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Strong and Belong: Building and Piloting a Single-Session Universal Social Belongingness Program for First-Year High School Students

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Title: Strong and Belong: Building and Piloting a Single-Session Universal Social Belongingness Program for First-Year High School Students
Language: English
Authors: Jeffrey P. Winer (ORCID 0000-0002-6881-1868), Seetha Davis, Lisa Kingkade, Kathlyn Elliott, Sewit Yohannes, Jamie Kessler
Source: Psychology in the Schools. 2026 63(2):544-554.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 11
Publication Date: 2026
Sponsoring Agency: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (DHHS/PHS)
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (DHHS/NIH)
Contract Number: T32GM144273
1H79SM08510001
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Secondary Education
Grade 9
Junior High Schools
Descriptors: High School Freshmen, Sense of Belonging, Grade 9, Student Attitudes, Personal Narratives, Psychoeducational Methods, Learner Engagement, Writing (Composition), Reflection, Help Seeking, Interpersonal Relationship, Program Evaluation, Intervention, Student Development
DOI: 10.1002/pits.70109
ISSN: 0033-3085
1520-6807
Abstract: Low social belongingness and high psychological distress among adolescents are at all-time highs. The transition to ninth grade marks the beginning of high school and provides a unique window of both opportunity and vulnerability for low social belongingness and negative mental health outcomes. To build and sustain social contexts that encourage adaptive social belongingness, schools need universal programming that can be embedded, tailored, and sustained within their schools. The current project outlines a proof-of-concept single session program, Strong and Belong, developed through an academic-school partnership and piloted with 327 ninth-grade students over 3 years. The program, delivered by classroom teachers, utilized prerecorded content that included psychoeducation about belongingness, personal belongingness stories adapted from real high school students, and personal video narratives from current school staff about their own high school belongingness experiences. Participants then engaged in two self-reflection writing prompts designed to foster a growth mindset of belongingness. Program evaluation results indicated strong student engagement as evidenced by the percentage of students who were able to accurately follow writing prompt directions--a primary candidate mechanism of change within growth mindset programs. Additionally, while not available in Years 1 and 3 due to COVID-19 restrictions, Year 2 program evaluation data indicated some impacts on social connection and help-seeking behavior. While further evaluation is needed, this proof-of-concept project provides an adaptable template for a brief Tier 1 intervention that may foster growth mindsets of belongingness among ninth-grade students within a high school setting.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1493949
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Strong and Belong: Building and Piloting a Single-Session Universal Social Belongingness Program for First-Year High School Students
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jeffrey+P%2E+Winer%22">Jeffrey P. Winer</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6881-1868">0000-0002-6881-1868</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Seetha+Davis%22">Seetha Davis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lisa+Kingkade%22">Lisa Kingkade</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kathlyn+Elliott%22">Kathlyn Elliott</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sewit+Yohannes%22">Sewit Yohannes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jamie+Kessler%22">Jamie Kessler</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Psychology+in+the+Schools%22"><i>Psychology in the Schools</i></searchLink>. 2026 63(2):544-554.
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: Y
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  Data: 11
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (DHHS/PHS)<br />National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (DHHS/NIH)
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22High+Schools%22">High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Grade+9%22">Grade 9</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Junior+High+Schools%22">Junior High Schools</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1002/pits.70109
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  Data: 0033-3085<br />1520-6807
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  Data: Low social belongingness and high psychological distress among adolescents are at all-time highs. The transition to ninth grade marks the beginning of high school and provides a unique window of both opportunity and vulnerability for low social belongingness and negative mental health outcomes. To build and sustain social contexts that encourage adaptive social belongingness, schools need universal programming that can be embedded, tailored, and sustained within their schools. The current project outlines a proof-of-concept single session program, Strong and Belong, developed through an academic-school partnership and piloted with 327 ninth-grade students over 3 years. The program, delivered by classroom teachers, utilized prerecorded content that included psychoeducation about belongingness, personal belongingness stories adapted from real high school students, and personal video narratives from current school staff about their own high school belongingness experiences. Participants then engaged in two self-reflection writing prompts designed to foster a growth mindset of belongingness. Program evaluation results indicated strong student engagement as evidenced by the percentage of students who were able to accurately follow writing prompt directions--a primary candidate mechanism of change within growth mindset programs. Additionally, while not available in Years 1 and 3 due to COVID-19 restrictions, Year 2 program evaluation data indicated some impacts on social connection and help-seeking behavior. While further evaluation is needed, this proof-of-concept project provides an adaptable template for a brief Tier 1 intervention that may foster growth mindsets of belongingness among ninth-grade students within a high school setting.
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        Value: 10.1002/pits.70109
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 11
        StartPage: 544
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: High School Freshmen
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sense of Belonging
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Grade 9
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      – SubjectFull: Student Attitudes
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      – SubjectFull: Personal Narratives
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      – SubjectFull: Psychoeducational Methods
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      – SubjectFull: Learner Engagement
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      – SubjectFull: Writing (Composition)
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      – SubjectFull: Reflection
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      – SubjectFull: Help Seeking
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      – SubjectFull: Interpersonal Relationship
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      – SubjectFull: Program Evaluation
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      – SubjectFull: Intervention
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      – SubjectFull: Student Development
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      – TitleFull: Strong and Belong: Building and Piloting a Single-Session Universal Social Belongingness Program for First-Year High School Students
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