The Role Of Faculty In Fostering Psychosocial Wellbeing Among University Students, Kelley Wick

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The transition to college represents a major life event, and successfully navigating this shift has implications for students’ psychosocial wellbeing. While there is ample support for the idea that social relationships can facilitate student wellbeing during the transition to college, there is limited understanding of the unique role faculty may play in supporting students. The aim of this study was to determine the relation of faculty support to student wellbeing and self-efficacy, independent of peer support and student level of stress. Additionally, the primary questions were to examine whether self-efficacy mediated the relation of faculty support to student wellbeing, and …

With A Little Help From My Friends: Determining The Role Of Physical Activity And Belonging In Retention Of First-Year University Students, Bryson Kelly

Master's Theses

There exists an issue facing colleges and universities across the United States. Roughly 29% of first-year students do not return for their second year of school. Previous research has shown a significant relationship between a student’s sense of belonging or fit within the university and their decision to continue enrollment (retention). Physical activity has also been shown to have a significant relationship with a sense of belonging. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine if physical activity and sense of belonging predict retention of university students from their first year to their second year using a Relationships …

Giving God Glory: How Christian Tharus Negotiate Belonging Through Ritual Music In Nepal, Victoria M. Dalzell

HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies

In Nepal, ethnicity is often constituted through ritual practice. If ritual participation is a key way of exercising membership in an ethnic group, how might Christians--who no longer participate in many community rituals--demonstrate their belonging in ethnic communities? In this article, I argue that modifying traditional songs and dances for a church context is one way that Christian Tharus continue to identify with their ethnic communities within a multicultural Christian community. I examine two Christian Tharu performances: performing the huri nāc (a Kathariya Tharu song and dance genre performed during Holi) at interchurch events and arranging an original, Nepali-language hymn …

Cultivating Identities In A Place Called Home: Intersectional, Ever Changing Identities Of Vietnamese American Youth In Culturally Sustaining Spaces, Thuy Vi Nguyen

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

Educators and scholars have been advocating for culturally sustaining pedagogies in the classroom that extends, honors, and sustains the cultures and backgrounds of our growing Students of Color population. Moving beyond pedagogies in classrooms, I examine culturally sustaining spaces in culture clubs and community-based organizations and how they cultivate the identity development and sense of belonging of Vietnamese American high school students. I find that these students have complex identities that are intersectional and ever changing, existing outside the Black-White binary. Vietnamese culture clubs provide a space that allows students to belong and express their identity in a positive way, …

Journeying “Home”: Negotiating Belonging As Vietnamese American Việt Kiều, Mary Yee

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

For Southeast Asian young people who left as adolescents from their home countries, their connections to those places are often fraught with ambiguity. As for almost all first-generation immigrant youth, issues of belonging in America have touched multiple aspects of their lives, including issues of identity. Not belonging is the diasporic experience of the immigrant (Christou, 2011; Skrbis, 2008). This qualitative study examined the lived experience of three Vietnamese American young people returning home as Việt Kiều, or diasporic Vietnamese. For these emerging adults, it was an important developmental task to figure out one’s place in the world: one’s belief …

(In)Visible Lives: Exploring Lesbian Migrant Spaces Of Belonging In South Africa, Kayla Baumgartner

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation explores how and where lesbian migrant women living in South Africa feel a sense of belonging. Despite South Africa having legal and constitutional protections for sexual minorities and refugees, both groups of individuals face high amounts of homophobic and xenophobically motivated persecution. Little work has explored the unique challenges that migrants who are also sexual minorities can face as a result of their intersecting identities, and this is particularly true for work that looks at the lives of lesbian migrants.

With principles of narrative inquiry serving as methodological guidelines, this study uses interviews and solicited sketch maps from …

Julia Waters. The Mauritian Novel: Fictions Of Belonging. Liverpool Up, 2018., Patrick H. Moneyang

Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature

Review of Julia Waters. The Mauritian Novel: Fictions of Belonging. Liverpool UP, 2018. x + 236 pp.

