Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of Campus Climate: A Sense of Belonging as a Predictor of Satisfaction

• In Event: Organizational conditions and diversity outcomes in higher education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate undergraduate students’ perceptions of campus climate, and to assess students’ sense of belonging as a predictor of their satisfaction with their campus experience at a predominantly white institution (PWI). Participants consisted of 3474 undergraduate students from one university in the southeast of the United States. The results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that students’ sense of belonging and their demographic information including ethnicity/race, sexual orientation, religious belief, and political view were identified as the significant predictors of their satisfaction, and 33.4% of the variation in students’ satisfaction could be explained by these predictors. Universities should create a welcoming campus community within and across social identity.

Authors

• Xumei Fan, University of Northern Iowa

• Kathryn Luchok

• John Dozier