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“I Always Felt Like I Belonged:” A Case Study On A First-Generation Focused Student Success Program And Sense Of Belonging, Stephanie Zobac

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative case study explored if and how a first-generation focused student success program fostered sense of belonging amongst first-generation college students. Utilizing the theoretical framework of sense of belonging (Strayhorn, 2012), the following research questions guided this study: (1) How do first-generation students experience a first-generation focused student success program? (2) How do first-generation students experience sense of belonging when participating in a first-generation student success program, if at all? (3) How can institutional policies and practices, in the form of a first-generation student success program support the sense of belonging of first-generation students, if at all? Participants included …