Abstract
Student affairs educators and administrators at institutions of higher education aim to facilitate student learning, provide support, and offer opportunities for meaningful connection, ultimately hoping to retain students. One potential way to meet these goals is the implementation of a curricular approach that fosters inclusive learning environments where students feel a sense of belonging. This mixed methods, sequential explanatory case study explored how first-time, first-year (FTFY) residential students in a curricular approach described sense of belonging. how curricular approach activities impacted sense of belonging, and the ways students’ racial identity impacted sense of belonging. Most of the survey’s 136 participants indicated agreement or strong agreement with feeling a sense of belonging at the institution (n = 103, 76%). Most respondents indicated agreement or strong agreement that engaging in the curricular approach activities helped them feel a sense of belonging (n = 88, 73%). Comparison of sense of belonging between White students and Students of Color through two-tailed t-tests yielded three statistically significant results: feeling an overall sense of belonging at the institution (p = .029), feeling comfortable being themselves at the institution (p < .001), and feeling connected to peers living on campus (p = .016). Five themes arose from qualitative interviews with 11 participants: students’ definition of belonging, impact of racial identity, impact of the curricular approach, campus experiences, and barriers to belonging. An analysis of the combined quantitative and qualitative findings yielded three overarching themes: feeling belonging, belonging in community, and belonging as authentic self, all experienced through the lens of racial identity. Overall, the results of this study support the implementation of a curricular approach to foster sense of belonging for first-time, first-year (FTFY) residential students.