Lower-SES and racially minoritized students use less campus space and fewer public spaces, which is associated with lower belonging¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Compared with higher-SES students, lower-SES students drew shorter daily trajectories on campus and circled fewer spaces where they felt they belonged, and students of color showed a similar pattern. → Bart-Plange 2025 q2 i? Lower-SES students were less likely to list public (vs. private) spaces as favorite or most-used spaces, and public space use was associated with lower sense of belonging. → Bart-Plange 2025 (2)

Evidence¶

Bart-Plange 2025¶

Bart-Plange, D.-J., Henderson, K., Hoffman, K., & Trawalter, S. (2025). Critiquing and Reimagining Belonging in Public Spaces in Higher Education. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10061-z

q2 · i? · associational · r?

In a map-sketching study (Trawalter et al., 2021, Study 1), students drew their day's trajectory on a campus map and circled places where they felt they belonged; maps were digitized into ArcGIS. The study found 'lower-SES students used less space on campus' and used fewer belonging spaces, related to self-reported belonging; students of color also had shorter trajectories.

"Analyses revealed that, compared with higher-SES students, lower-SES students used less space on campus—their trajectories across the day were shorter; see Fig. 3. In addition, they used fewer spaces on campus where they felt they belonged."

Bart-Plange 2025 (2)¶

Bart-Plange, D.-J., Henderson, K., Hoffman, K., & Trawalter, S. (2025). Critiquing and Reimagining Belonging in Public Spaces in Higher Education. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10061-z

q2 · i? · review · r2

In a space-listing study (Trawalter et al., 2021, Study 2), students listed favorite, most-used, and study spaces, which assistants coded as private or public. Lower-SES students 'were less likely to list public spaces on campus,' and public space use was associated with lower belonging; students of color showed a similar pattern.

"Analyses revealed that, compared with higher-SES students, lower-SES students were less likely to list public spaces on campus. In turn, their use of public (vs. private) space was associated with a lower sense of belonging at the University."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Randomly assigned use of public space significantly reduced the SES gap in belonging, but the race-by-condition interaction was not significant — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Lower-SES students feel less comfortable behaving counter-normatively in public campus spaces but not in private spaces — related
• Students perceived as lower-SES take up less space in campus public spaces — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Campus symbols such as antebellum architecture signal belonging to White and high-SES students and unwelcomeness to marginalized students — related
• Daily diary evidence links lower daily self-concept fit to stronger same-day mental burnout and concerns about academic abilities — related