A New Survey of Climate-Related Instructor Behaviors Predicts Students' Feelings of Belonging

• In Event: 79.028 - "Supporting Low-Income Students’ College Transition: Factors Related to Sense of Belonging in the First Year"

Abstract

Students’ feelings of belonging in a course impact their academic success and program retention. Instructors play a major role in supporting belonging, yet no quantitative measure exists to assess climate-related teaching practices that support belonging. We piloted a survey framed around four classroom climate factors hypothesized to promote belonging: inclusivity, equity, accessibility, and support. Items were based on research identifying the types of instructor behaviors to which students attribute feelings of belonging, and they followed recommendations that valid assessments of teaching effectiveness should focus on concrete behaviors. Results supported the four-factor model and showed that student reports of these instructor behaviors predicted higher levels of classroom belonging, which in turn mediated the relation to anticipated grades and school belonging.

Authors

• J. Elizabeth Richey, Carnegie Mellon University

• Junjie Su, University of Maryland - College Park

• Ankit Sheth, University of Maryland

• Sandra Michelle Loughlin, University of Maryland