"The survey measured belonging by asking students to rate their agreement with the statement "I feel that I am a part of [school]" on a five-point scale, where 1 means strongly disagree and 5 means strongly agree. Students who rated their sense of belonging in their second year one step higher on the five-point scale than they did in their first year-such as moving from neutral to agree-were 3.4 percentage points more likely to graduate within four years."
"That pattern held over time: Each one-step increase in a student's reported sense of belonging was linked to a 2.7-percentage-point higher likelihood of earning a degree within six years. "What stood out to me was just how consistent the findings were," said Shannon Brady, a Wake Forest University psychology professor and the study's author. "We're seeing this relationship hold across different kinds of students and institutions.""
Nationally representative survey data from more than 21,000 undergraduates at two- and four-year colleges measured students' sense of belonging on a five-point scale. A one-step increase in reported belonging between the first and second year correlated with a 3.4 percentage point higher probability of graduating within four years. Each one-step increase corresponded to a 2.7 percentage point higher likelihood of earning a degree within six years. The relationship was consistent across different student groups and institutions. Fostering belonging can rival the impact of substantial financial aid and can be advanced through relatively low-cost, intentional supports.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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