Developing a ‘Sense of Belonging’

Guglielmo VolpeEconomics Department

Queen Mary, University of London

DEE Conference, Cardiff 9-10 September 2009

Warning!

There is no economics in this talk! Feel free to leave the room and take a break if you wish!

Why?

My new department

‘Confrontational’ relationship with students

Poor NSS resultsNo engagement with students

Research focus and little attention to T&L

Lack of collegial engagement within the Department

Classroom engagement School success and failureAcademic effort

Situational and contextual factors

Quality of school social relationship

Sense of belonging or psychological membership in the school or classroom

Sense of belonging or psychological membership in the school or classroom

Extent to which students feel personally accepted, respected, included and supported by others in the school social environment

(Goodenow, 1993)

Experience of personal involvement in a system or environment so that persons feel themselves to be an integral part of that system or environment

(Hagerty and Patusky, 1995)

“need to belong is a fundamental human motivation and can be defined as a pervasive drive to form and maintain at least a minimum quantity of lasting, positive and significant interpersonal relationship” (Osterman, 2000)

Sense of belonging or psychological membership in the school or classroom

Importance in life

absence leads to lowered interest and engagement in ordinary life

(Weiss, 1973)

In school

Difficulty in sustaining academic engagement and commitment in environments where students do not feel valued and welcome

(Batcher, 1981, Zeichner, 1980, Tinto, 1987)

Belonging is a critical factor in school retention and dropout of at risk students

(Finn, 1989, Wehlage, 1989)

Research shows that among middle and high school students, sense of belonging leads to

Better academic motivation

Higher grade point average

Lower rates of school drop-out

Better socio-emotional functioning

(Anderman and Anderman 1999, Goodenow 1993, Anderman 2002, Wehlag et al. 1989, Shochet et al., 2006)

Research shows that among undergraduate students, sense of belonging leads to

Linked to lecturers caring

Greater involvement in campus organisation

Lower level of depression/loneliness among African American and Caucasian students

Less racial climate among Latino students

(Anderman and Freeman 2004,Hurtado & Carter 1997, Mounts 2004)

Students at a disadvantage may benefit more from a sense of belonging than other groups

Measure of sense of belonging

Two defining attributes

Valued Involvement

The experience of feeling valued, needed and accepted

Fit

Perception that the individual’s characteristics articulate with the system or environment

Antecedents or precursors to sense of belonging

Energy for involvement, potential and desire for meaningful involvement and potential for shared or

complementary characteristics

Sense of belonging instrument (Hagerty and Potusky, 1995)

•27 items questionnaire covering issues of fit, value and antecedents

•4 points likert scale

Psychological Sense of School Membership (Goodenow, 1993)

•18 items questionnaire

•5 points likert scale

Sense of belonging instrument (Hofman et al., 2007)

•26 items questionnaire distributed over five factors

•Perceived peer support

•Perceived staff support/comfort

•Perceived classroom support

•Perceived isolation

•Empathetic faculty understanding

Pilot project: Sense of belonging of economics students at Queen Mary

• Small scale summer project with aim to scale up project in coming academic year

• Call for participants and eventually 7 students agreed to be involved (one third year student, three second year and three first year students)

• PSSM questionnaire

• Semi-structured interviews

• Aims:

• Measure sense of belonging

• Explore factors affecting sense of belonging for students

Year 1 students’ average score

Student 1 3.72

Student 2 3.56

Student 3 3.78

3.69

Year 2 and 3 students’ average scores

Avg. Score 2007/8 Avg. Score 2008/9

Student 1 3.39 3.06

Student 2 3.17 4.5

Student 3 2.33 2.17

Student 4 3.61 4.61

3.13 3.59

Some preliminary results on ‘Sense of Belonging’ scores

From interviews• Students-staff relationship

• Reduce ‘distance’ between staff and students

• Students-peer relationship

• Importance of induction

• Groups of friends – difficulty to engage with other groups

• International students – ethnic minorities

• Extra-curricular activities

Developing a sense of belonging: what are we doing?

Many things….

look at students and staff relationship

Support students engagement with their peers

look at students and staff relationship

Strengthen advising/support systems

Appoint senior tutor

Appoint students support manager

Introduce standard of service framework

Define timeline for feedback and enhance awareness about feedback practices

Research assistant scheme

Financial help for attendance to summer courses

look at students and staff relationship

Induction has been strengthened for all students (year 1, 2 and 3)

Guest speaker lecture (this year: Robert Peston)

Students engagement with their peers

Engage with and support Economics Society

Debate teams

Imagery competition

Student helpers

Student ambassadors

Peer support scheme

Careers and employability workshops

But, the most important new initiative…..

The staff vs students football competition!!!

References

• Anderman, L.H., Anderman, E.M. (1999). Social predictors of changes in students’ achievement goal orientations. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 24, 21-37

• Anderman, L.H., Freeman, T.M. (2004). Students’ sense of belonging in school. In P.R. Pintrich and M.I. Maehr (Eds.), Motivating students, improving schools: Advances in motivation and achievement, Vol. 13, p.27-63, Amsterdam: Elsvier

• Goodenow, C. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates. Psychology in the Schools, 30, 79-90

• Hagborg. W.J. (1994). An exploration of school membership among middle- and high-school students. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 12, 312-323

• Hoffman, M., Richmond, J., Morrow, J., Salomone, K. (2003). Investigating “Sense of Belonging” in first-year college students. Journal of College Student Retention, 4, 227-256

• Hurtado, S., Carter., D.F. (1997). Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial cliamte on Latino college students’ sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70, 324-345

• Osterman, K.F. (2000). Students’ need for belonging in the school community. Review of Educational Research, 70, 323-367

• Pittman, L.D., Richmond, A. (2007). Academic and Psychological Functioning in Late Adolescence: The importance of school belonging. The Journal of Experimental Education, 75, 270-290

• I feel like a real part of the Economics Department• People here notice when I am good at something• It is hard for people like me to be accepted here• Other students in the Department take my opinions seriously• Most lecturers within the Department are interested in me• Sometimes I feel as if I do not belong here• There is at least one lecturer (or other person) in the Department • I can talk to if I have a problem• People in the Department are friendly to me• Lecturers here are not interested in people like me• I am included in/participate to lots of activities in the Department• I am treated with as much respect as other students• I feel very different from most other students here• I can really be myself in this Department• The lecturers here respect me• People here know I can do good work• I wish I were in a different Department/University• I feel proud of belonging to the Economics Department• Other students here like me the way I am

Psychological Sense of School Membership (Goodenow, 1993)