An Intersectionality Framework With Engagement and Sense of Belonging in Higher Education

• In Event: Perspectives on Sense of Belonging in Higher Education

Abstract

This study investigates issues around equity, social justice, institutional structures, engagement, and sense of belonging on a university campus. Relationships among sense of belonging, engagement, and identity are studied using structural equation modeling and the framework of intersectionality. Demographic data and answers to a 47-question survey were gathered for 561 undergraduate students. Data provide evidence that on this university campus, identity influenced student access to engagement and sense of belonging. Implications and discussion for providing more liberatory educational spaces are discussed.

Authors

• Christine L Lancaster, Eastern Michigan University

• David Anderson, Eastern Michigan University