Stay or Stray: Racialized Normative Congruence with College Pathways and Students’ Sense of Belonging

• In Event: 30420 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 11: Race and Higher Education

Abstract

A sense of belonging has been found to be crucial for student success in college. However, students’ sense of belonging is intimately tied to their university’s college pathways. College pathways are often racialized, as whiteness often acts as a credential to gatekeep resources and rewards. At historically white institutions, a university’s image showcases what is racially normalized on campus and determines who fits-in and who doesn’t. However, do white and racially minoritized students equally emphasize the need to “fit in” in order to belong? Research on the necessity of “fit” to feelings of belonging has yielded mixed results, with minoritized students having a more difficult time navigating college pathways, but also that “fit” may not be needed and is even harmful if support is found elsewhere. I argue these mixed results are due to the conflation of “fit”, “relationships”, and “belonging”. I propose returning to Durkheim’s community integration model predicated around: 1) “fit”, or perceived normative congruence with the dominant college pathways, and 2) “embeddedness”, or having a network of academic and social relationships. I apply Durkheim’s framework in a mixed-methods study of qualitative interviews (N=163) and survey data (to be collected this Spring) of undergraduates at a predominantly white college. I investigate whether minoritized versus white students differentially: 1) define what it means to “fit-in” and 2) emphasize the relative importance of “fit” versus “embeddedness” on their sense of belonging. Qualitative analysis indicates that racially minoritized students minimize the importance of normative congruence, or “fit” compared to white students. Moreover, minoritized students often compare themselves to the most “typical” student, whereas white students often compare themselves to the most “idealized” student. All students believe social incongruence constrains peer interactions, which is significant because both white and nonwhite students emphasize the necessity of peers to feel a sense of belonging.

Author

• Lynn Gencianeo Chin, Washington and Lee University