The Path to Academia: The Influence of Belonging on English Learners’ Pursuit of Higher Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 12:40 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Cultivating Community Across Geographic Locales to Support Inclusivity in Higher Education (Table 7)

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between sense of belonging and English language learners’ (ELLs) decision to apply to a higher education institution. This secondary data analysis was conducted using the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). The logistic regression model followed Allen's (2021) cross-disciplinary, integrative framework to conceptualize measures of belonging using hierarchical linear modeling. Our results show the overall model was significant and accurate 90% of the time. The model was better at predicting the students who attended or applied to college based on their sense of belonging (97%) than students who did not (61%), suggesting that additional factors can hinder students’ application process even when their sense of belonging is high.

Authors

• Caroline Nicole Utne Finchum, College of William & Mary

• Maria Pia Oelrich, College of William & Mary

• Siyuan Chen, College of William & Mary