A Sense Of Belonging Among Minority Students At A Southeastern State Flagship University

Author : Robert Thomas Jones
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 190 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (13 download)

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Download or read book A Sense of Belonging in Predominately White Institutions of Higher Education written by Robert Thomas Jones and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Colleges and universities are struggling to retain domestic students of color according to the National Center for Educational Statistics (2017) and with the population increase among diverse populations retaining students of color has become a priority for institutions of higher education (Cardenas et al. 2011). The struggle for institutions is the inability for colleges and university to create an environment that encourages the development of sense of belonging. One of the struggles institutions have created is a culture that is rooted in the idea of assimilating students rather than considering way to integrate and understand. The purpose of this research was to understand the beliefs, values, and expectation of domestic students of color at predominantly White institutions of higher education in order to create an environment that is conducive to the students establishing a sense of belonging. The research consisted of two phases, first was a survey that was sent to all individuals at Minnesota State University Moorhead who identified as a student of color and either graduated from high school in the United States or was a naturalized citizen of the United States. The survey utilized a Likert scale approach as was used to measure the attitudes and experiences of students of color around the basic framework for sense of belong outlined by Strayhorn (2012). The second phase of the research was a qualitative approach where the researcher convened a focus group of domestic students of color. The purpose of the focus group was to gain a deeper understanding of what might have impeded their ability to develop a sense of belonging based on their experience. The group consisted of six students of varying ages, gender, racial and cultural background. Based on the research four themes emerged that would help domestic students of color develop a sense of belonging at a college of university. First is the need to create an environment in which students of color do not feel the need to code-switch or hide who they truly are. Second is the need to develop a greater sense of understanding of who these students are and that they may not fit into the dominant culture. Third is the development of empathetic communication. The only way for faculty, staff, and other White students to develop a greater understanding is to listen with the purpose of wanting to understand. The last theme encompasses the lack of empathetic communication and understanding because students are not finding a connection. It is this connection that is not bringing about a sense of belonging because it is not engendering feelings of acceptance, value, and respect. If institutions of higher education are going to create an environment that encourages the establishment of a sense of belonging among domestic students of color, faculty and staff are going to have to find ways to connect as well as take the time to learn from these students. This demonstration of support and understanding will create a community that is based on trust and a willingness to have an open dialogue. It is when this happens that a domestic student of color will begin to feel a level of safety as part of a campus community. Once a student feels as though they can share their true self without having to code-switch they will begin to develop that sense of belonging.