Date of Award
5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Kristjen B. Lundberg
Abstract
Experiencing a sense of belonging on a college campus is predicted to increase academic success, classroom engagement, and greater well-being for students. Less central to the belonging conversation is faculty belonging; since faculty play an instrumental role in the development of student belonging, we hypothesize that faculty belonging may increase positive student outcomes inside and outside the classroom. Study 1 examines faculty experiences of and beliefs about belonging at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI), with the aim of identifying patterns and indicators of heterogeneity. Results revealed that significant burnout is central to a lack of faculty belonging and stronger desires to leave the institution, prompting a pivot in our research to further prioritize faculty belonging. Further, students may play a greater role in determining faculty belonging than previously hypothesized. Study 2 investigated how ostensibly faculty-written emails, identical in policy but varied in warmth and self-disclosure, shape students’ perceptions of their professor and the classroom environment. Our hypothesis that perceived faculty warmth may lead to improved student outcomes for all variables of interest is supported; however, there may be an inverse relationship between self-disclosure and competence, where the cost of faculty self-disclosure is lower perceived faculty competence. While not as impactful as faculty warmth, faculty competence may predict respect from students, a key facet of faculty belonging with students. These findings indicate there may be a virtuous cycle of belonging present between faculty and students; when faculty positively influence student belonging, students may facilitate facets of faculty belonging. Implications for future experimental research that highlights this faculty–student connection are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Burton, Marissa, "The Ripple Effects of Belonging: How Faculty–Student Connections May Drive Mutual Success" (2025). Honors Theses. 1800.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1800
