Belonging Research At The College Level

The purpose of Guiffrida’s (2006) paper is to provide empirical research evidences to support Tinto’s (1993) theory of student departure and highlighted the limitation of the theory by recognizing its failure to incorporate the study of psychological and cultural variables; therefore, it becomes incomplete and inappropriate when applying the theory to deal with minority students.

Many colleges and universities throughout the United States and several other countries face a common problem. Student retention is a growing problem across the nation for all ethnic groups and all ages. Each individual who chooses to drop out of school has their own personal reasons as to why they do. However, many drops out can be completely avoided. When students drop out they are not clearly thinking about how it’s going to affect their future, the future of their children and even grandchildren. Although there are several reasons as to why students drop out of school, we will be exploring a few as it relates to why student retention is a growing problem.

“We belong … like fish in water. We’re in our environment.” This quote from the New York Times shows the perception of belonging as the idea about connecting to a place, person, group or a community. 'Feliks Skrzynecki' by Peter Skrzynecki, 'I'm nobody! Who are you?' by Emily Dickinson and 'The Rabbits' by John Marsden & Shaun Tan show the concept of belonging as being contrasted towards the New York Times quote, showing the alienation and non-existent connection towards it. These texts have furthered my understanding on the perceptions of belonging by recognising the different concepts of connection to people, places and things.

The authors explore the "Belonging Hypothesis" as proposed by Baumeister and Leary (2009) who based it on the idea that humans were made with "the need to belong" after their extensive review. The authors split the hypothesis into 3 parts as follows -- 1. The larger a person's "need to belong" is, t he larger the effect of homesickness. ; 2. By the substitution hypothesis, the more close friendships made in a new place, the smaller the effect of homesickness. ; 3. Feeling more adapted to a new location will decrease the effects of homesickness and the need to sustain existing relationships. The authors carry out 2 studies to help support the "Belonging Hypothesis", one correlation based and the other experimental based. The correlational

Tinto’s model of student Retention, also known as the model for voluntary student departure from college is founded in Van Gennep’s framework of cultural rights. Tinto’s theory states that it is imperative for college students to receive support from their institution to integrate into the college community, increasing their commitment to the institution, thus increasing their likelihood of graduating (Tinto, 1993). Tinto models his theory after two previous works, the first being Durkheim and his theory that states people who decide to die by suicide, do so because they have not been fully integrated into society; the second, Van Gennep’s concept of rites of passage which argues that a separation from former community associates is essential

Belonging consists of a struggle with opposing pressures. A desire to belong also consists of emotional conflicts and struggles between being acknowledged while also remaining as an individual and retaining personal ideals which may ultimately result in a connection. This is explored in Emily Dickinson’s selected poetry I died for beauty, but was scarce and I had been hungry all the years , as well as Scott Westerfeld’s novel Uglies. These texts all depict a struggle between being recognised and accepted in society and the desire to remain true to one’s self, exploring the paradoxical nature of belonging which, on one hand, provides fulfilment, but also removes a sense of personal identity.

"It is only once we leave the familiarity of our own world that we come to an appreciation and understanding of the importance of belonging," that's how the saying goes. But, is it actually true? Can we not define our sense of belonging until we have a longing for it? It is an interesting concept, especially in a world so threatened by images of the other, who threatens the ideology behind our group ideology. In a world that is not our own, can we ever feel like we belong?

The Hispanic/Latino community has been known to be underrepresented on college campuses, both at the community college and four-year university level. Factors such as low-income households, poor or harsh living conditions, under-educated parents, cultural and family commitments, and unfamiliarity with the college process, all serve as unfortunate barriers that keep Hispanic/Latino students from reaching the goal of attaining college degrees. Although these barriers keep many students from succeeding, many others overcome these obstacles and continue on their paths to creating a better future for themselves. They choose to look past the expectations that society has for them and break out of the stereotypical mold. However, Hispanic/Latino students face, yet, another challenge upon successfully making it on to a college campus... the challenge of graduating.

Based on the behaviour learning perspective from Skinner, the consequences determine to a great extent whether an individual will repeat the behaviour that led to the events (Woolfolk, 2004, p.204). After receiving several praises and warmth, she would gain a sense of appreciation and recognition, from the teachers. According to Maslow’s theory, love, belongingness and esteem needs, are important for children throughout their development (Graver & Scheier, 1996). Secondly, it is important to enrich Carol’s cognitive knowledge as her mother blocked her cognitive development.

In 1987, Tinto wrote a book called Leaving College Rethinking the Causes. Tinto is one of the researches that many other authors refer to in business student persistence. He began looking at college drop outs in general and published his book in 1994. He analyzed the connection of social and intellectual health. He ties both of these aspects and considered them as experience that students connect to during their studies.

Explore how this is evident in you prescribed text and at least ONE other related text of your own choosing.

The causes of student alienation are multifaceted including curricular, institutional, and socio-cultural factors (Brown et al., 2003; Redden, 2002; Rokach, Bauer, and Oreck, 2003; Taylor, 2001; Trusty and Dooley-Dickey, 1993). Alienated students feel incongruent with curricula

Concept, perceptions and ideas to belong or not to belong differ from person to person. This is due to experiences that shape ones personality that come through personal, cultural, social and historical context. The idea of belonging allows one to have some sort of connection and communal with people, places, groups, communities and the wider world. In contrast not belonging causes one to suffer from alienation, exclusion and marginalisation. As a result these factors can cause an individual to be at different states of depression depending on one’s personality and situation. However in society, belonging has become and essential to life. Many texts have explored the notion of belonging and not belonging; the play Rainbows

Baumeiser and Leary identify the “need to belong” as a fundamental human motivation, crucial to component in the investigation of social mechanisms that promote academic achievement and psychological well-being for at-risk youth. A general sense of belonging includes an individual’s sense of acceptance and of being valued, included, and encouraged by others in a community. This can vary in different settings. School belonging was assessed by a combination of several factors including teacher support, involvement in school-based activities, and peer support. Whereas neighborhood belong was assessed by viewing neighborhood-based activity involvement and support from peers in the neighborhood. Each of these variables were expected invoke a feeling

As a student affairs graduate student, I would like to consider my decisions to pursue my degree. I decided to pursue a master’s in student affairs because of my involvement as an undergraduate student. While in undergraduate, I was involved with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Campus Activities Board Directors, Student Support Services, Student Government Association, Residential Housing, and the Department of Student Developments. Pursuing a Master’s degree has always been an interest of mines, but I never knew what degree to pursue. While working as a student worker for the department of student activities, I gained a love for the college campus environment. This love led to my decision to pursue a master’s in student affairs. Reflecting on the material learning in this course, I would like to think the Chickering’s Seven Vectors and Schlossberg’s Transition Theory has helped me gain more self-awareness about my development and identity. In addition, theories such as: Phinney’s Model of Ethnic Identity Development and Social-Cognitive Theory of Gender Identity Development would be beneficial in my career as a Student Affairs Professional.