中学生的观点

背景：不能过分强调教师在培养学生的归属感中的作用。不感到被老师接受的学生有退出学校生活和感到失落的风险。本研究通过调查教师对学生的学校归属感的贡献，学生对老师的态度的关联以及他们的学校归属感与学生的数学成就之间的联系，为学校归属理论做出了贡献。目的：提供经验证据，证明学生对老师的态度如何促进他们的学校归属感以及他们的数学成绩。设置：南非297所学校的10932年级5名学生的代表样本在2015年国际数学和科学研究趋势（TIMSS）期间完成了情境问卷和数学评估。方法：TIMSS 2015数据用于建立学生对教师态度，学校归属感和家庭社会经济地位的指标。还考虑了旷工和欺凌程度。进行描述性和推断性统计分析。结果：发现学生对老师的态度与他们的学校归属感之间存在高度正相关。学生对老师的态度及其归属感极大地促进了数学成绩。结论：这项研究证实了良好的师生关系在健康的学校归属感和学习成绩方面所起的关键作用。学校环境的管理应允许加强师生之间的关系指导。