Measuring the Influence of Native American College Students' Interactions with Diverse Others on Sense of Belonging

Abstract

Using a sample of 144 Native American undergraduates attending predominantly White universities in the United States, this study examined, through multilevel regression analyses, the influence of interactions with faculty and diverse peers on these students' sense of belonging in college. Interactions with others were positively related to sense of belonging, indicating that Native American students who engaged with faculty in class and with diverse peers frequently and in varied ways felt a stronger sense of belonging in college than their same-race peers who engaged others less frequently or not at all. Grades in college also emerged as a significant predictor of Native American students' sense of belonging. Implications for future policy and practice are highlighted, as well as recommendations for extending this important line of inquiry.