Open AccessRandomized Evaluation of an Intervention to Enhance a Sense of Belongingness among Entering College Students
Author(s) -
Meghan A. Costello,
Alison Gilson Nagel,
Gabrielle L. Hunt,
Joseph P. Allen
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
college student affairs journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2381-2338
pISSN - 0888-210X
DOI - 10.1353/csj.2022.0002
Subject(s) - belongingness , intervention (counseling) , randomized controlled trial , moderation , psychology , sense of community , social psychology , clinical psychology , medicine , surgery , psychiatry
This study examined an intervention designed to improve sense of belongingness for new students at a medium-sized, four-year, public university in the Eastern United States. A randomized controlled trial was used to assess the impact of The Connection Project, a novel, 9-session intervention in a sample of 128 first-year students (77 treatment, 48 waitlist control). Given the onset of COVID-19, students received a hybrid in-person/online intervention. At post-intervention, the intervention group reported a significantly higher sense of school belongingness, after accounting for baseline levels, than control group students. Post-hoc analyses of moderation by demographic variables indicate that the intervention functioned similarly for students from a variety of backgrounds in this sample. These results are interpreted as suggesting the potential value of this intervention to promote a sense of community and connection among new students in college, whether delivered in-person or online.