The Role of Validation Experiences and Sense of Belonging in Academic Self-Concept and Intent to Persist Among Four-Year College Students

Research indicates that historically underrepresented college students are more likely to report alienating campus climates which can contribute to decreased sense of belonging and wellbeing. In turn, a lack of a sense of belonging and poor mental health may lead to decreased academic engagement and increased likelihood of attrition. Theoretical and empirical literature on critical race theory (CRT), validation, and sense of belonging identifies key factors across individual and institutional levels that influence student wellbeing and academic outcomes without relying on a deficit-based framework. Using an interactional, ecological conceptual framework drawing together CRT, validation theory, and sense of belonging my study further explores the relationships between academic validation, interpersonal validation, and sense of belonging and academic self-concept and persistence outcomes. Three years of survey data, 2015-2017, from four-year institutions were drawn from the Diverse Learning Environments (DLE) survey administered by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI). The primary independent variables include academic validation, interpersonal validation, and sense of belonging. The outcome variables are academic self-concept and intent to persist operationalized as whether a student has considered dropping out of their program and whether they plan to attend a graduate program. Covariates include student demographics, identity, and enrollment; student and institutional engagement; and institutional characteristics and climate variables. The primary method of analysis was ordinary least squares (OLS) and logistic regression models. Subgroup analyses were conducted to determine any overall differences among groups and specific differences in the effects of primary predictors. Analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS 26. Across iv all outcomes, primary independent variables or focal factors and student demographic, identity, and enrollment variables explained the greatest variation in academic self-concept scores and persistence. However, important student and institutional engagement and institutional characteristics and climate factors were also identified. The subgroup analyses did not identify consistently meaningful or significant differences in the effects of the primary predictors. Implications focus on theory, policies, and practices to enhance the implicit or hidden curriculum. Keywords: critical race theory, validation theory, sense of belongin

The art of partnership: Expanding representations and interpretations

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How can students-as-partners work address challenges to student, faculty, and staff mental health and well-being?

Mental health has emerged as a critical area of attention in higher education, and educational research over the last 15 years has focused increasingly on emotions and wellbeing at all stages of education (Hill et al., 2021). While definitions of well-being vary, most are premised on “good quality of life” (Nair et al., 2018, p. 69). Within the last few years, we have experienced an intersection of several forces that undermine or threaten good quality of life. These include the uncertainties prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic (Hews et al., 2022, U.S. Surgeon General, n.d.), climate change (Charlson et al., 2021), racism and social injustices (Williams & Etkins, 2021), the cost-of-living crisis (Montacute, 2023), and the lack of motivation and higher incidence of mental health issues associated with growing concerns about job prospects and income (Chowdhury et al., 2022). This fifth iteration of Voices from the Field explores some of the ways in which students-as-partners work can address challenges to the mental health and well-being of students, faculty, and staff. This focus, proposed by members of the IJSaP Editorial Board, both responds to the intersecting realities named above and remains true to the goal of this section of the journal, which is to offer a venue for a wide range of contributors to address important questions around and aspects of students-as-partners work without going through the intensive submission, peer-review, and revision processes. The prompt we included in the call for this iteration of Voices was: “In what ways can students-as-partners work address challenges to the mental health and well-being of students, staff, and faculty posed by the current realities in the wider world (socio-political, environmental, economic, etc.) that affect higher education?

The many manifestations of successful partnership

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