Belonging for Marginalized Identity Groups

The value of social networks expands to all of the students who attend our institutions. In recent articles we have examined the value of developing a sense of social belonging and how influential those groups can be for domestic and international students. We’ve also discussed commuter students and how they also need social connections- but how those are made and what types of relationships commuters chose to develop in school may be different from those who live on campus. In this article, we will narrow our discussion even further to talk about marginalized identity groups and the importance of developing significant relationships during their time in higher education.

When we enter post-secondary we are undergoing significant life changes at pivotal developmental moments in our adult years. During our time in higher ed, we are constantly re-negotiating who we are and thus our sense of belonging regularly shifts. Despite the continual fluctuations during these years the need to belong exists within all students, but marginalized identity groups are much more likely to arrive on campus already wondering if they belong before classes even begin (Strayhorn, 2019).

When forming social groups and deciding which communities to participate in, it has been observed that people from the same linguistic and cultural backgrounds tend to cluster together, just as students of the same gender (Fjelkner-Pihl, 2021). Developing a social identity is a very important part of time spent in higher education as well. I think this quote captures it well “We decide our identities not only by what we are, but also by what we are not” (Wenger, 1998, p. 164 as cited in Torres-Olave, 2011). When students are deciding which groups to be a part of, which people to befriend, and which communities will be most valuable to them, they are looking to connect with people who represent and/or embody a significant part of their own identity, so that they will automatically feel welcome within the group. This desire to connect with people who share part of someone’s identity is key when choosing and forming these connections as familiarity is a necessary precursor to deeper interpersonal belonging (Kahu et al., 2022).

Belonging might be a universal need, but it does not apply to all people equally. To understand students’ development of belonging, identity and core values, plus specific social contexts, need to be examined. For example, many studies have proven that Latino students frequently experience discrimination, racism, and social isolation at predominantly white institutions (Gloria & Robinson Kurpius, 1996). As is the case for many of our immigrant students, their educational success may be limited by their English proficiency and is influenced by their being the first in their family to attend higher education. Without parental guidance at home to advise them on how to ‘behave’ in this environment, these students are at a starting disadvantage when it comes to navigating institutional structures.

A sense of belonging is particularly important in environments where individuals feel as though they are different from the group, the context is foreign to them, and/or they are unfamiliar with the content being discussed (Strayhorn, 2019). Women and students of colour report feeling invisible or unsupported in STEM-related disciplines (Strayhorn, 2009a). With the stereotypes about their abilities to succeed being projected onto them, often their confidence is degraded, and failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy (Strayhorn, 2009a). Strayhorn has also studied Black male collegians and discusses how belonging is often a goal or desired end which acts as a motive for academic and social behaviours. His work has involved people who spend a lot of time studying in order to ‘fit in’ (academic belonging) so that they can engage more effectively in class and feel more confident about their place in that field. Black men who participate in mentorship relationships with faculty are also more satisfied at school and report a stronger sense of belonging (Strayhorn & Saddler, 2009). And participating in clubs is another way that Black men develop a sense of belonging (social belonging) in college. Being part of a club or community group can ease the adjustment into college and help them make sense of unfamiliar settings (Strayhorn, 2019).

Developing a sense of belonging is particularly important during the post-secondary years for all students, but certain populations which are inclined to feel excluded, irrelevant, or unwelcome in such contexts need to feel accepted as they make the adjustment to higher education.

[Join me next month to hear from Dr. Terrell Strayhorn as we speak about identity and how that affects the ways in which we perceive that we belong].

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Leo Quote: “Exclusion doesn’t define who we are, but it does shape us in ways we never imagined.”

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References

Fjelkner-Pihl, A. (2021). Building Study-Related Relationships. Doctoral Dissertation; Sweden: Lund University.

Gloria, A.M., & Robinson Kurpius, S.E. (1996). The validation of the cultural congruity scale and the university environment scale with Chicano/a students. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 18, 533-554.

Kahu, E.R., Ashley, N., & Picton, C. (2022). Exploring the complexity of first-year student belonging in

higher education: Familiarity, interpersonal, and academic belonging. Student Success, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.2264

Strayhorn, T.L. (2009a). Academic and social barriers to Black and Latino male collegians in engineering. Paper presented at the 39th Annual Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference, San Antonio, TX.

Strayhorn, T.L., & Saddler, T.N. (2009). Gender differences in the influence of faculty-student mentoring relationships on satisfaction with college among African Americans. Journal of African American Studies, 13(4), 476-493.

Strayhorn, T.L. (2019). College students' sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315297293

Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge University Press.