PROBING DISCIPLINARY DIFFERENCES AND COMMONALITIES IN SENSE OF BELONGING: USING STUDENTS' VOICES TO INFORM DEPARTMENTAL CHANGE

Sense of belonging (SOB) has been theoretically and empirically linked to important outcomes for undergraduate STEM students, including academic standing, self-worth, and retention. Many disciplines fall under the STEM umbrella; however, disciplines vary in the academic principles they emphasize, as well as their cultures and norms. An understanding of how disciplinary context influences student SOB is important to inform faculty professional development. We examined SOB in three cohorts of graduating seniors (2021-2023) from two STEM disciplines at a research-intensive university and explored what factors (student characteristics, experiences, and values) were associated with SOB for each. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected via an online survey from 577 Biological Sciences and 700 Computer Science students. We then interviewed several students to contextualize and elaborate upon survey responses. We focused on these two disciplines due to distinct differences in the nature of the discipline (e.g., Computer Science being a highly applied discipline), gender demographics (Biology having significantly more female students), and postgraduate trajectories (Biology students being much more likely to pursue a graduate degree vs. immediately entering the workforce). The quantitative findings highlighted differences in what factors were associated with SOB, such as gender negatively predicting SOB for Computer Science, whose population was 20% female; whereas for Biological Sciences, a more theoretically-focused discipline, research experience and plans to pursue further education were important positive predictors of student's SOB. The qualitative data showed that large class sizes and competitive course climates were negatively associated with SOB, with students expressing a desire for greater personal connections with faculty. These data, particularly the rich information from open-ended responses and interviews, are being used to engage faculty, via departmental meetings and learning communities, in discussion about changes that can be made to help raise student SOB and persistence in STEM.