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Academic Help-Seeking and Belonging in the Classroom: Experiences of Asian American and Latinx Undergraduates

Fri, April 25, 8:00 to 9:30am MDT (8:00 to 9:30am MDT), The Colorado Convention Center, Floor: Meeting Room Level, Room 711

Abstract

Purpose
This study explores how sense of belonging among Asian American and Latinx undergraduates impacts the help these students seek out in academic spaces. Given that the Asian and Latinx populations in the United States are increasing and are among the largest racial minority groups (Budiman & Ruiz, 2021), this comparative case study examines the experiences of Asian American and Latinx undergraduates at one Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and one Predominantly White Institution (PWI).

Theoretical Framework
We utilized Johnson’s socioecological perspective on sense of belonging which suggests belonging is shaped by processes at the 1) individual (e.g., race, gender, socioeconomic status, skills, beliefs), 2) interpersonal (e.g., relationships with peers, faculty, and staff), and 3) institutional levels (e.g., university efforts to promote diversity and identity-inclusive spaces) (Johnson, 2022). Johnson’s model (2022) depicts how students, particularly racially and ethnically minoritized students, juggle multiple factors which can boost or hinder their social and academic sense of belonging. Using this framework, our study addresses two research questions:
1. In what ways do Asian American and Latinx participants perceive their university to foster or discourage a sense of belonging among undergraduates with a similar ethnicity?
2. How does participants’ sense of belonging shape their academic help-seeking in the classroom?

Methods, Materials, and Procedures
Using a semi-structured interview protocol (Saldaña, 2021), we conducted online interviews with 19 participants – see Table 1 for demographics. Participants recounted how they saw their university fostering or discouraging a sense of belonging among students who shared their racial identity and described the connections they saw between belongingness in the classroom and their willingness to seek academic help. We transcribed the interviews and coded them using an inductive and deductive process (Stake, 1994) to generate our findings.

Findings
To address RQ1, participants, regardless of ethnic group and institution, conveyed their appreciation for cultural clubs and identity-supportive spaces, but also listed ways their university could improve diversity initiatives. This included expanding student resources, increasing representation efforts, and addressing insensitive sentiments directed at students of color – see Tables 2 and 3 for sample quotations. To address RQ2, participants described how belongingness was a key factor for classroom dynamics and how it impacted their help-seeking behaviors (e.g., asking questions, attending office hours, interacting with professors and peers). For instance, two Asian students attending the PWI provided examples of how connections to faculty led to transformative experiences related to their identity and personal interests. In contrast, some Latinx participants noted how isolation, anxiety, and disengagement could be attributed, in part, to a lack of belongingness, and consequently, little to no help-seeking.

Significance
Prior research on sense of belonging and help-seeking is recent, limited, and focused on quantitative relationships (e.g., Won et al., 2021). This study focuses on the lived experiences of Asian American and Latinx students and demonstrates how belonging can impact their willingness to ask for help in the classroom – in other words, sense of belonging can help foster positive affect for learning and contribute to a solid foundation for student engagement.

Authors