Developing Low-income College Students' Sense of Belonging: The Role of Validation

Abstract

Earning a college degree can be a transformational life experience for low-income students that breaks cycles of poverty and opens doors to rewarding career opportunities and increased quality of life (White House, 2014). The share of students from low-income backgrounds attending college has increased over the past few decades, and they make up a substantial proportion of today’s college students (Fry & Cilluffo, 2019). However, they are much less likely to complete college compared with their higher-income counterparts (Cahalan et al., 2018, Fry & Cilluffo, 2019; NCES, 2018). Much attention has been paid to the financial factors that influence low-income students’ college completion; however, low-income students face many cultural and social challenges in college that also have implications for their completion and are equally deserving of scholars’ attention (Kezar, 2011). Developing a sense of belonging in culturally alienating college environments that privilege middleand upper-class norms, values, language, and knowledge is one such challenge facing low-income students that has implications for their college success and completion (Hurst, 2010; Soria & Stebleton, 2013; see Strayhorn, 2019 for a comprehensive discussion of college sense of belonging). Researchers have revealed a strong association between sense of belonging and students’ social class and economic background (Bettencourt, 2021; Ostrove & Long, 2007; Soria & Bultmann, 2014). Notably, students from less advantaged economic and class backgrounds typically report a lower sense of belonging in college compared with their middle and upper-class peers (Bettencourt, 2021; Soria & Stebleton, 2013). They also face difficulty finding staff, faculty, and peers to connect with who share their social class backgrounds and experiences. To address gaps in college completion, educators (i.e., faculty, staff) bear responsibility for increasing low-income students’ sense of belonging and identifying assetand strengths-based practices that effectively promote low-income students’ belonging (Colyar, 2011; Rendón & Muñoz, 2011). Validation is one such promising practice that focuses on how student support is delivered by staff and faculty rather than on what specific support offices and services are offered (Rendón & Muñoz, 2011. Validation is a holistic process initiated by educators who (a) proactively reach out to students early on and consistently; (b) build genuine, caring relationships in and out of the classroom; (c) discover and affirm students’ backgrounds and identities; (d) communicate to students that their backgrounds are valuable assets and have a critical role in their education; (e) reassure students of their innate capabilities and potential for success; and (f ) actively connect students to support that is tailored to their Research in Brief Jason C. Garvey, executive associate editor