Author(s):
Enriching Research Findings on Belonging in Field Education with a Community of Practice
Authors: Holly Cho, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR; Lucas Hill, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI; Alison Jolley, University of Waikato, New Zealand; Kari O’Connell, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR; Stephanie Shaulskiy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Holly White, University of Maine, Orono, ME
Need:
Sense of belonging has been shown to contribute positively to students’ well-being, academic achievement, and institution-level retention, and it is pivotal for supporting students underrepresented in STEM disciplines. However, student sense of belonging in undergraduate field settings has not been thoroughly explored. Field experiences may take the form of trips embedded within a traditional on-campus course or residential courses, where students live with peers and instructors while taking a course at a field station/site, or traveling between multiple locations. Because of this novel setting, the field is a complex space in which to develop a sense of belonging that blends “in class” and “out of class” behaviors, informal interactions between students and faculty, social immersion within new spaces and environments, and the formation of unique class cultures – all while attending to course content learning.
Guiding questions:
The research described in this poster presentation is guided by the following questions:
-How do undergraduate students develop a sense of belonging in the scientific community during residential undergraduate field courses?
-How are faculty considering, designing for, and assessing students’ sense of belonging in the scientific community these field courses?
We have also explored how practitioners translate research findings into practice in collaboration with a Community of Practice (CoP). This work is guided by the following questions:
-What promising practices are useful to faculty for developing students’ sense of belonging within undergraduate field courses?
-What is it like for faculty and students to experience these promising practices in varied field contexts?
Outcomes
To study how sense of belonging develops in the field, we conducted 70 interviews of faculty and students as well as pre/post student surveys in eight residential field courses in the bio- and geosciences. Based on these interviews, we developed a preliminary list of practices that were identified as contributing to sense of belonging. We also used our findings to develop and implement a survey aimed at field educators that explored the promising practices to promote belonging in the field. These promising practices include actions like co-developing community agreements, providing comprehensive orientation materials, regular “check-ins”, highlighting diverse role models, implementing mental health supports, and affirming student place in the disciplinary community.
Broader Impacts
To enrich these research findings, we are working with a CoP comprising 24 faculty who teach field courses in the bio- and geosciences. They include faculty from different institution types (R1/R2, primarily undergraduate, community college) teaching in different course contexts (traveling courses, field-station based, courses at sea, non-residential courses, etc.). We meet monthly to review research findings and participate in discussions. In spring/summer 2024, CoP members will be implementing promising practices of their choosing in their field courses. They will report back using a self-reflection tool designed to help them reflect on their experience and their students’ outcomes. These reflections will ultimately be used to offer practitioners a guide to implementing similar practices in their own field courses, via published research and online resources that are accessible to educators across the field sciences.
Coauthors
Holly Cho, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR; Lucas Hill, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI; Alison Jolley, University of Waikato, New Zealand; Kari O’Connell, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR; Stephanie Shaulskiy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Holly White, University of Maine, Orono, ME
