New Research: How Colleges Can Expand Opportunities for Student Belonging on Campus
Data from over 15,000 students across 22 universities show many institutions fail to provide adequate opportunities for belonging for all students; here’s what institutions can do.
As college enrollment diversifies, understanding how to foster a sense of belonging on campus has become crucial for both student success and institutional sustainability. Decades of research and our work at the Equity Accelerator with the Student Experience Project have shown that when learning environments are designed so that all students feel like they belong and are valued and respected, students report higher academic achievement, improved well-being, and are more likely to graduate with a degree. In addition, equity gaps in experience, performance, and persistence are narrowed. My colleagues Dr. Kathryn Kroeper, Dr. Maithreyi Gopalan, Dr. Gregory M. Walton, and I just released a new report published in Educational Psychology Review with insights into the ways colleges can assess and expand opportunities for belonging, particularly for students from historically underrepresented groups.
Our report, Who Gets to Belong in College? An Empirical Review of How Institutions Can Assess and Expand Opportunities for Belonging on Campus, highlights the vast variability in students’ experiences of belonging across institutions, identifying crucial factors that affect whether students feel valued and supported. Through a review of the literature and drawing on data from over 15,000 students across 22 universities, our study reveals that recognizing and addressing worries about belonging can help students stay engaged, build relationships, and succeed.
Key Findings
Opportunities for belonging vary widely, both across institutions and systematically across groups. Notably, Black, Asian, and first-generation college student groups are each less likely than other groups to have adequate opportunities for belonging on their campuses.
All institutions are serving some student groups well, but all can improve: none provides opportunities to belong for students from all groups.
Four classes of institutional factors predict opportunities to belong: (1) greater in-group representation, (2) more inclusive cultures, (3) greater opportunities for strong relationships with peers and mentors, and (4) greater opportunities for productive learning.
What Can Institutions Do?
Listen to their Students. In addition to monitoring institutional data (like enrollment and graduation rates), colleges can learn a lot by checking in with students about their lived experience on campus through focus groups, interviews, or surveys. If you don’t already have one, consider a regular (perhaps annual) campus-wide survey that assesses students’ sense of belonging, as well as the other opportunities to belong on your campus (such as perceptions of in-group representation, inclusive cultures, opportunities for relationship building, and opportunities for productive learning). You may also consider town-hall style or small-group events where administrators or staff and students can talk about students’ experience, particularly the experiences of students from underserved groups. Not only do these opportunities provide insight into factors that support (or undermine) their students’ belonging–but students feel more valued and empowered when they feel heard by their institution.
Increase Diverse Representation Among Students, Faculty, and Staff. Data clearly and consistently show that maintaining and increasing the presence of historically excluded racial-ethnic and social class groups on campus is one important way to support students’ sense of belonging.
Cultivate an Inclusive Culture. Efforts to reduce bias and increase inclusion must be authentic and consistent. Messages that recognize diversity as in line with their institutional values–and that are aligned with policies and practices that recruit and retain faculty, staff, and students from underrepresented backgrounds–are perceived as the most authentic by people from these backgrounds. Moreover, identifying tangible diversity markers, like real student testimonials or public reports on representation among student groups (including in positions of institutional leadership) are often particularly effective because they allow your college to be held accountable to your diversity efforts.
Expand Opportunities to Develop Strong Relationships. Both formal peer mentoring programs and more informal opportunities to form friendships help students feel more connected and included in their campus. Additionally, opportunities for students to connect with faculty can help students navigate common challenges in college, including concerns about belonging. Ideally, colleges will provide opportunities for students to connect with each other and faculty who share their identity group and also are parts of other identity groups.
Expanding Productive Learning Opportunities. Opportunities for students to see themselves as capable of success in college can support their sense of belonging. For example, creating a Culture of Growth–one that communicates the belief that intelligence and ability can be grown and developed over time, and providing the resources and opportunities to all students to grow in their intelligence–can make students feel more confident in their abilities to connect with others and succeed. Moreover, helping students make connections between their broader goals and values and their time in college can help keep them motivated and resilient in times of struggle.
For even more suggestions on how you can support students’ belonging, check out our full report or visit EA’s Classroom Practices Library.
Are you interested in bringing Cultures of Growth to your classroom or institution? Our team of interdisciplinary experts have partnered with hundreds of colleges and universities and offer high-impact, low-lift approaches that are practical, adaptable, and integrate into what you're already doing.
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