Gaze on belonging : investigating rural preservice teachers' experiences at a flagship university
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This qualitative study examined rural undergraduate students' process of developing a sense of belonging in a teacher preparation program at a large Midwestern public university. Eleven undergraduates, each having completed at least one semester of study on campus, participated in the study. Perspectives of college belonging were explored by gathering data from both rural students (8) and urban students (3). Multiple data sources included student interviews, online public documents, and NCES data of participants' high schools. Three waves of data collection were utilized: a digital story submission and two semi-structured interviews conducted via video conferencing. Constant comparison analysis (Corbin & Straus, 2015) of the participant's experiences within the campus system and at home resulted in the emergence of five dimensions of belongingness development: stressors associated with rurality, reconceptualizing community by integrating goals, considering contributions to campus through reflection on their sense of purpose, finding fit to get comfortable on campus, and dynamic relationships that stimulate development. Interpretation of the findings indicated the importance of recognizing rural community values and supporting new relationship development for rural preservice teachers. Based on these findings, this study suggests adding the dimension of reconceptualizing community goals to college student success models, especially for those students who are cultural minorities and considered on the fringes of campus culture.
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Ph. D.