Exploring Predictors of Sense of Belonging in Trinidad and Tobago
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| Title: | Exploring Predictors of Sense of Belonging in Trinidad and Tobago |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Niehaus, Elizabeth, Williams, Letitia, Zobac, Stephanie, Young, Miles, Fullerton, Adam |
| Source: | Journal of College Student Development. Sep-Oct 2019 60(5):577-594. |
| Availability: | Johns Hopkins University Press. 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Tel: 800-548-1784; Tel: 410-516-6987; Fax: 410-516-6968; e-mail: jlorder@jhupress.jhu.edu; Web site: http://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/subscribe.html |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 18 |
| Publication Date: | 2019 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Postsecondary Education Higher Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Cultural Influences, College Students, Student School Relationship, Student Personnel Services, Interaction, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Religion, Majors (Students), Instructional Program Divisions, Interpersonal Relationship, Learner Engagement, Peer Relationship, Extracurricular Activities, Student Attitudes |
| Geographic Terms: | Trinidad and Tobago |
| DOI: | 10.1353/csd.2019.0057 |
| ISSN: | 0897-5264 |
| Abstract: | Over the past two decades, Trinidad and Tobago has promoted explosive expansion of tertiary education. As with many growing postsecondary education systems, this increase in tertiary enrollment has led to the development of student support services (Haddad & Altbach, 2009). The field of student services is growing throughout the Caribbean (Reynolds, 2008), but there is currently little research on the role of student services in fostering students' sense of belonging specific to the Caribbean cultural context. Using data from over 900 students at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, we examined students' sense of belonging in the context of T&T. Findings point to the key role that student services professionals play in promoting students' sense of belonging, but the limited interactions that students are having with student services staff and key differences by students' race, religion, program level, and major should be noted. We also identified the indirect role of cocurricular engagement in promoting sense of belonging and the main barriers that prevent students from participating in more cocurricular activities. These findings have important implications for the work of student services professionals in T&T and also expand our understanding of constructs, such as student engagement and sense of belonging, ideas that have been well-researched in the US to a very different tertiary education system. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2019 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1232888 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Over the past two decades, Trinidad and Tobago has promoted explosive expansion of tertiary education. As with many growing postsecondary education systems, this increase in tertiary enrollment has led to the development of student support services (Haddad & Altbach, 2009). The field of student services is growing throughout the Caribbean (Reynolds, 2008), but there is currently little research on the role of student services in fostering students' sense of belonging specific to the Caribbean cultural context. Using data from over 900 students at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, we examined students' sense of belonging in the context of T&T. Findings point to the key role that student services professionals play in promoting students' sense of belonging, but the limited interactions that students are having with student services staff and key differences by students' race, religion, program level, and major should be noted. We also identified the indirect role of cocurricular engagement in promoting sense of belonging and the main barriers that prevent students from participating in more cocurricular activities. These findings have important implications for the work of student services professionals in T&T and also expand our understanding of constructs, such as student engagement and sense of belonging, ideas that have been well-researched in the US to a very different tertiary education system. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0897-5264 |
| DOI: | 10.1353/csd.2019.0057 |
