Strategies for Fostering Students' Sense of Belonging in Academic Settings
Explore effective strategies to enhance students' sense of belonging in academic environments, as discussed in a session led by Kristie Bradford at Lone Star College - Tomball. Discover techniques to define belonging uncertainty, promote inclusivity, and implement new fostering methods. Gain insights on the psychological aspect of belonging and its importance in academic success.
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Strategies for Promoting Your Students Sense of Belonging Kristie Bradford Lone Star College - Tomball October 26, 2018 This work is supported by the National Science Foundation through grants 1525593, 1524605, 1524623 & 1524800.
Outline of the session: (1.5 hrs) Writing reflection Presentation of key findings from the research literature Think/Pair/Share about a well-intentioned but suboptimal intervention Jigsaw exploration of research lit Wrap up
Writing Reflection Reflect on an academic moment that stands out to you where you felt (or feel) particularly at home - where you felt (or feel) you belong. What are one or two things about that environment that fostered your sense of belonging?
Goals: By the end of this session, you will Be able to define belonging uncertainty and describe how it undermines student academic success Engage in self-reflection to make your courses (even more) inclusive and welcoming Know about several key strategies for fostering students sense of belonging Have a plan to implement at least one new strategy to foster students sense of belonging in one or more of your courses
What is meant by a Sense of Belonging? Psychologically, sense of belonging refers to the experience of personal involvement and integration within a system or environment to the extent that a person feels they play a special roll in that system or environment. (McLaren, 2009, p. 3)
Belonging in Academic Contexts Do I belong here? More vigilant I m not sure
Belonging in Academic Contexts Do I belong here? More vigilant I m not sure Classmate doesn t say hi in the hall Assume the worst Bad grade on a quiz Professor canceled a meeting
Belonging in Academic Contexts Do I belong here? Less vigilant YES! Benefit of the doubt
Key Findings from the Research on Sense of Belonging Everyone is susceptible to concerns about social belonging Belonging uncertainty is especially strong at transition points, such as moving from high school to college or from a 2YC to a 4YCU (Aguilar et al., 2014, Stephens et al., 2014). Underrepresented students (including socioeconomic, race, gender, disabilities) are disproportionately susceptible to concerns about social belonging, and these concerns may negatively affect their academic performance (e.g. Aguilar et al., 2014; Walton & Cohen, 2011) Academic and social setbacks, which are a normal part of transitioning to college, can instead feel like evidence of not belonging. This can be compounded by stereotype threat and personal stress. There are many tools to foster belonging and normalize transitions have proven effective, including mentoring, peer cohorts, active learning, incorporating examples of diverse scientists, connecting content to careers, infusing societal relavance as well as noncognitive interventions. Classroom setting Short Can dramatically mitigate belonging uncertainty Positive GPA impacts Benefit all students
Instructor Pedagogical Care Matters Freeman, et. al. (2007) found that instructors how it is important that instructors show that they care how a student does academically. An instructor who made a difference for student s sense of belonging exhibited the following characteristics: encouraged student participation; were enthusiastic, friendly, and helpful; and were organized and prepared for class Of that list, instructors who encouraged student participation had the greatest effect on class belonging. When students felt like they belonged in a class, they tried harder, found the class more interesting, and considered the material to be more useful.
Mattering matters for a sense of belonging Mattering is the feeling that other depend on us, are interested in us, and are concerned with our wellbeing. Terrell L. Strayhorn writes that students described in detail how faculty members behaviors helped to make them feel they mattered. Faculty members knew their name (and pronounced it correctly), demonstrated an interest in their degree or professional goals, seemed to care about their mastery of STEM course content, and showed concern for their personal wellbeing. (Strayhorn, 2019, p.96) He also states that students were less likely to leave a STEM major if they felt that their friends would miss them if they left the major.
How noncognitive/social-psychological interventions work Through effective social-psychological interventions, instructors can change how students interpret adverse or ambiguous events. Psychological interventions change students mind-sets to help them take greater advantage of available learning opportunities. Adverse events: Struggling to understand course material (lecture, reading, etc.) Not doing as well as you hoped on an assignment or exam Ambiguous events: Not being invited to join a social gathering or study group Being the one of the only [demographic subgroup] in a classroom Receiving critical feedback on an assignment Being praised for mediocre work
Elements of successful noncognitive/ social psychological interventions Specific: Address the specific underlying psychological concerns that prevent students from taking advantage of resources or support. All students: Do not single out any individuals or groups, publicly or privately. Research based: Use delivery methods that are particularly persuasive and long- lasting. Stealthy: Implement an intervention stealthily -- avoid presenting an activity as an intervention. The research shows that stealthy approaches don t feel controlling and don t stigmatize students as in need of help (Yeager, Walton, Cohen, 2013) Brief: Are brief; in many cases repetition is not needed. Normalize: attribute daily struggles to the normal difficulties of the transition to college, not to evidence they do not belong in school in general (Yeager et al., 2016, Stephens et al., 2014)
Think-Pair-Share: Is this an effective social-psychological intervention? Why or why not? Professor Jones wants all her students in a class for potential majors to succeed, and she hopes to increase the diversity of geoscientists. So she schedules a weekly help session for students who might be having difficulty, and she personally invites all the women and minority students to attend. (Modified from Aguilar et al., 2014, which has additional examples)
Jigsaw: exploration of the research literature on sense of belonging EXAMPLE: Blackwell et al., 2007 Theoretical underpinnings: Carol Dweck s research on mindset Their intervention: Addresses the underlying psychological concern of am I smart enough to do this intellectual work What message does it deliver? The brain is a muscle that gets stronger with exercise Who: NYC public middle school students What: Attended 8 sessions about study skills and how the brain develops new neural connections and gets smarter when a person works on challenging tasks Control group learned only about study skills
Jigsaw: exploration of the research literature on sense of belonging EXAMPLE: Blackwell et al., 2007 Results: Math grades of students in the control group declined, as is normal in the middle school years. Math grades of students in the intervention group improved over time, instead. Average difference in grades between the two groups was ~ of a letter; see graph. A similar study with high school students reduced the percentage of students who had to repeat algebra class (because they failed it the first time) from 24% to 9%.