Dinner Table Syndrome: A Phenomenological Study Of Deaf Individuals’ Experiences With Inaccessible Communication, David R. Meek

The Qualitative Report

Conversations at the dinner table typically involve reciprocal and contingent turn-taking. This context typically includes multiple exchanges between family members, providing opportunities for rich conversations and opportunities for incidental learning. Deaf individuals who live in hearing non-signing homes often miss out on these exchanges, as typically hearing individuals use turn-taking rules that differ from those commonly used by deaf individuals. Hearing individuals’ turn-taking rules include use of auditory cues to get a turn and to cue others when a new speaker is beginning a turn. Given these mechanisms, hearing individuals frequently interrupt each other—even if they are signing. When deaf …

Student Identity And Inclusion: A Model For Sense Of Belonging At Brigham Young University, Jose Rodriguez

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Campus racial climate in universities across the United States have been linked to several aspects attributed to student success. One aspect of campus climate is sense of belonging, which is correlated with retention, graduation, and student satisfaction. This study seeks to understand sense of belonging and the factors that impact it. In studies across the country, white students have been found to experience a greater sense of belonging than students of color. I seek to discover the factors associated with belonging and their effects. Based on a logistic regression model, students of color and white students at BYU do have …

Sense Of Belonging As Perceived By Youths Who Continue Participation In 4-H, Chris Decubellis, Kirby Barrick

The Journal of Extension

Sense of belonging is an essential element of a high-quality 4-H program. However, little research exists quantifying sense of belonging among 4-H club members. We measured perceived sense of belonging among Florida 4-H members in middle and high school as well as seven factors that influenced continued participation in 4-H. Parental involvement, 4-H events, and interactions with friends were factors important to participants' continued enrollment. Interaction with a caring adult was the factor most strongly positively correlated with perceived sense of belonging, suggesting the importance to retention of providing a framework that allows a new 4-H member to develop a …

Campus Design And The Community College Experience: An Exploration Of Stress, Belonging And Scholarly Identity, Vanita Naidoo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This mixed methods research study examines factors that influence the development of scholarly identity at a community college campus. It uses survey methods and a focus group with undergraduate students at the Bronx Community College (BCC) campus to examine how campus design relates to a sense of belonging, the process of reflection, and the development of a scholarly identity. Academic attrition and low performance are challenges at urban community colleges. The study aims to address how campus design, specifically green space, impacts undergraduate students at a community college. It seeks to better understand the experience of the diverse student population …

Abroad, Constanza Loustalet Lopez Aranguren

Art and Design Theses

International students study abroad for many different reasons, which may include personal and professional growth, sometimes prompted by unfortunate political, social, or economic circumstances. A common struggle for international students is adapting to the new environment of their host country offers. To address this, my thesis project entitled Abroad provides a structured campus space as an accessible entry point where international students can find needed emotional relief in the search for long-term solutions. The space will be designed to contribute to emotional well-being, with graphic content to create a sense of belonging, and printed information to encourage students to embrace …

“You Feel Like You Belong Nowhere”: Conflict-Related Sexual Violence And Social Identity In Post-Genocide Rwanda, Myriam Denov, Laura Eramian, Meaghan C. Shevell

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Globally, the systematic use of sexual violence in modern warfare has resulted in the birth of thousands of children. Research has begun to focus on this often invisible group and the obstacles they face, including stigma, discrimination and exclusion based on their birth origins. Although sexual violence during the Rwandan genocide has been documented on a massive scale, little research has focused on the relational dynamics between mothers who experienced genocide rape and the children they bore. This paper explores the post-genocide realities of these two under-explored populations, revealing two key tensions in relation to identity-building and belonging. Drawing upon …

Creating Health Membership In A Health Commons, Melinda Dively-White

Theses and Graduate Projects

Persons living in the margins may be separated or isolated because of poverty, disability, gender, and ethnicity. Isolation, along with exposure to at-risk environments and barriers to accessing health care, contributes to adverse health outcomes. Nurses must be open to learning essential transcultural skills to work with persons living in the margins to provide culturally appropriate care that addresses health inequities. Students in a Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Augsburg University developed an innovative approach to care for people living in the margins. The Health Commons, a nursing-led drop-in center in Rochester, MN, and grounded in Newman's (1999) Health …

Extracurricular Involvement And Identification: An Analysis Of The Student Experience, Kelvin Kelley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Every year universities and colleges provide millions of students with not only educational experiences but also social experiences. Students’ involvement on campus influences their identification with other students, student groups, and even the university. Understanding the relationship between extracurricular involvement and a student’s sense of belonging is essential for higher education professionals. This research looked at the college student experience through the lens of student involvement theory, relationship motivation theory, and social identity theory. The study examined the level of extracurricular involvement a student has and the relationship to both social identity and organizational identity. Social identity theory and organizational …

Perceptions Of Faculty-Student Informal Mentoring Relationships, Robert Meier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perceptions of Faculty-Student Informal Mentoring Relationship

