Browsing by Author "Ahlroth, Annina"

Aims. The aim of this study was to examine what kind of identity profiles are found among high school students in Finland and whether the groups with different identity profile differ in social identity and in school belonging. Personal identity refers to an individual's consistent understanding of who he or she is and what he or she wants to pursue. The sense of belonging is examined through social identity and school belonginess. Social identity is decsribed as identification with different groups, and school belonginess can be described as an individual's social and emotional connection to school. It is important to study the connection between personal identity and the sense of belonging in order to gain a deeper understanding of how identity formation takes place in the context of the social environment and how young people can be supported in these processes. Methods. The data (N=766) was collected as part of Bridging the Gaps-project from high school students in Helsinki during spring 2019. Participants filled in a questionnaire that measured identity, social identity and school belonging. Participants were divided in groups by using Two-Step Cluster analysis. Group differences in social identity and school belong- ing were studied by analysis of variance. Results and conclusions. Five different identity groups were identified, and the groups were named as achievement, searching while committed, carefree diffusion, troubled diffusion and moratorium. About third of students were committed to identity goals. More than 60% of the high school students had an unclear identity and about 40% of them were worried about their future. Identity groups differed in terms of school belonginess as well as their social identity. High school students with a higher commitment to their future goals had a higher sense of belonging in school as well as in different groups. Those high school students who were worried about their future experienced a lower sense of belonging to different groups. Based on the study, it seems that commitment to identity is related to a sense of belonging. The results are largely in line with previous research.