School belonging and happiness levels of preservice physical education teachers

This research sought to identify the levels of school belonging and happiness among prospective physical education (PE) teachers and to explore how these levels vary across different demographic factors, as well as to examine the potential association between school belonging and happiness. The study was implemented in the 2023–2024 academic year with participants comprising firstand fourth-year students from eight universities' Departments of Physical Education and Sports in Türkiye. Employing a quantitative approach based on a relational surveying model, data were gathered through the "School Belonging Scale" and the "Oxford Happiness Questionnaire." The collected data were analyzed using t-tests, Mann Whitney U, ANOVA, and Spearman correlation techniques. Findings indicated that demographic characteristics such as gender, class level, parental education level, household income, accommodation type, and access to social and sports facilities significantly influenced students' sense of belonging and happiness. Additionally, statistically significant positive relationship was found between school belonging and happiness. These findings indicate that the sense of school belonging and happiness are considered important by pre-service teachers in university life, highlighting the need for educational institutions to strengthen social and emotional support mechanisms accordingly.