First-generation students, a population that makes up one-third of all college and university students nationwide, and expected to grow, have lower retention and graduation rates than continuing-generation students. They also have been identified as the population of marginalized students that have the least developed sense of belonging.…

This essay explores how writing in community for EdD students can be pivotal in helping them succeed in their academic journey. Considering existing research, three UC Davis CANDEL EdD (Capital Area North Doctorate in Educational Leadership) students and recent alumni use a case study approach to highlight the ways writing in community was…

Inspired by the Indigenous framework of Thrivance and grounded in a Critical Sisterhood Praxis, this duoethnography maps our journey (re)membering and (re)claiming communal practices of "fictive kinship" and "chosen family." We offer what we've affectionately coined as our "Comadre Story"--the story of how we became…

Past research identified various psychosocial indicators of college students' academic success. Using the affordance ecology framework, the present study explored the complex relations among different psychosocial indicators with a Bayesian Gaussian Graphical Model approach. Specifically, this study aims to uncover the general patterns of the…

This qualitative research study explored how undergraduate students at a public four-year land grant university can co-create a sense of belonging through an appreciative inquiry (AI) process. The study employed a strengths-based and generative approach to investigate the experiences of students within the same student organization, focusing on…

In this article, the Education Studies Department (ESD) at Berea College shares lessons learned while becoming an inclusive, justice-focused, and democratic Education Preparation Program (EPP) together with its "Community of Teachers" (CoT). ESD values diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI+B) and democratic relationships.…

Utilizing Wenger's (1998) work of Communities of Practice and hermeneutic phenomenology, the purpose of this study was to examine the phenomenon of participation among alternatively certified agriculture teachers in the agriculture teacher community of practice. Two themes emerged as we interpreted the findings: (1) we're all in this together, and…

Given rising levels of social isolation, disconnection, and concerns about mental health, the learning needs of many students today must also address their minds and hearts. Online learning environments particularly need to use technology to skillfully bridge gaps in connection. Mindfulness practices that involve focusing awareness on oneself in…

This article articulates how a community-based art education (CBAE)-driven theoretical framework can inform and inspire leaders in the field who are in a position to rethink or revitalize the curriculum of an art + design education department. While this framework was specifically developed to invigorate the program the author currently oversees…

China's grand strategies (i.e., the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong--Hong Kong--Macao Greater Bay Area) have expedited the popularity of full-time degree-bearing study in mainland China. Associated with the exponential growth of inward student populations are proliferating concerns about the capacity of non-majority/non-local students…

This paper explores how storying can be used to uncover experiences of student belonging throughout their time in Higher Education. It adopts a framing of belonging that is fluid and which recognises shifting notions of belonging over time. A focus on storying is particularly useful for understanding belonging as it enables university staff to…

The current study examined whether college students' sense of belonging changed following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 252 (66.7% female) first- and second-year college students at a large public university in the United States. It was hypothesized that students would report a decrease in their sense of belonging from…

The purpose of this research was to explore how individual students within different forms of higher education campuses experience their campus climate and hold different levels of belongingness and thriving, and to examine the relationship between thriving and belongingness. The Comprehensive Inventory of Thriving (CIT) and the General…

Recent years have seen a sharp increase in the transition from traditional teaching methods to online distance teaching and learning in all educational institutions including schools and higher education institutions. This change means that student-teachers need to have online learning experience and acquire professional skills needed to become…

The National Collegiate Honors Council's "Shared Principles and Practices of Honors Education" (2022) outlines the level of commitment, pedagogical innovation and inclusivity, mentoring, and intellectual leadership that honors programs and colleges expect from their faculty. These high expectations require institutional support…