Author Date

2024-12

Degree Name

Department

Experience Design and Management

College

Marriott School of Management

Defense Date

2024-11-26

Publication Date

2024-12-16

First Faculty Advisor

Dr. Neil Lundberg

First Faculty Reader

Dr. Patti Freeman

Honors Coordinator

Dr. Brian Hill

Keywords

belonging, sense of belonging, student, university, program, interpersonal relationships

Abstract

This thesis studies specific elements of an academic program and their relationship with students’ sense of belonging. To gather data, participants responded to a questionnaire that contained items designed to understand their experience in their major. The quantitative portion asked about the program elements (independent variables) and used the General Belongingness Scale to measure their sense of belonging (dependent variable). This also included questions that had participants report their perception of how each element affected their sense of belonging. The final item was open-ended and asked for their general thoughts on belonging in their program. The findings suggest that the most influential part of a students’ academic journey to their sense of belonging is their interpersonal relationships, particularly with their peers. Other program elements may have a relation with sense of belonging, but were not found to be statistically significant. Additionally, most of the participants’ responses to the open-ended question mentioned their interactions with instructors and peers. In order to foster belonging in an academic program, faculty and staff should intentionally provide opportunities for their students to connect with faculty, staff, and other students in their program.