Faculty Focus: Dr. Robert Harrison, Dr. Ann Veeck, Dr. Sakif Amin and Dr. Kelley O'Reilly

Sense of belonging critical to business student experience

The Department of Marketing is currently conducting a multi-phase study examining the sense of belonging for undergraduate business students, exploring factors that contribute to belonging, such as academic and social support and the feeling of fitting in with the business college community. Seeking to understand how a sense of belonging among business students influences academic performance, retention and overall satisfaction with their university experience, faculty members hope to shed light on the importance of a sense of community for undergraduate business students and provide recommendations for business colleges. The research involves more than 15 WMU faculty researchers and two student research assistants.

According to previous research by many scholars, a student’s sense of belonging can depend on variables such as connection to peers, perceived empathy of faculty members, as well as membership in a variety of demographic groups.

The WMU research team created an online survey for students taking courses at the Haworth College of Business and analyzed the responses of 1,141 students—approximately one third of the college’s student population. The survey instrument consisted of open- and close-ended questions, and investigated students’ sense of belonging within the business college community.

The results indicate that faculty support, peer support, institutional support and perceived fit with the institutional environment have positive and significant effects on students, and that the higher a student’s sense of belonging, the more likely they are to persist to graduation.

The study highlights the need for more research, but there are some initial findings that begin to provide a roadmap for educators looking to better understand and promote belonging among students.

• Faculty and staff support matters greatly to students. This support can come from helping students navigate their academic journeys, but also through non-academic behaviors such as empathy, accommodation of needs and learning students’ names.
• Given the importance of peer support on sense of belonging, faculty should consider ways to build peer support and relationship building into the classroom. Group projects, pair-and-share discussions and collaborative exams are commonly used techniques. Research should be conducted to examine how these and other innovative techniques make students feel supported by and connected with their peers.
• Students should be encouraged to engage in activities that help them feel a greater connection to the academic community. Encouraging co-curricular and academic activities that align with their interests is helpful.
• Greater future research focus should be placed upon peer-to-peer support, given its role in fostering a sense of belonging. How can students best support one another, and how can they be encouraged to do so? Which peer-to-peer factors best produce a feeling of fit?

The study’s findings are of particular importance in light of declining high school student populations and an increasing number of post-pandemic high school students considering alternatives to college. Higher education institutions must pay more attention than ever to attracting and retaining students. How can everyone make students feel welcome, cared about and supported from the moment they put down their financial deposit until they graduate and transition into their life as an alum?

This research substantiates the importance of sense of belonging among undergraduate students at a business college. A second, qualitative phase of the research is now underway and will use focus groups to explore the multi-dimensional aspects of belonging further. The bottom line: A sense of belonging is critical to promoting positive outcomes for business students. Business colleges should consider implementing programs and interventions that enhance students’ sense of belonging, particularly for those students that may experience feelings of marginalization or disconnection from the academic community.