Exploring the Intersection of Sense of Place and Belonging Among Minoritized STEM Students
Contributing Researchers
Hairou Ren, University of Michigan
School of Kinesiology
Please contact for further information at [email protected]
Elena Wood, University of Michigan
School of Literature, Science, and Arts
Mary Herring, University of Michigan
School of Kinesiology
Dr. Angela Ebreo, University of Michigan
Center for the Study of Higher and Post-Secondary Education
Introduction
Students from underrepresented groups in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields often report a lower sense of belonging, which has been linked to lower rates of persistence and career retention (Dancy et al., 2018). One lens through which to understand this issue is the concept of sense of place—the emotional connection individuals or groups form with specific physical environments (Relph, 1976).
This study, conducted by the Place & Belonging research team, applies this theory to explore students’ identity development and sense of belonging on campus, focusing on participants in the Michigan-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (MI-LSAMP) program. The research also examined how factors such as social interactions within campus spaces and the visual-spatial design of these environments can either support or undermine students’ experiences of belonging.
Study Details
Beginning in 2023, a Ph.D. investigator and a master’s-level research assistant from our team conducted semi-structured interviews with nine STEM students from two cohorts of the MI-LSAMP program. These interviews aimed to explore students’ campus experiences and the development of their sense of belonging within different university environments.
Two undergraduate research team members independently coded the interview transcripts in Dedoose, using pre-set codes related to sense of belonging and various descriptions of space. Subsequently, through discussions among team members regarding coding frequency and co-occurrence patterns, the following thematic findings were synthesized.
Students’ sense of belonging was influenced by the public environments they were in:
- Visual-spatial design of campus spaces (e.g., color, layout, decorations) significantly influenced students’ sense of comfort, satisfaction, and belonging.
- Students reported a stronger sense of belonging in spaces where their social identities (e.g., race, gender, socioeconomic background) were represented; lack of representation often led to negative belonging experiences.
- Peer interactions and shared interests within a space enhanced students’ emotional connection to that space, reinforcing their sense of inclusion.
Main Findings and Implications
Themes were identified by analyzing both the frequency and co-occurrence of specific codes across transcripts. For example, regarding visual elements, the codes “Place Satisfaction,” “Space Description – Visual Characteristics,” and “Sense of Belonging” frequently co-occurred within the same statements or segments in the transcripts. This consistent overlap suggests a close relationship between students’ emotional attachment to a space and its visual characteristics.
Representative excerpts further illustrate this connection. For instance, in Cohort 1, an African American male, when asked about places where he felt a sense of belonging, stated:
“Yes, yes, it’s kinda like [a] big coloring sheet and the places that you could just draw that makes me the most comfortable as a, you know, mental health de-stress, etcetera.”
Here, the respondent described how the space where he felt the most belonging featured a communal coloring sheet intended for any student to draw on as a way to de-stress and take a break from coursework. This demonstrates how visually engaging and functionally designed interior decorations can help students feel more relaxed in a space, thereby alleviating stress and enhancing their sense of belonging and attachment.
Consistent with this approach, other themes identified in the study will also be discussed in detail. The research team plans to further explore and present these findings in future publications and is committed to helping universities identify and implement vital changes that can make their campuses more inclusive and welcoming for minority students. These worthwhile changes could range from visual modifications to campus buildings to more systemic transformations, such as increasing the representation of certain identities in various spaces and fostering a more inclusive environment for minority STEM students. Creating an overall more welcoming environment for minority STEM students—through the necessary changes highlighted by themes in this study—can ultimately help diversify the STEM workforce by improving retention rates among minority STEM students.
References
Dancy, M. et. al., (2018). Race and gender differences in how sense of belonging influences decisions to major in STEM. International journal of STEM education, 5(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-018-0115-6
Relph, Edward, 1976. Place and Placelessness. London: Pion.