Where I Sleep: The Relationship with Residential Environments and First-Generation Belongingness

Abstract:Sense of belonging contributes to academic success, persistence, and self-efficacy among students, and is especially poignant for first-generation students who are less likely to engage socially, intellectually, and academically. Residential spaces provide the ideal environment to examine belongingness among first-generation students because of the intersections of academic and social spaces. In our study, we utilized regression analysis supplemented by an analysis of open-ended responses to explore belongingness among first-generation students in residential spaces using sense of belonging model. Our findings suggest that residential advisors, residence hall facilities and programming, and multiple identities contribute to first-generation student belongingness.