Connectedness and time spent in leisure activities among upper primary school students in Hong Kong

Abstract

Research suggests that the promotion of a student’s social development and connectedness can help reduce problematic behavior in schools. Connectedness, in this context, refers to an individual’s feeling of ‘belonging’ in a school as a valued and effective member. Connectedness can also apply to feelings on one’s self-image, family, and friends. The purpose of this study was to examine connectedness among Hong Kong primary school students in Years 5 and 6. The relationships among connectedness and time spent in leisure activities by students are also explored. Demographic data was collected from 421 students who responded to questionnaires concerning their time spent in leisure activities. The students also completed a Chinese version of the Hemingway Measure of Adolescent Connectedness. The subscales demonstrated satisfactory reliability and convergent validity. Findings from the study showed that in general girls are more emotionally connected to school than boys, especially to their teachers, whereas boys showed more connectedness to neighborhood. Data on boys revealed a positive correlation between connectedness to major social groups (parents, teachers and friends) and time spent on sports; but a negative correlation between connectedness to parents and teachers and time spent on computer games. Girls tended to show a more positive attitude about ‘present self’ when more time was spent on sports, but a negative connection with parents and teachers if more time was spent on computer games or extra-curricular activities. Implications for future research and implementation of guidance programmes in primary schools are discussed.