How Do Latinx Dual Credit Earners Describe Their Sense of Belonging in Engineering Programs?

This study examined how 10 Latinx students perceived their sense of belonging in engineering programs. Drawing upon Strayhorn’s definition of sense of belonging, we sought to understand the experiences and individuals that facilitated Latinx students’ connections to their engineering programs and to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of college student retention : Research, theory & practice Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 3 - 19
Main Authors Allen, Taryn Ozuna, Thompson, Melissa Laird, Collins, Shalun
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.05.2022
Subjects
Academic Advising
Barriers
Class Size
College Students
Dual Enrollment
Engineering Education
Hispanic American Students
Peer Relationship
Sense of Community
Student Attitudes
Student Organizations
Teacher Student Relationship
Texas
engineering programs
qualitative research
dual credit
Latinx students
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Summary:This study examined how 10 Latinx students perceived their sense of belonging in engineering programs. Drawing upon Strayhorn’s definition of sense of belonging, we sought to understand the experiences and individuals that facilitated Latinx students’ connections to their engineering programs and to the larger campus community at a 4-year university in Texas. The findings from this study indicate interactions with faculty members, academic advisors, and peers through student organizations facilitated a strong sense of belonging. However, the size and rigor of classes, distance to campus, outside responsibilities, and feeling like an outsider created challenges to students’ sense of belonging at the university. Recommendations for practice and future research are offered.
ISSN:1521-0251
1541-4167
DOI:10.1177/1521025119898153