About the Book
Belonging is not just a feel-good concept; it's a critical component that shapes educational outcomes.
Students' Sense of Belonging and Involvement in College serves as both a scholarly resource and a practical guide for higher education. The book examines the essential role involvement plays in fostering belonging and promoting student success. Organized around data-driven chapters, the collection draws on empirical studies demonstrating how academic and social experiences shape a strong sense of belonging and influence learning, engagement, and persistence. The opening chapters establish foundational definitions of belonging and student involvement and underscore their importance in the college context. Subsequent chapters explore mechanisms through which involvement cultivates belonging, including extracurricular activities, identity-based athletics, minority-serving institutions, and other high-impact practices. These experiences create opportunities for students to form meaningful connections and assume valued roles. The volume also attends to diverse student populations, examining how identity and context shape students' experiences. Overall, the book equips educators, administrators, and students with insights to build campus cultures where learners feel valued and connected.
Table of Contents:
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Generation Covid and the College Experience: Exploring the Reverberations of 2020 on Young People's Transition and Engagement by Gabriel Velez, Jody Jessup-Anger, Max Herteen and Sam Nemanich
Chapter 3: “I'm More Than an Athlete”: Exploring Sense of Belonging in College for Black LGBTQ+ Student-Athletes by Terrell L. Strayhorn and J'Quen O. Johnson
Chapter 4: “They Just So Happen to Be Born in the Right Family”: A Story of Elitism on an HBCU Campus: Students' Sense of Belonging and Involvement in College by Jorge Burmicky and Kathleen Rzucidlo
Chapter 5: Toward Beloved Communities on Campus: Understanding the Intersections of Race, Gender, and Sexual Identity in Sense of Belonging Research as a Tool for Rethinking Campus Resources by Erik Malewski, Genevieve Weber, Christina Turner and Katrina Alford
Chapter 6: Centering Relationships: Belongingness in the Context of Religious, Spiritual, and Secular Identities, Perceptions, and Experiences by Matthew J. Mayhew, Musbah Shaheen, and Christa E. Winkler
Chapter 7: The Conditional Effects of Participating in a Student Organization on College Students' Sense of Belonging by Krista M. Soria, Erin Standley and Justin Braun
Chapter 8: The Trifecta: The WHOLE Student Experience, Sense of Belonging, and Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) by Morris Thomas and Cindy Philpot
Chapter 9: Black College Men with Disabilities Involvement On- and Off-Campus: Critical Insights for Policy, Practice and Future Research by Terrell L. Strayhorn and J'Quen O. Johnson
Epilogue: The Future Is Belonging
About the Authors
Index
About the Author :
Terrell L. Strayhorn, PhD, is professor of higher education and women's, gender & sexuality studies at Illinois State University, where he also directs the PhD program. He is diversity scholar-in-residence at Harrisburg Area Community College, director of the Center for the Study of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) at Virginia Union University (VUU) and visiting scholar in the VUU School of Education.
Author of 12 books, including College Students' Sense of Belonging: A Key to Educational Success for All Students (Routledge, 2012 [1st ed], 2019 [2nd ed]), and over 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, chapters, and reports, Strayhorn is arguably one of the most prolific and influential contemporary scholars in education and the academic study of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). His ground-breaking research on sense of belonging has charted new terrains in racial equity, student success, and social psychological determinants of human success.
Professor Strayhorn has served
Review :
Terrell Strayhorn's timely and relevant book Sense of Belonging and Involvement in College, continues to solidify his reputation as one of the world's leading public intellectuals in education. With intellectual rigor, research sophistication, and practical wisdom, Strayhorn illuminates how belonging and involvement intersect to transform students' lives, providing key insights essential for educators, leaders, and policymakers. This book is more than a must-read–it's a masterful blend of incisive insights, riveting research, and promising practices that will shape scholarly discourse and institutional success for years to come.
Terrell Strayhorn's timely and relevant book Sense of Belonging and Involvement in College, continues to solidify his reputation as one of the world's leading public intellectuals in education. With intellectual rigor, research sophistication, and practical wisdom, Strayhorn illuminates how belonging and involvement intersect to transform students' lives, providing key insights essential for educators, leaders, and policymakers. This book is more than a must-read–it's a masterful blend of incisive insights, riveting research, and promising practices that will shape scholarly discourse and institutional success for years to come.
Dr Terrell Strayhorn has once again added incredible depth to the topic of Student Sense of Belonging. His ability to enhance existing theory with new insights is strengthen by the ability to utilize each chapter as tools for practice and as framework for strategy levers that have direct impact on student persistence and completion. This book is Dr Strayhorn's finest scholarship among his incredible body of work.
