An Exploration of Campus Support and Psychological Factors Influencing Sense of Belonging Among Community College Athletes of Color

• In Event: An Examination of Factors Influencing Sense of Belonging Among Students of Color at Community Colleges

Abstract

Community college athletes of color are an underrepresented subpopulation in the athletic literature, despite the increased number of studies examining sense of belonging. The study aimed to determine the extent to which sociodemographic, campus support, and psychological factors predicted the sense of belonging among community college athletes of color. Utilizing Hurtado and Carter’s (1997) sense of belonging and the Socio-Ecological Outcome models, we selected items from the 2018 Community College Survey of Student Engagement and conducted a hierarchical regression of 3,038 community college athletes of color. Our findings indicated several campus support and psychological factors positively predicted sense of belonging. We discuss implications for practice and future research directions for investigating community college athletes of color.

Authors

• Agustín J. García, Texas State University

• Carlton J. Fong, Texas State University

• Krissica Harper, Texas State University

• Terrence Littlefield, Texas State University