This review of research discusses how applications of multicontext theory can help foster a sense of belonging for students in higher education, resulting in stronger persistence. Multicontext theory may offer an approach to designing learning experiences and environments that take into account varied ways of thinking and knowing, are relevant…

This longitudinal study examines (a) whether perceptions of ethnic discrimination during the first weeks of college predicted later school belonging among first-year college students of color (N = 638) attending a predominantly White institution (PWI), (b) whether school belonging, in turn, predicted retention to the second year, and (c) whether…

Sense of belonging plays a key role in college students' persistence and successful degree completion. This study evaluated how social factors contributed to students' sense of belonging at a major Midwestern university when controlling for individual-level and academic factors. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that students'…

Millions of students experienced increased levels of stress and worries about their college pursuits as they were forced to abrupt pivot to online and hybrid learning due to the global pandemic. Drawing from the theory of human needs, this study examined the extent to which COVID-19 influenced the relationship between financial well-being, needs…

Online student retention remains a problem for many colleges and universities. Retention models developed for residential students also explain the contribution to retention resulting from connecting online students with other students and the daily life of the university. Social media has been proposed as a way to engage online students to create…

Only 11% of community college (associate's-degree) students transfer vertically and obtain a bachelor's degree within six years, despite over 80% originally intending to do so. These leaks in the transfer pipeline disproportionately affect students from underrepresented groups, who are more likely to attend community colleges and to leak out of…

Data from the Healthy Mind Study were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression analyses to determine the role of discriminatory experience in students' confidence in their ability to persist through graduation, controlling for age, extracurricular activity participation, housing, years in their degree program, and their sense of belonging.…

The aim of this case study was to explore the sense of belonging to and involvement in a biology department for students participating in a biology program designed to create a strong sense of belonging with high levels of involvement and higher student retention rates. The study is based on 10 semistructured interviews with biology majors.…

This article focuses on how a financial support initiative improved student persistence at an urban commuter institution. Existing research acknowledges that financial concerns of university students may keep them from feeling connected to their institution thereby increasing the likelihood of stopping out. There is less study of how recipients of…

This study examines the role of communication with on-campus friends on first-year students' college adjustment, measured by academic self-efficacy, among first- and non-first-generation students. It also tests whether school connectedness, students' perceived sense of being part of the institution, mediates the relation between communication and…

Men of color are not persisting or graduating from college at similar rates as their same-aged peers. This qualitative study seeks to understand how men of color understand and experience college at a rural comprehensive public four-year university on the west coast. This study draws on focus group and interview data from 23 Black, Latino, and…

The transfer pathway from community college to university holds promise for advancing equity in STEM because it is followed by disproportionately high numbers of underrepresented students. Among the challenges these students face is cultivating belonging in multiple institutional settings. By combining belonging and validation theories, this…

There are major assumptions that housing opportunities in higher education are equally accessible and available to all students. However, these accessible housing opportunities are not available to current and prospective students who possess a criminal record. Many college students with criminal records are deemed ineligible for adequate housing…

This study examined how 10 Latinx students perceived their sense of belonging in engineering programs. Drawing upon Strayhorn's definition of sense of belonging, we sought to understand the experiences and individuals that facilitated Latinx students' connections to their engineering programs and to the larger campus community at a 4-year…

First-generation college students (FGCS) experience high rates of attrition compared to continuing generation college students. FGCS frequently identify with several other historically marginalized identities on college campuses. The development of a sense of belonging on-campus is one of the main drivers of retention. The current study examines…