Abstract
<p>Our objective was to expand insights about supports and stressors shaping high school students’ adjustment. Using an ecological framework, we considered how indicators of the school climate, different cohorts and group memberships, and meaning making from students could each be informative of students’ high school adjustment. We used a concurrent embedded mixed methods design to capture students’ appraisals of the school climate and recollected challenges at school. We recruited students from an Ohio, USA high school and conducted a quantitative survey about the school climate (i.e., support, structure, schoolwide behaviors) from students ages 13 to 18 years (n = 1,157, 51.6% girls; 51.2% White; 25.9% Black). Students also provided open-ended responses about recent school challenges. We investigated the content of these responses for themes about typical happenings with peers and faculty, about resources and policies around the school, and about personal concerns students held. Students’ whose survey reports emphasized more prosocial prevalence, lower bullying prevalence, and better school structure and support also reported greater feelings of belonging with and satisfaction at school. Notably, more junior students and girls were less likely to endorse these patterns, hinting at greater challenges given grade level and gender. Students’ open-ended responses about school challenges often emphasized concerns about the school structure and responsiveness from others: concerns about bullying and fighting; frustrations with faculty decisions and policy; and worries about peer pressure and social conflicts. Students also spoke to concerns of discrimination and marginalization as part of open-ended responses. Findings highlighted the importance of a highly structured and responsive school climate for students. Findings also highlighted targets for better anticipating and intervening with what could be heightened challenges for groups of students with diminished status in the school.</p>