This qualitative study examined the informal mentoring relationships between faculty and students at two small, faith-based, liberal arts campuses. Perceptions of both faculty and students’ views of informal mentoring were studied. The research questions further explored the factors that encouraged or discouraged faculty-student informal mentoring as well as the role of on-campus faculty housing. Student participants were selected after completing an online survey regarding their perception of connection with professors at the campus location. Faculty participants were selected after completing an online survey regarding their perception of how much time they spent with students …

The Benefits Of Intramural Sports On College Students At The University Of Rhode Island, Emily Mcverry

Senior Honors Projects

Intramural Sports is a great pastime for college students across the country. It gives college students an opportunity to stay active and socialize with peers in a healthy way. Some first- year students come to college after active athletic participation in high school. Intramural Sports gives students the opportunity to continue being involved in a sport they are passionate about while increasing their sense of belonging with their university. The University of Rhode Island (URI) runs a very successful Intramural Sports program in which over 2,200 students participate. Participants range from first year students to graduate students and even faculty …

Lonely Zs: Examining The Relationships Among Time Spent On Social Networking Sites, The Fear Of Missing Out (Fomo), And Loneliness Among Undergraduate College Students, Chantelle Elam Bernard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Time spent on social networking sites has become an essential part of the Gen Z’s social experience, and the fear of missing out (FoMO), and loneliness have become three well known topics among today’s college students. It is suspected that emerging adults are spending an excessive amount of time on SNSs, which is contributing to the increasing psychological decline and the epidemic of loneliness on college campuses around the world. The research conducted sought to determine if there is a predictive relationship between multiple variables, including time spent on social networking sites, the fear of missing out (FoMO), and loneliness …

A Sense Of Belonging Among Minority Students At A Southeastern State Flagship University, Shakia D. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of minority students enrolling into college is increasing. However, minority students are likely to experience feelings of isolation and a sense of not belonging on college campuses, specifically predominantly White institutions. A sense of belonging among minority students may contribute to a higher chance of academic persistence, academic achievement, and positive feelings about one’s self. Therefore, creating and cultivating a sense of belonging among minority students at predominantly White institutions is crucial to these students’ well-being and overall academic success. Key components in creating and cultivating a sense of belonging are student involvement and positive relationships with faculty, …

Pilgrimage: True Belonging: Exploring The Human Desire To Belong Through Dance And Storytelling, Lincoln K. Belford

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

The human sense of belonging morphs and changes as we mature and gain life experience. The relationships we make, or choose not to, affect the way we perceive ourselves, which directly correlates to our understanding of how we belong to the universe as a whole. Perception of self and belonging are inextricably connected, therefore by focusing on belonging to ourselves rather than to the world around us, we experience self-acceptance, allowing us to forge deeper, more meaningful connections with those we choose. True belonging is an active practice that takes effort, and involves reflection and critical evaluation of self. A …

جدليّة الوطن والانتماء وأثرها في المجتمع بين سعيد عقل وأحمد مطر, Samir Itani

BAU Journal - Society, Culture and Human Behavior

The term Motherland wasn’t used by the ancient Arab writers and poets, and even if it was mentioned it would mean the house or the residence, as for the concept of the motherland, as identified nowadays, it didn’t exist in the era before Islam or the Middle ages, but it started emerging during the 19th century, when the national sense developed at the Arabs, and they were introduced to this concept by the western culture which invaded all the east.Among the models which the researcher poet “Said Akel” may study, a Lebanese whose thoughts match with those who attempt to …

Voices Of Mixed-Race Asian Students On College Campuses, Amy Sara Lim

Honors Papers and Posters

Research suggests that there are a growing number of people who identify as mixed-race Asian Americans, and thus there is a growing need to understand and document their experiences (Literte,2009; Sims 2010; Tamai, Nakashima, Williams, 2017). The central question of this study is: how do mixed-race Asian students’ racial identities affect their identities as learners within social, emotional, academic and physical contexts? The goal of this research project is to explore the educational experiences of mixed-race Asian students at a Southern California university with the intention of developing a critical mixed-race pedagogy for educators and scholars. Through mixed methodologies involving …

Get Teens Talking: A Hands-On Approach To Sel Through The Arts, Gina H. Moore, Gina H. Moore

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Explore the power of art to give tweens and teens a vehicle for healthy self-expression and life skills that can take them from risk to resilience. Interact and connect in this hands-on session that demonstrates engaging activities to create a sense of community within groups. Exercise your creativity and leave with unique artwork and a written guide to facilitate the activities in your programs.

