Abstract
The ID:dp001247805 transition to college presents challenges for students as they form new peer relationships while experiencing varying degrees of belonging within the college community. This study investigated with cross-sectional social network analysis how self-reports of residential program and classroom belonging associated with social and academic networks among a sample of first-year college students (N = 1,125) participating in residential college programs. Analyses revealed that, controlling for each other, residential program belonging but not classroom belonging was significantly associated with students’ social and academic networks. Additionally, after accounting for other factors, underrepresented minority students, particularly Black and multiracial students with low residential program belonging, were more likely than White students to hang out with peers across the broader residential college community. Findings highlight the importance of students’ sense of belonging for relationships with peers in the transition to college.
Suggested Reviewers
David R. Schaefer, University of California - Irvine, drschaef@uci.edu Justin Heinze, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, jheinze@umich.edu Kelly-Ann Allen, Monash University, Kelly-Ann.Allen@monash.edu
Recommended Citation
Glatley, Blake; Rambaran, J. Ashwin; Sabree, Kaelyn; Ryan, Allison; Walton, Kyle; and Modey, Christine
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"Peer Relationships and Sense of Belonging in the Transition to College,"
Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: A Peer Relations Journal: Vol. 71:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/mpq/vol71/iss1/2