Belonging and adjustment for LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ students during the social transition to university.

Abstract

The transition to university can be challenging not only for the general student population but also for LGBTQ+ students, whose social experiences may be particularly demanding. In the current research, we explore first-year students' perceptions of belonging and social adjustment by (a) estimating whether such perceptions relate to achievement motivation, well-being, and academic performance, and (b) identifying whether these trends differ for LGBTQ+ students.First-year students from one public university in New Zealand (n = 896) completed a questionnaire to report their early experiences in higher education. Grade Point Average (GPA) was provided by the institution. Results using descriptive statistics and regression-based, moderation models offer empirical support that belongingness and social adjustment have the potential to impact first-year students in meaningful ways, and that some of these patterns vary between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ students. Individuals who reported institutional belonging and felt as though they had adjusted well to university also reported high levels of achievement motivation and well-being. Meanwhile, individuals who reported peer belonging were linked to weaker achievement motivation yet a higher GPA. Our results introduce new evidence that although LGBTQ+ students reported relatively poorer well-being, they experienced relatively more enjoyment and less boredom in their classes. Interactions from moderation testing reveal that the statistical predictions of belongingness and social adjustment for academic self-efficacy and subjective well-being differed between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ students. We discuss the practical implications of our results and identify ways for higher educational institutions to support first-year students.

Blended Learning Experiences of LGBTQ+ and Neurodivergent Students: A mixed-methods study

“…LGBTQ+, who have previously been shown to have lower perceptions of belongingness and social adjustment in the university context (Sotardi et al, 2021). This partial replication applied a mixed-methods, intersectional lens to investigate student belonging amongst…”

“…(Hausman et al, 2009, Freeman et al, 2007. A study by Sotardi et al (2021) examined the perceptions of belonging and social adjustment among first year undergraduate students at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. They found significant differences between LGBTQ+ and non-…”

“…The present research project is a partial replication of the study conducted by Sotardi et al (2021), with the aim of exploring LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent students' experiences of belonging and adjustment at Scottish universities, in an academic year that offered blended learning as standard due to COVID-19 restrictions.…”

“…The original study (Sotardi et al, 2021) recommended qualitative methods be employed in the future to elaborate on the phenomenological aspects of belonging and adjustment among…”

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The quantitative data and analysis code are available at https://osf.io/9j5z3/

Blended Learning Experiences of LGBTQ+ and Neurodivergent Students:A mixed-methods studyThe COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered teaching and learning practices in higher education, with academic, social, and psychological consequences for students. The pivot to online and blended-learning models across has the potential to impact belongingness and social adjustment in students across identity groupsincluding students who identify asLGBTQ+, who have previously been shown to have lower perceptions of belongingness and social adjustment in the university context (Sotardi et al, 2021). This partial replication applied a mixed-methods, intersectional lens to investigate student belonging amongstLGBTQ+ and neurodivergent students.We found that belonging and social adjustment were predictors of academic selfefficacy for all students, but particularly LGBTQ+ students, during blended learning.Neurodivergent students demonstrated significantly lower wellbeing and academic selfefficacy than their neurotypical peers.

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