View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

Sense of belonging defined: a conceptual exploration through a qualitative content analysis of ethnic-minority students' experiences at university.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Sense of belonging defined: a conceptual exploration through a qualitative content analysis of ethnic-minority students' experiences at university.
Authors: De Coninck, Jente (AUTHOR), Stevens, Peter (AUTHOR), Vantieghem, Wendelien (AUTHOR)
Source: Studies in Higher Education. Jun2026, Vol. 51 Issue 6, p1304-1322. 19p.
Subjects: Minority students, Social belonging, Equality, Group identity, Content analysis, Retention of college students, Higher education, Students
Abstract: It became apparent that academic retention in higher education (HE) is influenced beyond academic factors alone. Given sense of belonging's (SoB's) relationship with educational and broader outcomes, researchers have shifted their attention to studying SoB's role in explaining social inequities in HE. However, there is little research that describes how ethnic-cultural minority (ECM) students themselves define and experience SoB, which questions the validity of currently employed measurement instruments. This study builds on this research by conducting a qualitative content analysis on data from 69 interviews with Flemish (Belgian) ECM students. While SoB matters for all students, ECM-students experience greater concerns due to their social identities, which make them more vulnerable to negative stereotyping. Flanders constitutes a theoretically interesting case as ECM and low-socioeconomic status students are less likely to enroll and more likely to underachieve in HE, despite its relatively open-access HE-system. The findings show the importance of the social domain and to a lesser extent, the personal and academic domain for ECM students in defining SoB. This paper concludes by offering a definition and the development of a conceptual model of university SoB that seeks to capture its universal aspects across diverse contexts and social groups. The conclusion discusses the implications of this study for future research and social policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Full text is not displayed to guests.
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
Text:
  Availability: 1
Header DbId: pbh
DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
An: 194222916
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Sense of belonging defined: a conceptual exploration through a qualitative content analysis of ethnic-minority students' experiences at university.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22De+Coninck%2C+Jente%22">De Coninck, Jente</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Stevens%2C+Peter%22">Stevens, Peter</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Vantieghem%2C+Wendelien%22">Vantieghem, Wendelien</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Studies+in+Higher+Education%22">Studies in Higher Education</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 51 Issue 6, p1304-1322. 19p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Minority+students%22">Minority students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+belonging%22">Social belonging</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Equality%22">Equality</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Group+identity%22">Group identity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Content+analysis%22">Content analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Retention+of+college+students%22">Retention of college students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+education%22">Higher education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Students%22">Students</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: It became apparent that academic retention in higher education (HE) is influenced beyond academic factors alone. Given sense of belonging's (SoB's) relationship with educational and broader outcomes, researchers have shifted their attention to studying SoB's role in explaining social inequities in HE. However, there is little research that describes how ethnic-cultural minority (ECM) students themselves define and experience SoB, which questions the validity of currently employed measurement instruments. This study builds on this research by conducting a qualitative content analysis on data from 69 interviews with Flemish (Belgian) ECM students. While SoB matters for all students, ECM-students experience greater concerns due to their social identities, which make them more vulnerable to negative stereotyping. Flanders constitutes a theoretically interesting case as ECM and low-socioeconomic status students are less likely to enroll and more likely to underachieve in HE, despite its relatively open-access HE-system. The findings show the importance of the social domain and to a lesser extent, the personal and academic domain for ECM students in defining SoB. This paper concludes by offering a definition and the development of a conceptual model of university SoB that seeks to capture its universal aspects across diverse contexts and social groups. The conclusion discusses the implications of this study for future research and social policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=194222916
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/03075079.2025.2507783
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 19
        StartPage: 1304
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Minority students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social belonging
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Equality
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Group identity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Content analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Retention of college students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Higher education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Students
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Sense of belonging defined: a conceptual exploration through a qualitative content analysis of ethnic-minority students' experiences at university.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: De Coninck, Jente
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Stevens, Peter
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Vantieghem, Wendelien
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 03075079
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 51
            – Type: issue
              Value: 6
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Studies in Higher Education
              Type: main
ResultId 1