Education Commons^™

Understanding Sel To Create A Sense Of Belonging: The Role Teachers Play In Addressing Students’ Social And Emotional Well-Being, Blanca N. Ibarra

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This inquiry examines the benefits of utilizing social-emotional learning in today’s classrooms to address students’ academic and social-emotional needs. Now, more than ever, as teachers have transitioned from remote instruction to face-to-face or blended learning, particular emphasis must be placed on addressing students’ social and emotional needs (Fagell, 2021) while addressing learning loss. Social-emotional learning (SEL) may have been in place in school systems before the COVID-19 pandemic; however, understanding SEL and the instructional practices that contribute to developing a learning environment that nourishes students’ sense of belonging is necessary to inform teacher pedagogical practices post-pandemic. Teachers play a critical …

Sense Of Belonging Of Lgbtq+, Racial Minority, And Religiously Affiliated College Students At Binghamton University, Nusrat Islam, Leah Cingranelli

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Binghamton University and institutions alike have put forth certain rules and efforts to ensure that students of the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and students who are religiously affiliated feel safe. The reality is that many of these students feel unwelcome and ostracized due to their social identities (Blakmon et al., 2020). The aim of this non-experimental study was to investigate if there was a significant difference in sense of belonging among minority groups of undergraduate students who attend Binghamton University, as well as those who are not part of minority groups. We hypothesized that the sense of belonging amongst …

Equitable Counselor Education: Promoting A Sense Of Belonging In Master's Counseling Students, Jessica E. Mastrangelo

Dissertations, 2020-current

The discrepancies in racial and ethnic demographics between counselors, counselor educators, and the clients they seek to serve are prominent (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs [CACREP], 2018). Mental health counseling and the field of psychology have a traditionally Eurocentric value system that has positioned the White population to benefit from services and to become clinicians. As such, the centering of the White experience has perpetuated a lack of diversity in the field. As the demographics of the United States population continues to diversify, counseling needs to produce a greater number of racially and ethnically minoritized counselors …

Graduate Students' Self-Determination As Writers, Need For Cognition, And Sense Of Belonging As Predictors Of Confidence In Program Completion, Mary Ebejer

Dissertations

This study explored graduate student self-determination as a writer, need for cognition, and sense of belonging as predictors of their confidence today in their program completion. The data set consisted of 2,390 graduate students at universities across the United States. The data analysis was conducted using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), with students nested in programs, nested in universities.

The analysis found that both self-determination as a writer and sense of belonging contributed to student confidence in program completion. Need for cognition did not. Seven statistically significant student-level demographic and program-related variables remained in the final model, including: PhD student, returning …

"Do You Really See Us?":Black College Athlete Perceptions Of Inclusion At Di Historically White Institutions, Shannon Jolly, Jepkorir Rose Chepyator-Thomson

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

While recent sport research has highlighted benefits of racial diversity on teams and in the workplace, few studies have examined how demographic composition is perceived by college athletes. Fewer have investigated how racially marginalized athletes experience the phenomena. Thus, the current study explores the intersection of race, gender, and athletic identity in Black college athletes at DI Historically White Institutions (HWIs), perceptions of inclusion, and its influence on sense of belonging. Employing critical race theory, two focus groups and six semi-structured interviews that incorporated vignettes were conducted with six current Black athletes at DI HWIs in the Southeastern U.S. Findings …

A Study Of South Texas English Learners’ Academic Achievement: A Function Of Sense Of Belonging, Acculturation, And Student Perception Of Teacher-Student Relationships, Cynthia B. Olivarez

Theses and Dissertations

This study looks at a group of Hispanic English Learners from a region in deep South Texas that is situated along the U.S.-Mexico border, and how their sense of belonging, acculturation, and their perception of the teacher-student relationship impacts academic achievement on the STAAR End-of-Course state assessments for English I and English II.There are limited studies on this population of students and these independent variables. Results from this study would help educators and school leaders assess student needs to improve student learning and close academic achievement gaps.

The Intersection Of Student Engagement And Student Achievement: A Study To Determine The Strength Of The Relationship Between The Level Of Athletic Participation And Student Achievement, Matthew Kukoda

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between high school students’ athletics participation, mediated by engagement, and their academic achievement. The study sought to determine if increased athletics participation, and a self-reported increased sense of engagement at school, resulted in higher SAT test scores for high school students. In addition to this, predicators of race and gender were also incorporated into the statistical analysis of the relationship between sports participation and SAT scores. Using the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), this study analyzed the survey respondents scale of student engagement, participation in organized sports and …

The “New” Normal: A Mixed Methods Study Of The Effect Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On College Student Sense Of Belonging, Hunter Swanson

Dissertations, 2020-current

This mixed-methods study used the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) model to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college student sense of belonging. The purpose of this study was to explore how environmental changes related to the disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may have altered students’ sense of belonging to their institution. The results revealed a strong relationship between the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) engagement indicators and sense of belonging. Furthermore, the results suggest that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic altered how students experienced the CECE indicators. The implications for change leaders in higher education …

