Most colleges score low on helping students of all faiths - or none - develop a sense of belonging. Faculty can help change that

"Beyond all the concrete things schools can offer - academics, research opportunities, sports, dining halls - is something both basic and hard to define: a sense of belonging. Factors such as race and gender can influence how at home a student feels on campus, contributing to their overall well-being. But my research highlights the role of religion and spirituality, too: how support for students' worldviews - whether they're deeply religious, atheist or somewhere in between - shapes their campus experience."

"This recent work builds on results from the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey, or IDEALS. In 2014, higher education researcher Alyssa N. Rockenbach and I designed the project in partnership with Interfaith America, a nonprofit that encourages interfaith dialogue on campus. Running from 2015 to 2019, it surveyed 3,486 students across 122 campuses to understand the ways colleges could support students' well-being when it comes to their worldviews, religious identities and spiritual beliefs."

A sense of belonging plays a central role in a positive college experience and is influenced by factors such as race, gender, religion and spirituality. Support for students' worldviews—whether deeply religious, atheist, or somewhere in between—shapes campus well-being. A key source of belonging arises from meaningful relationships and conversations about worldview topics rather than merely having religious clubs or organizations. Faculty and staff can model respectful relationships and facilitate constructive engagement among students. Longitudinal survey data from IDEALS (2015–2019; 3,486 students across 122 campuses) informed these findings about worldview, identity, and student well-being.

Read at The Conversation