Well-Being and Belonging: Creating Transformative Graduate Student Learning Environments

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Advancing Inclusion and Belonging in Doctoral and Postgraduate Education

Abstract

Prior research indicates graduate students have different mental health needs than undergraduate students, and the former reported significantly higher rates of stress. A low sense of belonging and poor well-being may lead to academic struggles, burnout, or attrition. Demographic factors like race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual identity can influence belongingness. There is scant research from the last 5 years on graduate and professional student mental health, and even less focus on belongingness and well-being among graduate and professional students. The purpose of this study was to examine graduate students’ (n = 75) well-being and belonging as measured by the University Belonging Questionnaire and Positive Mental Health instrument.

Author

• Shelley Price-Williams, University of Northern Iowa