The purpose of this study was to examine student veterans' sense of belonging within higher education institutions, the experiences influencing their feelings of belonging, and strategies that higher education institutions can utilize to enhance student veterans' sense of belonging on campus. Individual interviews were conducted with 10…

Sense of belonging among undergraduate college students improves the likelihood of retention and graduation, along with the overall association with positive mental health and well-being. College students build a sense of belonging with their peers through various forms of involvement opportunities, including informal campus recreation activities.…

Short-term social integration at the initial stage is particularly important for first-year college students and often plays a key factor in determining newcomers' subsequent socialization outcomes. Recent years have witnessed the growing popularization and impacts of online social integration (OnSI) among college students. Drawing on dominant…

The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study (n = 9) is to understand the lived experiences of students of color at a faith-based predominately white institution (PWI). Students of color who attend PWIs graduate at a lower rate than their majority-culture peers and are less likely to report feeling a significant sense of belonging to…

Academic advising support services play a significant role in a student's college experience from enrollment to graduation. The various services they offer can be instrumental in student persistence and graduation rates. However, the graduation rates of African American students continue to lag behind other ethnicities at a local university in…

This qualitative action research study aimed to examine and improve the experiences of social connectedness and sense of belonging among Black students at a predominantly white institution (PWI). Initial data collected from Cycle 1 showed that Black students faced multiple challenges on campus, primarily stemming from a perceived negative campus…

In the context of the post-pandemic era, characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a growing recognition of the importance of a supportive community and academic focus for students, both in the United States and globally. The whole-learner approach acknowledges that students require a sense of belonging to excel academically, behaviorally,…

Peer socialization agents (PSAs; e.g., resident assistants, orientation leaders) are trained to facilitate belonging through formal socialization initiatives. We used secondary qualitative data analysis, in combination with a critical constructivist approach, to explore PSAs' sense of belonging and the contexts in which they experience it through…

This study tested the psychometric properties of the "Sense of Belonging in STEM" Scale (SOB-STEM), a new scale measuring students' subjective evaluation of their academic and social experiences in STEM learning contexts, primarily focusing on purposeful interpersonal interactions. Data from 758 college students were analyzed, yielding…

Literature indicates that teachers and students who experience trust and belongingness in their school communities have higher levels of indicators of positive quality of life, such as performance, innovation, and creativity. Also, they are open to creating more authentic relationships and fostering an environment based on psychological safety…

At institutions of higher education, with fewer traditional college-bound students and declining enrollment, retention of enrolled students is more important than ever. Institutions are more likely to retain students who have a sense of belonging. One avenue proven to help students develop a sense of belonging is involvement on campus. On-campus…

Many graduate public affairs programs offer both residential and online options for students. One of the challenges for multi-format programs is creating a sense of belonging among online students who may never set foot on campus. In 2017, the MPA program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill developed an "immersion" course…

The aim of college education is not only to teach students professional knowledge and skills but also to develop their self-regulated learning (SRL) ability, which has great significance for their lifelong development. This study aims to investigate the roles played by professional identity, intrinsic motivation, and sense of school belonging in…

First-generation college students are underrepresented within honors programs and colleges, and their retention and persistence rates lag far behind their continuing-generation peers. Students in honors programs and colleges have higher retention and persistence rates than non-honors students. The best practices within honors have shown to include…

Sense of belonging is an important psychological and social factor for college students. Students who report a strong sense of belonging to an institution are more likely to return the next year (Hausmann et al., 2007), stay in school (Fine, 1991), graduate (Morrow & Ackermann, 2012), learn (Kernahan et al., 2014), thrive (Strayhorn, 2019),…