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Understanding Belonging to Improve Persistence: A Gende r Study

Understanding Belonging to Improve Persistence: A Gende r Study. Tamara Floyd-Smith, Tuskegee University Denise Wilson (Project Lead) and Diane Jones , University of Washington Melani Plett , Seattle Pacific University Rebecca Bates, Minnesota State University, Mankato

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Understanding Belonging to Improve Persistence: A Gende r Study

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  1. Understanding Belonging to Improve Persistence: A Gender Study Tamara Floyd-Smith, Tuskegee University Denise Wilson (Project Lead) andDiane Jones,University of Washington MelaniPlett, Seattle Pacific University Rebecca Bates, Minnesota State University, Mankato Nanette Veilleux, Simmons College 2012 World Engineering Education Forum Buenos Aires, Argentina Tuesday, October 16th

  2. Outline • Overview of the Full Study • Objective of the Current Study • Belonging Constructs • Results • Summary and Implications Example of Belonging to a University Community: HBCU Choir Belonging - frequent, local and pleasant connections with others (Baumeister and Leary, 1995)

  3. Why Study Belonging? Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Self actualization Appreciation, recognition, esteem Bloom’s Taxonomy Social needs, sense of belonging Safety, freedom from fear, order Physiological Needs: Food and Water

  4. BackgroundWhy Does Belonging Matter? Evidence of the importance of belonging and other connections to community: In G6-12: Increased engagement Decreased drop-out rates In higher education Retention in STEM fields Student/faculty success and fulfillment In the workplace Increased feelings of security, stronger self-concept, self-respect and coping abilities

  5. Overall Project Goals • Conceptualizing the role of community in higher education • Assessing how various connections to community influence academic engagement • Transferring successful communities to other STEM environments

  6. Participating Institutions • Northwest Research 1, Engineering and Computer Science • Midwest Comprehensive, Computer Science and Engineering • Northwest Faith-based, Engineering • Northeast Women’s College, Computer Science • Southeast Historically Black College/University (HBCU), Engineering Research 1 Institution (> 40,000 students) HBCU (< 4,000 students)

  7. Overview of the Full Study • (Year 1) Conceptual model development () • (Year 2) Instrument development and validation () • (Years 2-4) Longitudinal study of community targeting sophomores and juniors (-) • (Year 5) Attempt to transfer results to other STEM environments

  8. Full Study Methods • Survey • Likert Scale Items • General student information: GPA, year in school, parental level of education • Focus Groups/Interviews • Classroom Observations ClassroomObservations Surveys Focus Groups

  9. Objective and Motivation of Current Study • Objective: Provide insight into belonging for STEM students with a focus on gender

  10. Connections to Community Is measured by Entails Belonging to Class • I feel accepted in this class. • I feel comfortable in this class. • I feel supported in this class. • I feel that I am part of this class. a= 0.88

  11. Connections to Community Is measured by Entails Belonging to Major • I feel accepted in my major. • I feel comfortable in my major. • I feel supported in my major. • I feel that I am part of my major. a= 0.85

  12. Connections to Community Is measured by Entails Belonging to University as Institution • I feel like I really belong at this school. • I really enjoy going to school here. • I wish I had gone to another school instead of this one.* • I wish I were at a different school.* a= 0.87 *Reverse Coded

  13. Connections to Community Is measured by Entails Belonging to University as Community • People at this school are friendly to me. • I feel that there is a real sense of community at this school. • I feel like there is a strong feeling of togetherness on campus. a= 0.80

  14. Classroom Belonging Female students reported greater class belonging than male students.

  15. Major Belonging Differences by gender are not statistically significant.

  16. Freshmen Data Female students report higher class belonging.

  17. Summary and Implications • Summary: Either female students reported higher belonging or differences were not statistically significant. • Implications: Efforts to improve female representation may need to focus on prospective freshmen

  18. Acknowledgements • National Science Foundation for funding (DRL-0909817, 0910143, 0909659, 0909900 and 0990850) • Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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