Exploration Into The Graduate International Student Narratives, Diana Budoff

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Multiple researchers have conveyed an abundance of problems international students face when choosing to study abroad in the United States. A range of emotional, psychological, and physical issues prevent students from fully succeeding. Every international student faces different challenges, and every educational institution has its own prominent issues. In my study, I examined the challenges graduate international students at the University of San Diego (USD) face that might impede them from fully transitioning and adapting to their new environment. I used a mixed-methods approach (interviews and focus groups) to understand the issues impacting the transition and adaptation of international students …

What Are Student And Staff Perspectives On The Influence Of Smaller Learning Communities On Sense Of Belonging And Academic Achievement?, Natalie A. Saiz

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

ABSTRACT

In an era of educational reform, schools face the significant challenge of increasing academic achievement. Learning Communities have emerged as a method of school reform with some research suggesting their link to increasing academic achievement and personalizing learning environments. Using individual and focus group interviews, this qualitative case study examines the use of Learning Communities as a reform initiative at a high school in New Mexico to facilitate a stronger sense of belonging among students and to provide individualized guidance, tracking, and support. Findings on the influence of Learning Communities are presented: addition of Advisory/Advisor which provides academic assistance, …

What Keeps Technology And Engineering Teachers In The Classroom? A National Mixed Methods Study, Cory J. Ortiz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teacher retention is a significant issue impacting educational agencies around the country. Factors that have been found to be predictors of teacher retention include sense of belonging, sense of efficacy, and job satisfaction. Many personal and professional characteristics of a teacher also have been found to predict teacher retention. The purpose of this research was to explore how these factors predicted Technology and Engineering Educators' (TEE) teachers’ persistence to remain in the teaching profession. Furthermore, this research sought to identify programs that existed to help support TEE teachers in their persistence intentions.

This research found teacher job satisfaction was a …

Embracing Familismo Within The Latinx Population At Community Colleges, Elle E. Bowman

Culminating Experience Projects

Research indicates Latinx students are disproportionality attending community colleges, yet graduation and transfer rates for Latinx students attending this institution type are dismal. Literature indicates that Latinx students' sense of belonging in the higher education setting can be cultivated by feeling connected to peers and family, feeling connected to their culture, and minimizing the number of academic and cultural stress factors. Latinx students arrive on campus equipped with strengths and experiences that have given them the ability to persist and survive in the face of oppression and racial hostility. Community college orientations and programming can be designed to celebrate and …

Understanding How African American And Latino Males Choose A Major, And Its Influence On Retention And Persistence, Yosayra F. Solano

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the process of selecting a college major for African American and Latino male students and whether these decisions influenced their sense of belonging and development of self-efficacy, as it relates to persistence and retention at a four-year public institution in the northeast region of the United States. Utilizing Harper's (2012) Anti-deficit Achievement Framework, this study used a Narrative Inquiry design to highlight the stories of six African American and Latino male students and their experiences with selecting a major. I collected data/field texts from two individual virtual interviews for this narrative …

Virtual Learning And Its Impact On Belonging And Mental Health, Chelsey Highley

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined virtual learning and the link between sense of belonging and mental health. Specifically, this qualitative study assessed the perceptions and opinions of 15 high school students from a rural high school setting who participated in virtual learning for at least one semester during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research questions that guided this study were: (a) How did high school students experience belongingness with teachers and peers when engaged in virtual learning; and (b) How did high school students experience mental health issues during virtual learning? The data was collected via individual interviews and analyzed. The category emerging …

Facilitating Equitable Access And Retention For Underrepresented Students At The University Of Mary Washington, Michael K. Abelson, Alvin R. Bryant, Marra Hvozdovic

Doctor of Education Capstones

Higher education institutions are facing increasing pressure to find new ways to attract, retain, and graduate the diverse populations of college students. As a result, colleges and universities need to adapt to the changing demographics of students who benefit from more sustained and engaged forms of support that are responsive to their specific social, cultural, and economic backgrounds. This sequential mixed methods study seeks to understand the ways in which the University of Mary Washington serves its underrepresented students in order to develop strategies to enhance the recruitment and retention of Black, Hispanic/Latinx, low-income, and first-generation college students. Building on …

Examining The Relationship Among Perceived Academic Climate, Belongingness, And Engineering Identity, Sumaia Ali Raisa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

An attempt to cultivate an inclusive learning environment in engineering is trending as a response to women's underrepresentation and a lower retention rate than men undergraduates. This study was situated in such an undergraduate engineering program where interventions were embedded in the course curriculum focusing on cultivating an inclusive engineering identity. Following a sociocultural perspective, the present study aimed to examine the relation of engineering identity with perceived academic climate, sense of belonging, and gender among two engineering cohorts (before covid and during covid context). A total of 482 first-year engineering undergraduates' survey responses were analyzed in this study using …

Creating Connections To Enhance International Student Sense Of Belonging, Emily Quinn Rooney

West Chester University Master’s Theses

This is a critical action research thesis proposal that explores international student sense of belonging at a United States University campus. As someone who has studied and lived abroad, I understand firsthand the importance of the relationships we foster and how having someone to lean on can be beneficial when you are in a new place. International students do everything in their power to come study in the United States, yet are met with endless barriers due to the laws the government has in place as well as the broader environment of higher education in U.S. society. They want to …