At the transition to higher education, students from diverse backgrounds develop peer networks that support learning in higher education. However, few studies have investigated how students' background characteristics play a role in social selection mechanisms such as friendship and help-seeking and what drives the formation of diverse peer…

Persistence across undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs is exceptionally low. Recent studies have shown that social support and sense of belonging are particularly important for students who are historically underrepresented in STEM, yet few interventions have directly targeted or investigated these…

Undergraduate students within science majors in the United States have more barriers than their peers, leading to lower rates of first-year retention and academic performance. To eradicate these barriers, research has sought to understand what factors influence retention and performance of science majors. Upon investigation, it was determined that…

More college students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines are enrolling in introductory statistics courses. In these courses, active learning, collaborative projects, and relatable content can help to support student learning, belonging, and engagement. In this study, we examined the effect of student-perceived peer, faculty, and classroom…

The purpose of this study was to explore how peer support schemes can be used to facilitate meaningful relationships and a sense of belonging for underrepresented students. Using three case studies, the study explored and compared peer support leaders' narratives about their experiences at three universities: one in the United Kingdom (UK), one in…

Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) and inclusive school policies and practices that affirm youth with minoritized sexual orientations or gender identities (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer youth; LGBTQ+ youth) are two sources of support for LGBTQ+ youth that could promote school belonging. The current study tested a three-level…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive research was to explore how students described their experiences within a semester-long, new-student orientation program as contributing to their year-to-year re-enrollment at a community college in Arizona. Two research questions guided the stud. Exhaustive review of prior research indicated the…

Purpose: Although prior studies showed a positive association between rural youths' school experiences and educational outcomes, our knowledge is limited about how components of self-determination theory relate to rural youths' academic expectations and rural residential aspirations. Therefore, the current study aims to examine the relationship…

Educators are continuously exploring ways to enhance the academic potential of students while fostering a positive social atmosphere within classrooms. To meet these various curricular and interpersonal objectives, teachers are increasingly utilising educational storification in order to engage students and positively support their social…

This article introduces the voices of Indigenous mentors, which have been overlooked in mentoring research. This study addressed how mentors understood their role in nurturing student competence, connection, and agency; key ingredients of self-determination. Indigenous mentors participated in conversational interviews, which were examined from…

The aim of this qualitative interpretive research study is to further current scholarship about Black undergraduate women students by exploring their interactions, both formally and informally with other Black women at predominantly white institutions (PWIs). My research findings expose how Black undergraduate women formed, maintained, nurtured,…

Cultivating a sense of belonging can be challenging in online contexts as well as for underrepresented students in engineering education. This study used a mixed methods sequential explanatory design to understand underrepresented students' experiences in a Canadian first-year course. Taking place during remote delivery due to COVID-19, we…