Using Race/Ethnicity-Gender Intersectional Groups to Understand Students’ Sense of Belonging at U.S. Community Colleges

• In Event: Navigating Racialized and Gendered Spaces: Critical Insights on Race and Gender in Higher Education

Abstract

Although a sense of belonging can be a critical lever for promoting college persistence, students, particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds, may experience threats to their belonging on campus. Research has documented that belonging can be experienced differently depending on students’ racial/ethnic and gender identities. We used the 2018 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) to explore how much community college students feel like they belong and how it may vary by gender and race/ethnicity, and their intersections. Based on an intercategorical approach to examine intersections of gender and race/ethnicity, we also test to what extent sociodemographic characteristics, institutional racial make-up, campus experiences, perceived campus support, and perceived support from external agents predict belonging.

Authors

• Carlton J. Fong, Texas State University

• Sajjad Mahdavivand Fard, Texas State University

• Ali Dezhkameh Bejoshin, Texas State University

• Terrence Littlefield, Texas State University

• Chris Rozek, Washington University in St. Louis