BRIDGING THE GAP: THE COURSE BELONGING SCALE FOR EVALUATING POSTSECONDARY STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN ONLINE AND FACE-TO-FACE COURSES

Abstract

The surge in online higher education courses and degree programs, both as alternatives to traditional instruction and in response to the global pandemic, has accentuated the need to comprehend and enhance students' sense of belonging. This study addresses the scarcity of research on postsecondary students' sense of belonging at the course level within online learning environments. Despite the recognized impact of belonging on crucial outcomes like mental health and graduation rates, few quantitative studies exist in this domain. Existing instruments, such as those by Slaten et al. (2018), lack validation for assessing students' sense of belonging to peers specifically in online courses, particularly for students pursuing degrees remotely from physical campuses.

This research introduces a novel instrument designed to quantify postsecondary students' sense of belonging to peers across diverse learning contexts, encompassing fully online and face-to-face settings. By addressing the paucity of quantitative investigations in this field, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the nuanced dynamics of student belonging. This instrument fills a significant gap in the literature, offering psychometrically validated data that facilitate comparative analyses of belonging perceptions among students engaged in varying learning modalities. As higher education increasingly embraces online instruction, this instrument is poised to contribute valuable insights into promoting students' sense of belonging, thereby fostering improved retention, persistence, and overall success.