Models de combustible o vegetació definida als Estats Units

During the interviews, each of the ten participants either blatantly stated or alluded to the fact that the MBP made them feel as though they “belonged” at the university without the researcher ever having used that term. This directly correlates with Strayhorn’s (2012) Sense of Belonging Theory which posits that students succeed in college when they feel like they belong there. In addition, 100% of questionnaire respondents state that the MBP aided in their social life at the institution. Brittany, who was a senior kinesiology major, pointedly explained:

I think as a minority or as a Black minority, it’s different from being a regular student because that feeling of belonging at a university can be missing. I really felt like I belonged with the other Summer Scholars.

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To Brittany, simply being around other Black students made her feel comfortable and a part of the institution. She also felt a common bond with the other program participants as she added, “we were all very motivated. Kinda like we had all grown from… I say good backgrounds in the sense of caring about our work, caring about school, caring about our grades, wanting to be successful.”

Similarly, Carsen, who was also a senior kinesiology major, appreciated the fact that his peer participants looked like him and had similar goals as well. He added:

Engaging with students who look like me that are goal driven and had the same interests and pushed me. A lot of my success is getting those students to push me like Carsen you’re gonna do great. Having that support throughout college with peers is different than faculty. That’s their job to tell you that. But when a friend who looks like you and wants you to be successful that’s a big thing that pushed me…a circle of people who all wanted each other to do great helped me with my success.

Brittany and Carsen were both in-state residents. Briana, however, mentioned that she was from out of state and was very afraid that she would not “fit in”. However when asked which aspects of the program helped her succeed she stated:

…the main thing is having that group of 30 people who are just as scared as you are, just as nervous as you are, going through what you’re going through and you all figure it all together. None of us know what we were doing or what to expect, but we knew we had each other and that really helped in the end. I’m very, very big on relationships, so that was a big factor. Having those familiar faces on campus and meeting those faculty members and resources that you can access was very helpful.

Donald, a senior political science major, felt a bond born from living in the residence hall with the other students in the group. However, he also appreciated the fact that they were all together working toward the same goals. He said:

It was weird at first living with that many people but you could literally knock on someone’s door and say ‘what you doing’ or ‘have you started on that math homework’. It was that kind of like close knit group of people who are doing the same thing as you.

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In a very fitting summary quote for the theme of belonging, DQ, who was heavily involved leadership activities, said:

When you’re a summer scholar you feel like you belong. You don’t have to be nervous because you’re doing everything together. It gives you 30 friends automatically. Here are 30 friends, you will live together 2 months - you will be friends.

As stated previously, Strayhorn’s (2012) Sense of Belonging Theory has roots in Tinto’s (1975, 1993) Model of Student Departure Theory. Similar to the concept of “belonging,” Tinto (1975, 1993) defines the scenarios described in the aforementioned quotations as social

integration. Tinto’s findings proposed that a student’s social experiences within the institution explained why some students decide to leave college while others choose to remain. According to Tinto (1993), the three stages of social integration that students encounter are: separation from their past communities, transition from high school to college life, and then full assimilation into their new college community. The quotations above directly relate to Tinto’s (1993) first stage of social integration – separation from their past communities.

However, these students immediately form a new community which blends Tinto’s (1975, 1993) theory with Strayhorn’s (2012) Sense of Belonging Theory. Strayhorn’s (2012) research demonstrates it is not best for students of color to assimilate and totally leave behind their past communities in order to fully integrate into the social and academic life of college. Although these students left their individual past communities, they started their college careers with students with whom they felt like they “belonged”, who looked like them and were doing the exact things they were doing; this helped them form a new community or “family” which is important in the African American culture (Herndon & Hirt, 2004).

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