Aims

From previous research it is known that ethnic minority students in general felt less at home in their educational program compared to their fellow students from the dominant culture (see e.g., Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Read, Archer & Leathwood, 2003). In the present study we firstly investigated to what extent sense of belonging explains study progress in the group of minority students. We expected that Tinto’s concepts of social and academic integration are possible antecedents of students’ sense of belonging, based on findings by Hoffman, Richmond, Morrow and Salomone (2003) and Hurtado and Carter (1997). Secondly, the role of the learning environment was investigated as well. From previous research it is known that, in general, learning environments that can be characterized as activating and (or) cooperative, help students to integrate (Braxton, Milem, & Sullivan, 2000; Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 1998), experience a sense of belonging (Umbach & Wawrzynski, 2005) and gain good study results (Zepke, Leach, & Prebble, 2006). Figure 1 summarises the research literature regarding the links between the learning environment, Tinto’s (1993) social and academic integration, sense of belonging and study success.

(please insert figure 1)

The present study aims to examine these links, as well as possible differences between students from different ethnic backgrounds. The research questions read as follows:

1. To what extent can the positive links between the learning environment, social and academic integration, sense of belonging and study success as described in the theoretical model be confirmed? 
2. Does the model fit equally well in the groups of minority and majority students?

Methodology

423 Participants (first year university students from four different universities in the Netherlands,  response rate 33%) completed a questionnaire. Four scales in this questionnaire measure integration: formal academic integration (reliability.72), informal academic integration (reliability .80), formal social integration (reliability .79), and informal social integration (reliability.87). One scale measures activating learning environments (reliability .67), as well as sense of belonging (reliability .76). Study success was indicated by study progress, and measured by the number of credit points students obtained after one year of studying. This information was obtained from the student administration offices.

The distinction between majority and minority students was made on the basis of the definition of the Statistics Bureau of the Netherlands (CBS).

The research questions were answered by multi-group linear structural modeling analyses using AMOS.  

Findings

Figure 2 presents the accepted model.

(please insert figure 2)

Aside from one link in the model (the direct relationship between learning environment and credits), the model fits the data well (chi-square = 10.800, df = 5, p = .055; CFI = . 995; RMSEA = .047). This model was accepted, thereby answering our first research question.

To answer our second research question, the model was tested by means of multiple-group analysis. The results showed that the model that describes the relationships in the group of ethnic minority students is not the same as the model that fits in the group of majority students. An activating learning environment fosters good quality interactions among students and between students and their teachers. This is true for majority as well as minority students. Different forms of integration however seem to be important for the sense of belonging of ethnic minority and majority students. For minority student, formal integration seems more important, whereas for majority students informal integration is more important. Finally, only in the group of majority students sense of belonging appears to influence students’ study progress.

Theoretical and educational significance

It is known that ethnic minority students obtain less study progress than majority students (Crul & Wolff, 2002). The results of the present study show that ethnic minority students’ study progress appears not to be influenced by the extent to which they feel they belong to the educational program. Future research is needed to further examine underlying reasons for these differences in retention rates. 

The findings presented here have practical implications for higher education in the Netherlands. For majority students as well as minority students activating learning environments contribute to their levels of integration. For ethnic minority students formal contacts seem to be of crucial importance in their sense of belonging to the institution. It is up to the institutions to promote these formal contacts between students and teachers and among students. For majority students, informal contacts with peers are of considerable importance to their sense of belonging. Since their feeling of belonging influences their study progress, it is important to enable majority students to have such informal contacts within the institution.

References

Braxton, J. M., Milem, J. F., & Sullivan, A. S. (2000). The influence of active learning on the student departure process: toward a revision of Tinto's theory. The Journal of Higher Education, 71(5), 569-590.

Crul, M., & Wolff, R. (2002). Talent gewonnen. Talent verspild? Een kwantitatief onderzoek naar de instroom en doorstroom van allochtone studenten in het Nederlands Hoger Onderwijs 1997-2001 [Finding talent. Wasting talent?]. Utrecht: ECHO.

Hurtado, S., & Carter, D. F. (1997). Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial climate on Latino college students' sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70(4), 324-345.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R., & Smith, K. (1998). Active learning: cooperation in the college classroom. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.

Read, B., Archer, L., & Leathwood, C. (2003). Challenging cultures? Student conceptions of 'belonging' and 'isolation' at a post-1992 university. Studies in Higher Education, 28(3), 261-277.

Hoffman, M., Richmond, J., Morrow, J., & Salomone, K. (2003). Investigating 'sense of belonging' in first-year college students. Journal of college student Retention, 4, 227-256.

Umbach, P. D., & Wawrzynski, M. R. (2005). Faculty do matter: the role of college faculty in student learning and engagement. Research in Higher Education, 46(2), 153-184.

Zepke, N., Leach, L., & Prebble, T. (2006). Being learner centered: one way to improve student retention? Studies in Higher Education, 31(5), 587-600.