A Framework for Understanding Belonging Fulfillment of Black Graduate Students

• In Event: Research in Progress Roundtable Session 3
  In Invited Roundtable: Student Experiences in Higher Education: Understanding the Implications of Race, Class, and National Identity (Table 2)

Abstract

A sense of belonging is a factor that is essential to student academic success and retention. Unfortunately, in the United States, Black graduate students experience one of the highest levels of attrition (Sowell et al., 2015), which can partially be explained by their struggles in developing a sense of belonging. However, existing frameworks of belonging in higher education overlook the importance of student expectations of belonging. Using Constructivist Grounded Theory Methodology through in-depth semi-structured interviews with Black graduate students across the nation, my study aims to develop a framework to explain belonging fulfillment. By offering insight into how expectations can impact a sense of belonging, this research can help educational practitioners improve Black graduate student rentention.

Author

• Taiylor R. Rayford, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign