ERIC Number: ED665313
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 147
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3468-5393-0
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
How Can the Learning Environment Be Designed to Encourage Sense of Belonging for Students in Higher Education?
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Antioch University
Loneliness was declared a national epidemic in May 2023 and an international global threat in November 2023. Sense of belonging, or lack thereof, can greatly contribute to loneliness. Students who feel a sense of belonging at their institution tend to be more engaged and experience higher success rates, which can lead to increased persistence and retention. The objective of this professional innovation dissertation was to investigate how inclusive and equitable teaching practices might increase sense of belonging for students in the learning environment. This study advocates for marginalized students, placing the responsibility for a change in learning environment back on the institution with a specific focus on teaching practices. Maslow's hierarchy of needs provides the foundation for sense of belonging. That hierarchy combined with the intersectionality framework emphasizes how students often have multiple identities, and the combination of identities can impact the way they engage in the learning environment. The transformative paradigm provides institutions with the lens to consider how changes in the learning environment are necessary to provide the types of support students need to be able to develop a sense of belonging. The professional development materials created in this dissertation suggest that critical self-reflection and transformative learning are necessary for faculty to gain an understanding of their students and provide the inclusive and equitable experience they need to develop a sense of belonging, overcoming barriers created by the institution and the complexity of having multiple identities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Sense of Belonging, Higher Education, College Environment, Change Strategies, Teaching Methods, Power Structure, Minority Group Students, Inclusion, Equal Education, Learner Engagement, Faculty Development, Student Needs, College Students
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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