Creating a Sense of Belonging in the University Admissions Process

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 10:50 am
  In Roundtable Session: Scholar-Practitioners Leading Equitable Change With Improvement Science (Table 15)

Abstract

Black male students turn to community colleges as a gateway to higher education and upward mobility (Harris et al., 2015; Barber et al., 2015; Wood & Harris, 2017). Unfortunately, these students encounter institutional environments that are not conducive to their success. A combination of barriers, including practitioner bias, lack of representation, and ineffective onboarding, lead to experiences that jeopardize sense of belonging and persistence (Brooks et al., 2013; Bush & Bush, 2010). The purpose of this study is to examine how an Equity Scorecard Initiative can improve community college staff equity-mindedness (Bensimon & Malcom-Piqueux, 2012), equitable service delivery and, as a result, Black male student sense of belonging and persistence.
Theoretical Framework
Critical Race Theory (CRT) (Bell, 1980; Capper, 2019; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995) provides the theoretical framework for this study. The Whiteness as property tenet of CRT (Capper, 2019) frames the reality that community colleges create climates that Black male students perceive as isolating, harmful, racist, and criminalizing (Hotchkins et al., 2021). The interest convergence tenet of CRT (Bell, 1980; Capper, 2019) suggests that community colleges may adopt changes that promote Black male student persistence if those changes also benefit White students. Since effective strategies that support Black male students benefit other students (Wood & Harris, 2017), there is potential for institutionalization of this change idea.
Method
This study uses IS (Bryk et al., 2015) as the methodological framework, which centers to problem of practice (PoP) around systemic rather than student failures. I worked with colleagues to create a fishbone diagram (Bryk et al., 2015) of potential root causes of this PoP. I selected one cause for my theory of change, inequitable service delivery, and used the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle (Hinnant-Crawford, 2020) to structure the initiative. Participants were identified using purposive sampling, focusing on staff who have routine contact with Black male students. First, participants took a Pre Equity-Mindedness survey and completed an orientation to learn about the PoP. Then, participants were asked to complete an Equity Scorecard survey at least twice per week for six weeks. A random sample of participants was selected for semi-structured interviews after weeks three and six. All participants completed a Post Equity-Mindedness survey after week six.
Data Sources
This study incorporates a mixed methods approach to measure the Equity Scorecard Initiative’s impact. Open-ended Equity-Mindedness and Equity Scorecard survey items and semi-structured interviews provide qualitative data. Self-report Equity-Mindedness and Equity Scorecard survey items and institutional data (student persistence and student service satisfaction surveys) provide quantitative data.
Results
I am in the data collection phase, and I will have final results by March 2024.
Scholarly Significance
With an open-access approach, community colleges attract students from traditionally underserved and underrepresented groups who look to these institutions as steppingstones to academic and career advancement. While the inclusive ideal of the community college model is promising, it cannot be realized until educators enhance their equity-mindedness and take professional responsibility for the outcomes of all students. The Equity Scorecard Initiative offers an IS approach to achieve that end.

Author

• Mike Langford, Western Carolina University