Conceptual Framework
I combine Strayhorn’s (2019) Sense of Belonging Model for Student Success and a Spatial Lens (Samura, 2016) to frame this research study. Believing that boosting student sense of belonging is a “hope” for all college faculty fueled the creation of Strayhorn’s Sense of Belonging Model for Student Success (2019, p. 29). Of specific emphasis for Strayhorn is the importance belonging has for students who often do not feel as though they belong in higher education, students who are often considered marginalized: “women, racial and ethnic minorities, low-income students, first-generation students, Muslims, returning military veterans living with disabilities, and gay students, to name a few” (Strayhorn, 2019, p. 28). Understanding that creating a sense of belonging is also context specific is essential (Strayhorn, 2019). Most of Strayhorn’s research was conducted on 4-year colleges and universities, whereas my research study is sited on the campus of a 2-year college, specifically addressing the sense of belonging challenges for students who tend to be more transient. More community college students also come from marginalized populations than their 4-year college peers, adding another layer to the sense of belonging challenges. Strayhorn’s (2019) work is still relevant to this study because, despite his work on 4-year campuses, he works with populations of students who face similar challenges of fitting in as 2-year students - students who believe they do not belong in higher education.
The second conceptual framework looks at student wellbeing and sense of belonging through a spatial lens. The campus physical space plays a role in how connected a student feels on campus. Using a spatial lens allows for the study of where and how students interact with each in space. Samura (2016) used a spatial lens as one of her study frameworks. For her work, a “spatial lens locates larger racial meanings and ideologies in concrete, lived experiences and even in material forms, such as buildings or student groups (p.137). Samura’s work focuses specifically on how Asian American college students, embodying physical space, create a sense of belonging at college campuses.
Conclusion
The first time I set foot on the campus of Midwestern Community College, I was in junior high. Out for a family drive on a Sunday afternoon, my brothers, my Mom and my Dad and I stopped at Midwestern’s campus - much of it a construction site. As we looked around the site, my Dad said, you are standing on the future site of the community college’s student center. He was one of the architects designing the space. Still in the early stages of construction, there was not much to see. However, I do remember setting my sight on a concrete post and wondering if I would ever be able to find it once the student center was completed. That was circa 1974 and there have been many redesigns and remodels by other architects and designers since then. Today, the design of the student center is being reconsidered once again. As the needs of student populations change, and as the priorities of higher education changes, space must be designed to meet those needs and priorities. It is exciting for me to be back at this community college, almost 50 years later, this time as a professor, connecting with the space much as I did in 1974. My dad asked us to imagine what the future space would look like. I now teach within the same space - after much expansion and generations of students - and I imagine and wonder about what meanings, possibilities, and support it holds for current students.