Sense of Belonging to a University: The Case of Minoritized Transnational Students in the United States

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: Sense of Belonging in Education

Abstract

This paper investigates how transnational students of racial/ethnic and linguistic minorities perceive and build own sense of belonging to a university in the United States. I conducted preliminary and post-interviews as well as observation to listen to four students’ experiences and examine their interaction with community members. The findings elucidate a) how students feel a low sense of belonging due to perceived otherness from the majority, and b) how they create inner circles of shared backgrounds to gain a sense of belonging. This paper delineates how structural, cultural, and individual factors are intertwined to shape the participants’ sense of belonging. Its implications may inform researchers and stakeholders of ways to support transnational students’ belonging to a college community.

Author

• Semi J Yeom, University of Maryland - College Park