Jigsaw, part 1: 15 minutes In your group, you will read a short excerpt from the research literature and answer questions about what the intervention was, how it relates to belonging, how it is implemented, and what the data show about its effectiveness. If you already do this in your teaching, tell the other members of your group how you incorporate it. If you don t already do this, discuss how you could incorporate it into one of your courses. Be ready to describe the research excerpt to workshop participants who have not read about it. (Each group is reading about a different intervention.)
Jigsaw, part 2: 25 minutes In your new, mixed groups, each member being the expert on one intervention: Each member of the group shares their summary of the research they read about and their ideas for implementation Fill in the intervention chart as each person speaks, so that you will have a handy reference with the key information about each of these interventions As a group, conduct a SWOT analysis of the collection of interventions What are the strengths of each intervention? What are the weaknesses? What are the opportunities? What are the challenges to implementation?
Elements of successful noncognitive/ social psychological interventions Specific: Address the specific underlying psychological concerns that prevent students from taking advantage of resources or support. All students: Do not single out any individuals or groups, publicly or privately. Research based: Use delivery methods that are particularly persuasive and long- lasting. Stealthy: Implement an intervention stealthily -- avoid presenting an activity as an intervention. The research shows that stealthy approaches don t feel controlling and don t stigmatize students as in need of help (Yeager, Walton, Cohen, 2013) Brief: Are brief; in many cases repetition is not needed. Normalize: attribute daily struggles to the normal difficulties of the transition to college, not to evidence they do not belong in school in general (Yeager et al., 2016, Stephens et al., 2014)
Think-Pair-Share: What could Professor Jones do instead, to achieve the same goal? Professor Jones wants all her students in a class for potential majors to succeed, and she hopes to increase the diversity of geoscientists. So she schedules a weekly help session for students who might be having difficulty, and she personally invites all the women and minority students to attend. (Modified from Aguilar et al., 2014, which has additional examples)
Reflection What will you try in your own teaching in the coming year? Where, when, how? Will you collect data to assess the effect of your efforts?
References Aguilar, Lauren, Greg Walton, and Carl Wieman (2014). Psychological Insights for Improved Physics Teaching. Physics Today, v. 67, n. 5, pp. 43-49. Freeman, Tierra M., Lynley H. Anderman, Jane M. Jensen (2007). Sense of Belonging in College Freshman at the Classroom and Campus Levels. The Journal of Experimental Education, v. 75, n. 3, pp. 203-220. McLaren, S. (2009). Sense of belonging to the general and lesbian communities as predictors of depression among lesbians. Journal of Homosexuality, 56, pp. 1-13. Miyake, Akira, Lauren E. Kost-Smith, Noah D. Finkelstein, Steven J. Pollock, Geoffrey L. Cohen, and Tiffany Ito (2010). Reducing the Gender Achievement Gap in College Science: A Classroom Study of Values Affirmation. Science, v. 330, pp. 1234-1237. Stephens, N. M., Hamedani, M. G., & Destin, M. (2014). Closing the social-class achievement gap: A difference-education intervention improves first-generation students academic performance and all students college transition. Psychological science, 25(4), 943-953. Tellhed, Una, Martin Backstrom, and Fredrik Bjorklund (2017). Will I Fit in and Do Well? The Importance of Social Belongingness and Self-Efficacy for Explaining Gender Differences in Interest in STEM and HEED Majors. Sex Roles, v. 77, pp. 86-96. Tsui, L. (2007). Effective strategies to increase diversity in STEM fields: A review of the research literature. The Journal of Negro Education, 555-581. Walton, Gregory M. and Geoffrey L. Cohen (2007). A Question of Belonging: Race, Social Fit, and Achievement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, v. 92, n. 1, pp. 82-96. Walton, Gregory M. and Geoffrey L. Cohen (2011). A Brief Social-Belonging Intervention Improves Academic and Health Outcomes of Minority Students. Science, v. 331, pp. 1447-1451.
References (cont) Yeager, David S. and Gregory M. Walton (2011). Social-Psychological Interventions in Education: They re Not Magic. Review of Educational Research, v. 81, n. 2, pp. 267-301. Yeager, D., Walton, G., & Cohen, G. L. (2013). Addressing achievement gaps with psychological interventions. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(5), 62-65. Yeager, D. S., Walton, G. M., Brady, S. T., Akcinar, E. N., Paunesku, D., Keane, L., ... & Gomez, E. M. (2016). Teaching a lay theory before college narrows achievement gaps at scale. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(24), E3341-E3348.
Social-psychological interventions that are likely to backfire (modified from Aguilar et al., 2014) 1. Professor Doe wants all students to feel encouraged and capable in class, so whenever a student asks a question or offers a comment, he says it is a great question or comment. He is particularly enthusiastic if the student is a woman or person of color. 2. Professor Adams wants to avoid discouraging students with criticism on their homework assignments, so she doesn t always call out their mistakes, particularly if the student is a minority, woman, transgender, or has a disability. She feels it is more important for them to feel successful than to correct every minor error. 3. Professor Smith is concerned about the high failure rate in his introductory earth science course. To encourage students to work harder, he starts the first class by telling the students how difficult the course is and that usually about 30% of the students fail. He tells them they will have to study hard, particularly if they think that their background preparation is weak.
