Clarifying School Alienation within Taiwan’s Educational Context: Relationships with Parental Attachment and Implications for School Counseling

Abstract

Seeman's theory of alienation, rooted in social psychology, addresses individuals' feelings of estrangement in social contexts. Despite its relevance, research specifically addressing school alienation within Taiwan's educational system remains limited. This study aims to define and clarify the concept of school alienation to enhance school psychological well-being and formulate effective counseling and guidance strategies tailored to Taiwanese students. Employing a multifaceted methodological approach, this research encompasses an extensive literature review, the development and validation of a school alienation scale, and correlational analyses with relevant psychological constructs. Structural Equation Modeling confirmed that school alienation comprises four subconstructs—powerlessness, normlessness, social isolation, and meaninglessness—which align with Seeman's original framework yet also incorporate distinct indigenous nuances pertinent to Taiwan's educational context. Importantly, this study identifies school alienation as a mediator in the relationship between parental attachment and students' sense of well-being at school, contributing novel theoretical insights to the field of school-based psychological counseling. By integrating counseling supervision models proposed by Luke and Bernard (2006) and Wood and Rayle (2006), this research offers a culturally sensitive conceptualization of school alienation. The paper concludes with specific recommendations for counseling and guidance practices aimed at addressing and mitigating school alienation, thus advancing both theoretical understanding and practical interventions within Taiwanese schools.