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ERIC Number: ED632876
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 195
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3719-7293-4
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Predicting Community College Students' Sense of Belonging in College: Who Thinks They Belong, Why Might It Matter, and What Matters Most?
Snider, Lana G.
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Toledo
The study of sense of belonging in college among community college students has been limited in the literature. This cross-sectional quantitative study sought to address that gap by identifying factors that influenced community college students' sense of belonging in college at eight Ohio community colleges through an electronic questionnaire distributed during 1 semester. Astin's (1984) theory of student involvement and his input-environment-output (I-E-O) model (Astin, 1993a, 1993b) were employed as the theoretical, conceptual, and analytical frameworks in the study. The sense of belonging definition selected for the study aligned with the theory of student involvement and the conceptual and analytical framework. Sense of belonging was the dependent variable and was defined by Hagerty et al. (1992) as: "The experience of personal involvement in a system or environment so that persons feel themselves to be an integral part of that system or environment" (p. 173). Community college students' sense of belonging in college was measured using an adapted form of Simple School Belonging Scale (SSBS; Whiting et al., 2018). The SSBS items were analyzed using principal axis factoring and served as the composite dependent variable. The final dataset contained 54 input and environment variables across 876 community college respondents. A blocked form of stepwise multiple regression analysis applied using the I-E-O model determined which input and environment independent variables predicted Ohio community college students' sense of belonging in college. The regression results identified 10 statistically significant predictors of community college students' sense of belonging in college, nine of which were positive and one of which was negative. Student input characteristics accounted for 17.9% of the variance, comprised of three mindset characteristics and the single negative predictor: identifying as Hispanic. Involvement intensity, as measured by faculty- and staff interactions with students and peer-to-peer interactions, explained 13% and 11% of the variance, respectively. The study has several policy and practice implications. Community college policies that are student-centered and cultivate culturally relevant and inclusive community college cultures are of critical importance for cultivating community college students' sense of belonging in college. Community colleges that build a sense of loyalty to the community college and visibly demonstrate their local and community-focused mission support community college students' sense of belonging in college. Finally, community colleges that design class schedules, services, and activities that accommodate community college students' life roles and responsibilities and increase involvement intensity among community college students may be able to increase community college students' sense of belonging in college. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ohio
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A