Dynamic belonging – how student belonging changes over time for first-generation students

Whilst students’ sense of belonging (SoB) – an important concept in relation to student success – is accepted as changing over time, most existing research investigates this concept as a static phenomenon, using single, snapshot measurements. This mixed-method study utilises a longitudinal approach to measure students’ sense of belonging at multiple points throughout the first year of undergraduate study. 101 students from two English universities completed questionnaires and online diaries as part of a larger study on student success and SoB. Linear mixed models and data visualisation analyses show that overall students’ sense of belonging declines over the first year of study. This has implications for institutions in how they plan their approaches to support students with their sense of belonging, including challenges for potential ‘frontloading’ of welcome interventions near the start of the first term. The analyses also found that first-generation students had significantly lower SoB than their non-first-generation counterparts, but only later in the first year of study. Coding matrix queries were then utilised based on students’ detailed responses to online diaries to help interpret and contextualise the quantitative findings. These subsequent analyses found that fragile relationships with peers on the course, cultural barriers, and a lower propensity to talk about finances or feel that they mattered to staff were more common among first-generation students. Overall, this article furthers understanding of the dynamic nature of belonging and how it is experienced differently by first-generation students, with insights into what may be causing these divergent experiences over time.