Building A Bridge To Community Creating Belonging By Intentionally Incorporating Christians Into The Life Of The Congregation, Michele Doel

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Doel, Michele, M. “Building a Bridge to Community: Creating Belonging by Intentionally Incorporating Christians into the Life of the Congregation.” Master’s thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2020. 86 pp.

How simple is it for a new member to become incorporated into the life of your church? There is a creational need for all humans to have a sense of belonging to God and to those around them. This human need for relationships and community means that congregations should be experts at involving people and building up their relationships with one another. This thesis builds off the author’s experience as an intern at …

“Estamos Aquí Pero No Soy De Aqui”: American Mexican Youth, Belonging And Schooling In Rural, Central Mexico, Eric Ruiz Bybee, Erin Feinauer Whiting, Bryant Jensen, Victoria Savage, Alisa Baker, Emma Holdaway

Faculty Publications

This article explores notions of belonging and citizenship for “American Mexican” students— Mexican-heritage youth born in the United States who return to Mexico with their families. Our findings reveal belonging as a sociocultural practice that participants negotiated spatially and relationally, chiefly by making their US-born status more and less visible within particular spaces at school. The experiences of American-Mexican youth reveal the crucial roles of migration and belonging in shaping civic identities and future potentials in a transnational world.

Is Seeing Believing? Leveraging Modality And Similarity In A Belonging Intervention, Xiao-Yin Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Students who feel a greater sense of belonging in college often experience more positive academic outcomes. Social-psychological interventions have been shown to improve students’ sense of belonging. However, few studies have examined the social cognitive mechanisms through which interventions work. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of two such mechanisms—delivery modality and students’ perceived similarity to peer models—on the efficacy of a narrative-based, social belonging intervention. First-year students (N = 1,329) from a public, land-grant university in the southeastern U.S. were randomly assigned to a social belonging intervention (i.e., a video- or written-based narrative from peers …

You Belong: A Focus On Cultural Awareness, Inclusivity, And Diversity In Schools To Improve Recruitment And Retention, Keicha Chandler-Smith

Education Projects

The educational system in the United States of America is under attack. The attack is not in physicality but is being caused by abnormally high teaching shortages. The shortage has become an area of concern nationally, including within my home state of South Carolina.Over 6,700 teachers left the profession in the year 2017 for a variety of reasons. This type of attrition is only expected to continuously increase because universities and colleges globally have reported and that less students are aspiring to be teachers year after year. Thirty-eight percent of South Carolina’s teachers left their jobs in their first five …

The Digital Literacy Practices Of Transfronterizx Esol College Students: Los De Esol, Laura E. Mendoza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation aims to contribute knowledge to the literature about ESOL students' digital literacy practices related to educational purposes. I studied the varied digital literacy practices the students used as mediating tools to perform their university activities (e.g., crossing to come to school, communicate with classmates/instructors about assignments, completing assignments). This study takes place on the U.S. side of the borderland area of El Paso, Texas-Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The participants were 43 transfronterizx ESOL college students, who were young adults between 18-25 years of age enrolled in the ESOL program at Sun University. I draw on ethnographic and netnographic …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Belonging During The Transition From Primary To Secondary School, Lynette Longaretti

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A young person’s sense of belonging at school can affect their level of motivation, academic achievement and wellbeing. During the transition from primary to secondary school, one’s sense of belonging may be affected by the changes and challenges encountered.

This paper reports some of the findings from a larger qualitative longitudinal study that investigated the factors that contribute to educational resilience during the transition from primary to secondary school. Data gathered from interviews with sixteen Year 6 students from three Victorian primary schools over a period of eighteen months is presented and analysed.

A key theme identified from the larger …

Being And Belonging: Student-Teachers’ Contextual Engagement In Schools, Enda Donlon, Elaine Mcdonald, Sabrina Fitzsimons, Pj Sexton

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

While School Placement is long established as a central component of Initial Teacher Education programmes, there is an increasing awareness that these placement experiences should go beyond the practical activities most directly associated with teaching. This paper considers how engagement in a school placement period with a focus on non-teaching activities contributes to the professional and personal development of student-teachers, and to their sense of ‘belonging’ while on placement. Drawing primarily on the analysis of data obtained from online logs maintained by student-teachers during this predominantly non-teaching placement, it establishes the activities that they engaged in, and their reflections and …