[Work-in-Progress] Sense of Belonging in STEM Higher Education: Developing a Scoping Review Protocol and Strategy

Collins Ugonna Lawrence; Eunsil Lee

Download Paper | Permalink

Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 10
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/46414

Request a correction

Paper Authors

author page

Collins Ugonna Lawrence University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

biography

Eunsil Lee University at Buffalo, The State University of New York orcid.org/0000-0002-1200-2412

visit author page

Eunsil Lee is an assistant professor at University at Buffalo in the Department of Engineering Education. She received a B.S. and M.S. in Clothing and Textiles from Yonsei University (South Korea) with the concentration area of Nanomaterials and Biomaterials in Textiles. She began her Ph.D. study in Textile Engineering, but shifted her path toward Engineering Education and earned her Ph.D. from Arizona State University, in Engineering Education. After gaining her Ph.D., she worked as a postdoctoral associate at Florida International University in the School of Universal Computing, Construction, and Engineering Education and a visiting assistant professor at Virginia Tech in the Department of Engineering Education. Her research interests center on the concept of sense of belonging, graduate education, mixed-methods and synthesis research.

visit author page

Download Paper | Permalink

Abstract

A surge in research exploring Sense of belonging in STEM higher education reflects growing awareness of its significance among researchers. However, a gap exists between understanding the importance of SOB from research perspectives and the recognition of the need for its clear conceptualization and operationalization. This conceptual ambiguity poses substantial challenges for educators and researchers working to establish a coherent and comprehensive understanding of Sense of belonging in STEM higher education.

Notably, terms related to Sense of belonging are used sporadically and inconsistently across STEM higher education literature, with terms like "connectedness," "sense of community," and "perceived cohesion" often being used interchangeably. Additionally, much of the research on Sense of belonging in STEM higher education fails to consider the construct’s dimensionality, specifically, whether Sense of belonging is unidimensional or multidimensional. This is in contrast to the emerging discourse in higher education that emphasizes the importance of viewing SOB as a multifaceted construct comprising social, academic, environmental, and individual components. For instance, a study by Maghsoodi et al. (2023) examining an existing Sense of belonging scale with college students revealed a multidimensional structure of the SOB construct, including an academic component, findings consistent with Slaten's (2018) empirical study on the conceptual structure of undergraduate students' Sense of belonging. This lack of conceptual clarity has not only caused confusion among researchers but has also hindered progress in systematic reviews by complicating the identification of precise search keywords. Consequently, this has posed challenges in consolidating the research field.

To address the current need for a more comprehensive understanding of Sense of belonging within STEM higher education, this project aims to conduct a scoping review focused on 1) examining the landscape of Sense of belonging research and 2) identifying the essential attributes necessary for conceptualizing and operationalizing Sense of belonging in research (e.g., terminologies, definitions, dimensionalities, theoretical frameworks, etc.). A rigorous scoping review is currently being undertaken, according to the protocol formulated by researchers at The Joanna Briggs Institute, a distinguished group renowned for their work in systematic synthesis research. Our search strategy is designed to collect Sense of belonging literature from various fields of STEM disciplinary-based education research published within the last 30 years. We conducted data collection by searching electronic databases that primarily index educational and social science research (e.g., ERIC), psychological studies (e.g., APA PsycInfo), and engineering research (e.g., Engineering Village). We used Boolean operators developed through a pilot study. The abstract and full review are currently in progress, and we are applying the following inclusion criteria: 1) Empirical and conceptual studies investigating the phenomenon or the construct of Sense of belonging or its relevant concepts, 2) Studies may be published in peer or non-peer-reviewed journals or dissertations, or presented at STEM education conferences, and 3) The studies may be quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research. The full paper will share a preliminary finding on the synthesized knowledge regarding terminology, definitions, and the dimensionality of Sense of belonging, which will inform the proposal of new research directions.

Citation
Format

Lawrence, C. U., & Lee, E. (2024, June), [Work-in-Progress] Sense of Belonging in STEM Higher Education: Developing a Scoping Review Protocol and Strategy Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/46414

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - A surge in research exploring Sense of belonging in STEM higher education reflects growing awareness of its significance among researchers. However, a gap exists between understanding the importance of SOB from research perspectives and the recognition of the need for its clear conceptualization and operationalization. This conceptual ambiguity poses substantial challenges for educators and researchers working to establish a coherent and comprehensive understanding of Sense of belonging in STEM higher education.

Notably, terms related to Sense of belonging are used sporadically and inconsistently across STEM higher education literature, with terms like &quot;connectedness,&quot; &quot;sense of community,&quot; and &quot;perceived cohesion&quot; often being used interchangeably. Additionally, much of the research on Sense of belonging in STEM higher education fails to consider the construct’s dimensionality, specifically, whether Sense of belonging is unidimensional or multidimensional. This is in contrast to the emerging discourse in higher education that emphasizes the importance of viewing SOB as a multifaceted construct comprising social, academic, environmental, and individual components. For instance, a study by Maghsoodi et al. (2023) examining an existing Sense of belonging scale with college students revealed a multidimensional structure of the SOB construct, including an academic component, findings consistent with Slaten&#39;s (2018) empirical study on the conceptual structure of undergraduate students&#39; Sense of belonging. This lack of conceptual clarity has not only caused confusion among researchers but has also hindered progress in systematic reviews by complicating the identification of precise search keywords. Consequently, this has posed challenges in consolidating the research field.

To address the current need for a more comprehensive understanding of Sense of belonging within STEM higher education, this project aims to conduct a scoping review focused on 1) examining the landscape of Sense of belonging research and 2) identifying the essential attributes necessary for conceptualizing and operationalizing Sense of belonging in research (e.g., terminologies, definitions, dimensionalities, theoretical frameworks, etc.). A rigorous scoping review is currently being undertaken, according to the protocol formulated by researchers at The Joanna Briggs Institute, a distinguished group renowned for their work in systematic synthesis research. Our search strategy is designed to collect Sense of belonging literature from various fields of STEM disciplinary-based education research published within the last 30 years. We conducted data collection by searching electronic databases that primarily index educational and social science research (e.g., ERIC), psychological studies (e.g., APA PsycInfo), and engineering research (e.g., Engineering Village). We used Boolean operators developed through a pilot study. The abstract and full review are currently in progress, and we are applying the following inclusion criteria: 1) Empirical and conceptual studies investigating the phenomenon or the construct of Sense of belonging or its relevant concepts, 2) Studies may be published in peer or non-peer-reviewed journals or dissertations, or presented at STEM education conferences, and 3) The studies may be quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research. The full paper will share a preliminary finding on the synthesized knowledge regarding terminology, definitions, and the dimensionality of Sense of belonging, which will inform the proposal of new research directions.
AU  - Collins Ugonna Lawrence
AU  - Eunsil Lee
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - [Work-in-Progress] Sense of Belonging in STEM Higher Education: Developing a Scoping Review Protocol and Strategy
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/46414
ER  -