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A study drawing on survey data from nearly 600 sixth graders in Tulsa found that students reporting a stronger sense of mattering also tended to report better mental health and some stronger academic outcomes. Co-author Anna Johnson defines mattering as both feeling valued and having opportunities to add value; the findings show correlations, not proof that mattering caused those outcomes.
A study of nearly 600 sixth graders in Tulsa, Oklahoma, found that students who reported a stronger sense of mattering also tended to report better mental health and some stronger academic outcomes. The findings, discussed by co-author Anna Johnson of Georgetown University in an interview with The 74, add a focus on feeling valued and able to contribute to school-climate debates that often center on belonging.
Johnson described mattering as having two parts: feeling valued and adding value. A student may feel included in a school yet still not feel known or valued by the people there, she said. The research examined purpose and whether students felt their lives were worthwhile, alongside student and family factors and measures of school performance and mental health.
The survey involved sixth graders in Tulsa Public Schools, a diverse district with many students from low-income families; most respondents were students of color. Johnson told The 74 that about two-thirds of the sample reported higher levels of mattering. More than half of Black respondents chose the highest available response, “a lot,” while about 60% of Hispanic or Latino respondents reported “some” or “a lot.” These figures describe this study sample, not all students in those groups.
Higher reported mattering was associated with lower loneliness, anxiety and depression, greater school liking, and stronger academic performance. Students with higher mattering scores had test scores 1.4 points higher in reading and 1.2 points higher in math, according to Johnson. The study also found borderline better attendance. The source does not specify the test-score scale or provide enough detail to interpret those point differences as a particular percentage or practical effect.
Why Feeling Valued May Matter
The findings suggest that school climate may involve more than whether students feel accepted or included. Johnson’s definition emphasizes whether students are recognized as individuals and whether they can make a contribution to the classroom. That distinction can help educators think about daily interactions and curriculum, rather than treating belonging as the only measure of whether students feel connected at school.
Johnson offered a classroom example: during a unit on countries and cultures, students might bring in a recipe, sports jersey or another item meaningful to them and explain its importance. That activity can let a student share cultural knowledge with classmates, while signaling that the student’s experience has value. It is an illustration from a teacher interview, not an intervention whose effects were tested in the study.
For readers, the results are relevant because they connect students’ own reports of purpose and worth with measures of well-being and achievement. But the associations do not show that increasing mattering would by itself improve test scores or reduce anxiety. The study points to a relationship schools may wish to examine, while leaving the effects of specific practices open.
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From Belonging to Mattering
School climate and student belonging have received greater attention from state and district leaders, according to The 74’s report. The article says Illinois, Connecticut and California have begun requiring school-climate surveys that measure how students feel at school. The Tulsa study takes up a related but distinct question: whether young people feel their lives have purpose and whether they matter to people around them.
Johnson said she and journalist Jennifer Wallace wanted empirical evidence about mattering among young people, especially youth of color. Much earlier research on the concept had focused on adults and workplaces, she said. The team used data Johnson had collected in the largest school district in Oklahoma, examining pre-adolescents at a period when they are forming their identities.
The interview also describes a relationship between family conversations about racial and ethnic identity and preparation for bias, and higher reported mattering among some Black and Hispanic students in the sample. Johnson said those conversations were associated with higher mattering, which in turn was associated with some mental-health and academic measures. The supplied report does not establish that the family conversations caused the outcomes.
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Limits of the Tulsa Findings
The results are correlations, not proof of cause and effect. The source does not provide the study’s full methods, survey wording, statistical estimates or details about how the test scores were measured. It also does not say whether the associations persisted over time or would appear in students from other districts and age groups.
The article notes the sample’s location and demographic makeup, but the findings should not be treated as representative of all Black, Hispanic or Latino students, or of students nationally. It is also unclear from the supplied material whether particular classroom strategies were tested as ways to increase mattering. The teacher’s example illustrates a possible practice, not a verified program result.
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How Schools Could Apply the Findings
The report does not announce a new school policy or a planned follow-up study. It presents Johnson’s findings and her discussion of ways teachers might help students feel both recognized and able to contribute. Schools considering the idea could look at how their climate surveys capture students’ experiences, including whether students feel known, valued and able to share what they bring to class.
Johnson’s interview also raises the importance of identity-related family conversations, but the evidence described does not establish a specific approach schools should require. Further research would be needed to test whether particular classroom or family practices change students’ reported mattering, and whether any changes lead to lasting differences in well-being, attendance or achievement. For now, the study offers an additional lens for school-climate work rather than a tested prescription.
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Key Questions
What does “mattering” mean in the study?
Co-author Anna Johnson describes it as both feeling valued and adding value. It includes belonging but also asks whether students feel known and able to contribute.
Who took part in the research?
The study surveyed nearly 600 sixth graders in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The sample was diverse, and most students were from low-income families and students of color, according to The 74’s account.
What outcomes were associated with higher mattering?
Students reporting higher mattering also reported lower loneliness, anxiety and depression, and greater school liking. Their reading scores were 1.4 points higher and math scores 1.2 points higher; attendance was described as borderline better. The source does not give the score scale.
Does the study prove that mattering improves academic performance?
No. The reported findings show associations between mattering and outcomes, not that mattering caused them. The supplied report does not establish the effects of any particular school practice.
What might a teacher do to support mattering?
Johnson described inviting students to share culturally meaningful items, such as a recipe or sports jersey, and explain them to classmates. The example illustrates a possible way students can contribute; it was not presented as a tested intervention.
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