Student Withdrawal, Retention and Their Sense of Belonging; Their Experience in Their Words

Russell, Lisa; Jarvis, Christine

doi:10.30828/real/2019.3.3

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The challenges of creating a sense of belonging for Black students in HE is now a familiar theme in the widening access and participation literature (Read et al. , 2003; Russell and Jarvis, 2019) and remains an ongoing challenge for most HEIs. The scholarly literature demonstrates that students from underrepresented backgrounds more generally, but particularly those from racially minoritised groups, experience barriers at university and “adverse experiences” with regard to “access to help, supervision and support” (Arday, 2018).…”

Section: Feedback Analysis and Key Themesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Black students’ experiences of coaching and mentoring in higher education: a case study

Hillman,

Lochtie,

Purcell

2024

IJMCE

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PurposeIn this case study, we offer an analysis of feedback from a student experience survey completed by Black undergraduate students who received proactive, targeted coaching and mentoring support during 2021–2022. All the students were studying at a large higher education institution in the United Kingdom which offers a broad range of degree courses by distance learning.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports on the intervention delivered and analyses the student experience of being offered, and receiving, proactive coaching and mentoring. It is based on the responses of 102 students who engaged with the experience survey after having self-selected to receive the intervention. What follows is an analysis of their experiences using a qualitative in vivo approach based on word frequency in students’ free-text comments.FindingsThe findings presented are that, in this intervention, students who self-select to receive coaching and mentoring support experience tangible (self-reported) behaviour changes with potentially longer term benefits for their studies. These include improved self-confidence and self-efficacy, increased proactive help-seeking behaviour, greater recognition of strengths and achievement and personal growth and self-awareness.Originality/valueIn presenting this case study, we aim to contribute to the growing corpus of practitioner case studies and research papers that show the benefits of coaching and mentoring in higher education and – more specifically – why coaching and mentoring can be a worthwhile targeted intervention for students from underrepresented backgrounds. This lends support to the growing consensus that students with positive, proactive help-seeking behaviours perform better than students not able to access support (Byrne et al., 2014). We conclude the case study with some practical implications for providers looking to provide targeted support to students.

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Section: Feedback Analysis and Key Themesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Black students’ experiences of coaching and mentoring in higher education: a case study

Hillman,

Lochtie,

Purcell

2024

IJMCE

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show abstract

“…This matters because sense of belonging is related to student outcomes in the literature. For example, some scholars have identified how a sense of belonging is associated with increased risk of non-completion, feelings of dejection, lack of motivation and poorer well-being (Meeuwisse et al , 2010; Morris, 2021; Pittman and Richmond, 2007; Russell and Jarvis, 2019; Thomas, 2012), a finding confirmed by Ahn and Davis (2020a), who report a correlation between student retention, well-being and sense of belonging using factor analysis. Pedler et al (2022), in a survey of 578 students, report that sense of belonging is important for student enjoyment, motivation and, hence, attainment and continuation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Is the grass always greener? Access to campus green spaces can boost students’ sense of belonging

Thompson

Pownall

Harris

et al. 2023

IJSHE

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Purpose An important facet of student’s sense of belonging is students’ relationships with, and time spent in, the university campus. The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion that access to campus “green space”, including parks, fields and gardens, may bolster students’ sense of belonging, improve well-being feelings and promote place attachment. Design/methodology/approach The authors surveyed students in different locations (including three green and one non-green campus spaces) across a large UK campus-based Northern institution. 146 students participated in the study in one of the four campus locations. The authors investigated how being in green spaces on campus may impact students’ sense of belonging, well-being and place attachment. The authors also qualitatively explored students’ perceptions of campus spaces through Ahn’s (2017) 10 Words Question measure. Findings Analyses demonstrate that students surveyed in green spaces reported significantly more positive sense of belonging, compared to students surveyed in non-green campus spaces. Campus location did not impact well-being, however. Students associated green spaces on campus with “calm”, “positive emotion” and “nature” words and non-green spaces with “busy”, “social” and “students”. Practical implications Taken together, the results of this paper suggest that access to green spaces can be important for campus sense of belonging. Thus, efforts should be made to ensure the sustainability of these important spaces across university campuses. Originality/value This study crucially examines how occupying green spaces on university campuses may impact students’ feelings of belongingness. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that uses field-based methods to understand students’ feelings whilst occupying green spaces.

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“…Students need to detach from one's established social norms and communities and take up the values associated with the new HE environment. Russell and Jarvis (2019) argue that fostering such a 'sense of belonging' is key to institutional approaches to retention. While this seems logical, Christie et al argue that the integration approach risks conceptualising some students, particularly those from widening participation backgrounds, as 'problematic', and that they must change themselves in order to fit in at university 5 (2005, p.5).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

‘I just think it’s really awkward’: transitioning to higher education and the implications for student retention

Williams

Roberts

2022

High Educ

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Student Withdrawal, Retention and Their Sense of Belonging; Their Experience in Their Words

Cited by 12 publications

References 22 publications

Black students’ experiences of coaching and mentoring in higher education: a case study

Black students’ experiences of coaching and mentoring in higher education: a case study

Is the grass always greener? Access to campus green spaces can boost students’ sense of belonging

‘I just think it’s really awkward’: transitioning to higher education and the implications for student retention

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