‘We Belong’: differential sense of belonging and its meaning for different ethnicity groups in higher education

Cureton, Debra; Gravestock, Phil

doi:10.21100/compass.v12i1.942

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…'Belonging' is not a single concept but has been shown to include four domains: academic & social engagement, surroundings and personal space (Ahn & Davis, 2019). It is variously described as 'cared for' 'safe', 'at home', 'one of the family', 'included' (Ahn, 2020;Cureton & Gravestock, 2019). Many of these terms were also used by our participants to embody their feelings of belonging.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The university campus and a sense of belonging: what do students think?

Mulrooney¹,

Kelly²

2020

NEW DIR TEACH PHYS SCI

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The physical configuration of the university campus impacts upon student learning and experience, and can be used to signal institutional priorities. The extent to which campus, particularly in post 92 institutions, is designed as opposed to evolving as older buildings are repurposed or replaced is variable. Student experiences and perceptions of the campus physical space are also unclear. This study aimed to explore student perceptions using qualitative methods. Data were collected during 8 focus groups from 37 participants. The majority were young and female, with considerable ethnic diversity. Six major themes were identified, many of which did not directly relate to the physical space itself. Rather the impact upon students’ emotional experience and engagement with the institution was emphasised. ‘Belonging’ was the most common theme; indicating that the nature of the physical space on campus is not neutral, but can affect the extent to which students can form attachments with each other and academic staff. ‘Nature’ was the second most commonly mentioned theme. Green space has therapeutic potential in stress management, important given mental health concerns in young people including students. The ideal campus as described by participants would include green non-smoking spaces with an emphasis on health promotion. Opportunities to include nature on campus should be taken, and future proposals to design the campus should canvas student views.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The university campus and a sense of belonging: what do students think?

Mulrooney¹,

Kelly²

2020

NEW DIR TEACH PHYS SCI

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“…If we felt overwhelmed, we would talk on the telephone, seeking assurance and venting our frustrations, all within a safe environment; this supported our psychological wellbeing and feeling of safety and improved our self-esteem (Cureton and Gravestock, 2019). Frangipani is my mentor; she always pushes me to achieve more for myself.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sisterhood in academia: building a flock culture to cope and thrive

Hardie,

Almeida,

Wijayawardena

et al. 2023

IJEM

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PurposeThis paper examines the experiences of a team of female academics (teaching a large cohort of undergraduate students) and the coping mechanisms used to combat the challenges they confront in the Australian higher education sector.Design/methodology/approachUsing a reflective autoethnographic method and strengths perspective, the authors share experiences as female professionals whose intersectional identities presented challenges that extend beyond those typically found in the current higher education setting.FindingsThe individualized nature of academic work exacerbates the systemic marginalization of female academics. Adopting a flock culture serves as a support network for addressing the various intersectional challenges. The authors liken the “flock cultural approach” to a “sisterhood” where individuals impacted by intersectional challenges build a strong and cohesive unit to support each other by utilizing their combined strengths to create positive synergy to cope with ongoing workplace challenges.Research limitations/implicationsThe study highlights the benefit of the strengths perspective to understand how female academics with intersectional identities can overcome the challenges of their highly individualized profession.Practical implicationsThis paper highlights the importance of building team-based work, cultivating collective achievement and high trust in a highly individualistic profession.Social implicationsUsing the strength perspective, the authors disrupt the conventional and currently narrow usage of sisterhood to help develop strong, adaptive, flexible and responsive bonds among diverse female academics. The findings point to how using a “flock culture” – a membership-based philosophy – became the key support mechanism for the marginalized groups, empowering them to confront the systemic barriers within their profession.Originality/valueFirst, the findings of this study are shaped by the intersections of factors such as ethnicity, age, race, religion and mode of employment, which all influences the participants’ lived experiences. Second, this study contributes to the transnational feminist movement by unveiling the contextualized barriers that junior academic females from various migrant backgrounds face and identify how they synergized their collective strengths to survive the challenging academic environment. Third, using the strength perspective, the authors disrupt the conventional and currently narrow usage of sisterhood to help develop strong, adaptive, flexible and responsive bonds among diverse female academics.

