"Figuring Out Your Place at a School Like This": Intersectionality and College Sense of Belonging

• In Event: Higher Education, Belonging, and Employment

Abstract

Sense of belonging in college can influence students’ major and career trajectory. We contribute a mixed methods intersectional study of STEM and non-STEM majors at a public, STEM-focused university. First, we assess whether intersectional differences mediate sense of belonging. Second, we explore whether intersectional differences affect sense of belonging differently in STEM and non-STEM majors. Third, we employ a mixed-methods approach, using Critical Quantitative methods and in-depth interviews. We utilize data measuring “willingness to return” to their university for over 9,000 students, 2007–2017. Then, we analyze 37 interviews collected between 2014–2016 at the same university. Our mixed-methods approach contributes insights into how and why background, individual choices, and institutional practices concurrently—and intersectionally—influence college sense of belonging.

Authors

• Sarah M. Ovink, Virginia Tech

• Carson Byrd, University of Michgian

• Megan Nanney, East Carolina University

• Abigail Wilson