Exploring How Belonging Affects Academic Success at GovState

Governors State University (GovState) is committed to enhancing students’ academic engagement and overall success by fostering an inclusive and supportive environment. Additionally, the university’s strategic plan further emphasizes its dedication to fostering a sense of belonging and community among its students, which is essential for both academic and personal development (Governors State University, n.d.). In alignment with this mission, this study aims to explore the relationship between student success and a sense of belonging at GovState. A sense of belonging, the feeling of being accepted and connected within a social environment, is a fundamental human need that influences a range of psychological and social outcomes, including emotional well-being and academic success (Allen, Kern, Rozek, McInereney, & Slavich, 2020). Research has consistently shown that students with a stronger sense of belonging tend to have higher GPAs, indicating how important belonging is for academic success (Kivlighan et al., 2018). Students who feel connected to their school, peers, and academic environment are more likely to succeed (Jorgenson et al., 2018). Therefore, understanding these variables is crucial for improving student retention and academic growth, as students who feel connected to their academic and social environments tend to perform better and remain enrolled longer. By adopting the Academic Belongingness Scale, we will assess students' perceptions of belonging and its influence on academic engagement and GPA. We expect that students with a stronger sense of belonging will show greater academic success, supporting the importance of fostering an inclusive, supportive campus environment to enhance student outcomes. References Allen, K.-A., Kern, M. L., Rozek, C. S., McInereney, D., & Slavich, G. M. (2020). Belonging: A review of conceptual issues, an integrative framework, and directions for future research. Psychological Bulletin, 146(6), 529–551. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2021.1883409 Governors State University. (n.d.). Mission statement. Governors State University. https://www.govst.edu/mission/ Jorgenson, D. A., Farrell, L. C., Fudge, J. L., & Pritchard, A. (2018). College Connectedness: The Student Perspective. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 18(1), 75-95. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v18i1.22371 Kivlighan, D. M., III, Abbas, M., Gloria, A. M., Aguinaga, A., Frank, C., & Frost, N. D. (2018). Are belongingness and hope essential features of academic enhancement groups? A psychosociocultural perspective. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 65(2), 204–213. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000266