Empowering Educational Leaders to Help Students Thrive by Building Belonging and Social Capital

Streamed Session Leadership

Brief Abstract

Recent trends in higher education point to challenges with establishing student belonging, which helps create community, comfort, and value. The purpose of this study was to identify influences of sense of belonging for non-traditional undergraduate students of color attending an online institution. The study’s significance contributes to highlighting how building belonging can contribute to strengthening social capital through networking with groups, which is valuable to enhance societal mobility (Ahn & Davis, 2020b; Smith, 2018). Participants will obtain best practices to empower educational leaders (faculty, staff, administrators) to reinforce resources encouraging engagement, strengthen social capital opportunities, and build belonging for online non-traditional students of color.

Presenters

Additional Authors

Extended Abstract

This sharing session presentation includes interaction and engagement with the audience using polling technology tool features (poll everywhere) capturing trends as well as experiences. 

Recent trends in higher education point to challenges with building student belonging. Researchers report that a decline in student sense of belonging results in lower levels of perceptions regarding feeling valued, part of the community, and comfortable at the institution (Mueller et al., 2022; NSSE, 2021, Tice et al., 2021). Thus, it is increasingly important for higher education leaders to investigate opportunities to intentionally implement practices to build belonging throughout the college community. 

Establishing a sense of belonging provides positive benefits for students. Specifically, researchers reveal the strong association of student’s sense of belonging with academic achievement, university success, satisfaction, progression, and becoming more empowered to engage fully in the online or face-to-face learning community (Pickford, 2016; Smith et al., 2021; Thomas, 2012; Thomas et al., 2014). One study explored the vital role of holistic student support focusing on a sense of belonging and connectedness as a foundation for success. Teich (2022) noted the results revealed “that students who have a strong connection to their institution and a strong feeling of belonging are more likely to have a great experience” (para. 4). Capitalizing on strategies to strengthen belonging is vital for higher education leaders to enhance the overall college experience. 

Prior findings also address the critical connection of sense of belonging for students of color. Connections to the institution are higher when topics related to the presence of students of color are supported (Hussain, 2021). Additional discoveries highlight how belonging was important in retention and especially for students of color (Maestas, 2008) and a reduced sense of belonging for Black and Minority Ethic (BAME) students (Smith, 2017). Accordingly, the problem investigated in this study is that the students of color (African American, Asian American, Latinx, and Multiracial) may encounter exclusion experiences in educational institutions resulting in lower levels of sense of belonging (Lewis et al., 2021). Identifying institutional factors that influence higher levels of belonging is increasingly important in ensuring students of color establish a sense of belonging in the college community. To investigate this problem, researchers recommended studying specific barriers to belonging to understand the student context, opportunities and resources allowing administrators to intervene with potential solution considerations (Murphy et al., 2020). 

The following research questions guided the study: RQ 1: What is the belongingness level as measured by the Yorke Belongingness Survey in Higher Education (YBS) (Yorke, 2016) of online undergraduate non-traditional students of color? RQ 2: What factors influence belongingness as measured by the YBS in Higher Education of online undergraduate non-traditional students of color? The factors included support services (academic, financial, technical), mentor opportunities, learning resources, career advising, interactions with faculty and students. The theoretical framework is based on the four domains of belonging including academic, social, personal, and surroundings (Ahn & Davis, 2020). The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify influences of sense of belonging for non-traditional undergraduate students of color attending an online institution. The study’s significance contributes to providing further insight into factors that influence sense of belonging for non-traditional students of color belonging to enhance online learning experiences and in highlighting how belonging can contribute to building social capital through networking with groups, which is valuable to enhance societal mobility (Ahn & Davis, 2020b; Smith, 2018). 

The implications include important insight about factors that influence sense of belonging, unique needs to build belonging and strengthen social capital opportunities, along with best practices to empower educational leaders (faculty, staff, administrators) to reinforce resources encouraging engagement, confidence, and belonging for online non-traditional students of color, which can contribute to critical societal needs.

References 

Ahn, M. Y., & Davis, H. H. (2020). Four domains of students’ sense of belonging to university. Studies in Higher Education, 45(3), 622–634. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.1564902  

Ahn, M. Y., & Davis, H. H. (2020b). Sense of belonging as an indicator of social capital. International Journal of Sociology & Social Policy, 40(7/8), 627–642. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-12-2019-0258 

Hussain, M., & Jones, J. M. (2021). Discrimination, diversity, and sense of belonging: experiences of students of color. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 14(1), 63–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000117 

Lewis, J. A., Mendenhall, R., Ojiemwen, A., Thomas, M., Riopelle, C., Harwood, S. A., & Browne Huntt, M. (2021). Racial microaggressions and sense of belonging at a historically white university. American Behavioral Scientist, 65(8), 1049–1071. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764219859613 

Maestas, R., Vaquera, G. S., & Munoz Zehr, L. (2008). Factors impacting sense of belonging at a Hispanic-serving institution. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 6, 237–256. 

Mueller, B., Andrew, M. B., & Connor, M. (2022). Building belonging in online WIL environments - lessons (re)learnt in the pandemic age: a collaborative enquiry. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 19(4), 1–17. 

Murphy, M. C., Gopalan, M., Carter, E. R., Emerson, K. T. U., Bottoms, B. L., & Walton, G. M. (2020). A social-belonging intervention improves STEM outcomes for students who speak English as a second language. Science Advances, 6 (40). /doi/10.1126/sciadv.abb6543 

National Survey of Student Experience. (2021). 2020 National Survey of Student Experience ‘Sense of Belonging’. Indiana University. https://nsse.indiana.edu/nsse/reports-data/nsse- overview.html. Accessed 17 June 2021. 

Pickford, R. (2016). Student engagement: Body, mind and heart – A proposal for an embedded multi-dimensional student engagement framework. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 4(2), 25-32. ISSN 2051-9788. https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v4i2.198  

Smith, S., Pickford, R., Sinclair, G., Priestley, J., Sellers, R., & Edwards, L. (2021). Building a sense of belonging in students: Using a participatory approach with staff to share academic practice. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 9(1), 44–53. https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v9i1.448 

Smith, S. (2017). Exploring the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) student attainment gap: What did it tell us? Actions to address home BME undergraduate students’ degree attainment. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 5(1), 49-57. 

Smith, S. (2018). The experience of BAME commuting students. The Journal of Education, Innovation, Partnership and Change, 4(1). https://journals.studentengagement.org.uk/index.php/studentchangeagents/art icle/view/520  

Teich, A. G. (2022, November 28). Belonging and connection is the foundation for Student Success. Fierce Education. Retrieved January 15, 2023, from https://www.fierceeducation.com/student-engagement/belonging-and-connect...

Tice, D., Baumeister, R., Crawford, J., Allen, K.-A., & Percy, A. (2021). Student belongingness in higher education: Lessons for professors from the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 18(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.53761/1.18.4.2 

Thomas L., Herbert, J. & Teras, M. (2014). A sense of belonging to enhance participation, success and retention in online programs. The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education, 5 (2), 69-80. 

Thomas, L. (2012). Building Student Engagement and Belonging in Higher Education at a Time of Change. Paul Hamlyn Foundation. https://www. phf. org. uk /wp-content/uploads/2014/10/What-Work s-repor t-final.Pdf 

Yorke, M. (2016). The development and initial use of a survey of student ‘belongingness’, engagement and self-confidence in UK higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 41(1), 154–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2014.990415