Qualitative research shows resource fit—safety and financial resources—shapes marginalized students' sense of belonging¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Working-class and female students describe financial strain and unaddressed sexual assault and harassment as undermining their sense of belonging at university. → Alexander S. Browman 2025

Evidence¶

Alexander S. Browman 2025¶

Alexander S. Browman. (2025). Centering Social Fit, Self-Concept Fit, Goal Fit, and Resource Fit as Core Elements of Students' Experiences of Belonging at School. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10009-3

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review reports qualitative work with working-class university students (G. M. Bettencourt, 2021; Baker & Sgoutas-Emch, 2014) in which "the fluid nature of social class and academic billing cycles" backgrounded belonging to basic needs. Fernández et al. (2023) found female students who experienced sexual assault and harassment without university support reported feelings that they did not belong; Matthews et al. (2021) found Black and Latinx students cited teachers' consciousness of students' resource needs.

"the fluid nature of social class and academic billing cycles meant that participants constantly thought about future expenses, subsequently backgrounding belonging to more basic needs in times of financial strife."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Safety — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Qualitative research shows marginalized students' sense of belonging depends on maintaining connections to their valued identities at school (self-concept fit) — a broader claim this one bears on
• Financial and economic constraints shape first-generation chemists' career decisions, sometimes deterring advanced training altogether — related
• Interpersonal relationships are the most prominent student concern in qualitative interviews (30.61% of coded responses) — related
• Prominent quantitative measures of belonging focus overwhelmingly on social connectedness and general fit, with only 1 of 70 items assessing resource fit — related
• Racially marginalized students are less likely to report a sense of belonging in STEM education — related
• Across nearly all race/ethnicity groups, transgender high school students report fewer school supports, lower safety, lower motivation, and lower connectedness than non-transgender peers — related