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“…Efforts to create inclusive classrooms have often been fraught with difficulty given the diversity among learners, including minority groups of color, gender, sexuality, first-in-family, mature-age, poorer socioeconomic backgrounds, disability, regional, and remote learners (Delahunty et al, 2014;Delaney & Brown, 2018;Dinmore, 2014;Ibáñez-Carrasco et al, 2020;Lin & Nguyen, 2021;Osei-Kofi et al, 2004;Pearson et al, 2019;Sathy & Hogan, 2019). For different ethnic groups, various authors report that students' 'sense of belonging' and feelings of inclusion wax and wane over time impacting their learning (Adel & Dayan, 2021;Cureton & Gravestock, 2019; D. R. Johnson et al, 2007;Lin & Nguyen, 2021;Rainey et al, 2019). Furthermore, students with physical or mental impairments often find tertiary study quite challenging as it can have a negative impact on their wellbeing, causing anxiety and stress (Orygen, 2017;Pearson et al, 2019).…”

Section: Sense Of Belongingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attributes of Blended Learning Environments Designed to Foster a Sense of Belonging for Higher Education Students

Mendoza

Venables

2023

JITE:Research

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Aim/Purpose: This article seeks answers to the following: (1) What describes a ‘sense of belonging’, inclusiveness, and well-being for students? (2) Which aspects of blended learning, synchronous and asynchronous, promote students’ ‘sense of belonging’? and (3) What are the state-of-the-art best practices for creating inclusive curriculum design for blended learning? Background: For university students, experiencing a strong ‘sense of belonging’ with their learning communities is a reliable predictor of academic adjustment and program success. The disruption to usual teaching modes caused by the COVID pandemic has diminished opportunities for social engagement among students and their teachers, intensifying the need to encourage students’ belongingness as being ever more important. Methodology: This article surveys the literature, pre- and post-COVID, using two complementary search techniques: (1) a systematic scoping review, a top-down strategy, and (2) snowballing, a bottom-up approach, seeking the answers to the three research questions above. Contribution: The synthesis presented in the paper provides answers to these questions influenced, in part, by the Community of Inquiry framework and the Universal Design for Learning guidelines. Further, based on our findings from this investigation we offer a set of salient attributes of best practices in designing curriculum for blended learning environments, that is inclusive and fosters a sense of belonging for higher education students Findings: We discovered that belongingness is different for various cohorts. Further, many interventions to improve student wellbeing, and learning experiences on and offline, were built around social, teaching, and cognitive presences. Additionally, our investigation found that blended learning, regardless of the proportion of online versus offline instruction, was generally a positive influence on academic outcomes and student learning. Recommendations for Practitioners: The set of attributes presented offers practical and helpful approaches to improve curriculum design to promote higher education students’ sense of belonging. Recommendation for Researchers: We highlight the lack of specificity in the literature regarding synchronous versus asynchronous learning pedagogy that promotes inclusiveness and a sense of belonging, and we detail our plans for future work will attempt to address this omission. Impact on Society: As a result of the COVID pandemic, many higher education institutions made a sudden and rapid transition to online learning exclusively. As institutions start the move back to more traditional modes of learning, this paper highlights the considerations to be made in using blended learning environments. Future Research: Our plans include seeking student and academic advice and feedback on approaches that foster a sense of belonging for higher education students.

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‘We Belong’: differential sense of belonging and its meaning for different ethnicity groups in higher education

Cited by 13 publications

References 5 publications

The university campus and a sense of belonging: what do students think?

The university campus and a sense of belonging: what do students think?

Sisterhood in academia: building a flock culture to cope and thrive

Attributes of Blended Learning Environments Designed to Foster a Sense of Belonging for Higher Education Students

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