Stories of transition: sense of belonging in the first semester at university

Abstract

Sense of belonging of university students signifies that they experience social support, relatedness, and mattering in the academic community. In some definitions, it also includes the ability to identify with your peers or the academic community. Recently, sense of belonging as a static concept is being challenged in favor of a dynamic interpretation. This implies that sense of belonging depends on context: the place, time or people determine whether and how sense of belonging is experienced. Understanding this dynamic nature will ensure a proper alignment between the educational environment and the needs of students. In this study, we explore the dynamic nature of sense of belonging of first-year university students through interviews. We use prompts with metaphor cards and a timeline to elicit both stories and feelings. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcripts of 11 interviews. Results indicate that the development of sense of belonging can be either gradual or fluctuating. Moreover, students can have varying interpretations of seemingly similar situations, depending on the element of sense of belonging they focus on: Social, Academic, University or Self. The development of students’ sense of belonging relates to how students navigate key moments and how they move between the elements of sense of belonging. This study provides more insight into the dynamic nature of sense of belonging, and highlights the need for a variety of interventions as well as empowering students to take control over the development of sense of belonging.