Transcript Developing a "Sense of Belonging"

DEE Conference, Cardiff 9-10 September 2009
Developing a ‘Sense of Belonging’
Guglielmo Volpe
Economics Department
Queen Mary, University of London
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 results
No engagement with students
Research focus and little attention to T&L
Lack of collegial engagement within the Department
Classroom engagement
Academic effort
School success and failure
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 personallyinaccepted
,
Experience
of personal
involvement
system or, respected
“need to belong
is a fundamental
human amotivation
and can
included
byfeel
others
themaintain
school
social
environment
that persons
to be an
be
defined and
asso
asupported
pervasive
drive
to themselves
forminand
atintegral
least
environment
apart
minimum
of environment
lasting, positive and significant
of thatquantity
system or
interpersonal
relationship” (Osterman, 2000)
(Goodenow, 1993)
(Hagerty and Patusky, 1995)
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
Lower rates of school drop-out
Higher grade point average
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
Students at a disadvantage may benefit more
from a sense of belonging than other groups
(Anderman and Freeman 2004,Hurtado & Carter 1997, Mounts 2004)
Measure of sense of belonging
Two defining attributes
Valued Involvement
Fit
The experience of feeling
valued, needed and accepted
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
Some preliminary results on ‘Sense of Belonging’ scores
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
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
look at students and staff relationship
Research assistant scheme
Financial help for attendance to summer
courses
Guest speaker lecture (this year: Robert Peston)
Induction has been strengthened for all students (year 1, 2 and 3)
Students engagement with their peers
Engage with and support
Economics Society
Debate teams
Imagery competition
Student helpers
Peer support scheme
Student ambassadors
Careers and employability workshops
But, the most important new initiative…..
The staff vs students football competition!!!
References
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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, 324345
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
Psychological Sense of School Membership (Goodenow, 1993)
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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