As the number of Black college students who have enrolled in federally designated Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) has risen, it has become necessary to examine how their sense of belonging has been fostered, particularly given the educational disparities and equity gaps in retention, persistence, and graduation rates. Furthermore, the focus on initiatives geared towards Latinx students may contribute to feelings of inadequacy among Black students, which is compounded by racialized experiences that have occurred in educational settings both prior to and during college. This phenomenological study explored the experiences of nine Black undergraduate students at a private four-year HSI in the Midwest with the aim of understanding how they define sense of belonging and the factors that influence it. The study also examined the institution's role in mitigating or perpetuating barriers to its development. Findings suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach to fostering a sense of belonging is insufficient among Black students, particularly when the HSI lacks Black representation. Instead, Black students desire safety found within the Black campus community, validation and encouragement from faculty and staff, and a belief that they are seen, heard, and valued by institutional leadership.
","abstract_html":"<p>As the number of Black college students who have enrolled in federally designated Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) has risen, it has become necessary to examine how their sense of belonging has been fostered, particularly given the educational disparities and equity gaps in retention, persistence, and graduation rates. Furthermore, the focus on initiatives geared towards Latinx students may contribute to feelings of inadequacy among Black students, which is compounded by racialized experiences that have occurred in educational settings both prior to and during college. This phenomenological study explored the experiences of nine Black undergraduate students at a private four-year HSI in the Midwest with the aim of understanding how they define sense of belonging and the factors that influence it. The study also examined the institution's role in mitigating or perpetuating barriers to its development. Findings suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach to fostering a sense of belonging is insufficient among Black students, particularly when the HSI lacks Black representation. Instead, Black students desire safety found within the Black campus community, validation and encouragement from faculty and staff, and a belief that they are seen, heard, and valued by institutional leadership.<strong></strong></p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Chandler, Alison K."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Higher Education Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Jaclyn Rivard, Ph.D.","Jamal Scott, Ed.D.","Brian Hamluk, Ed.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:20Z","subjects":["Sense of belonging","Black college students","Hispanic-serving institution","minority serving institution","imposter phenomenon","qualitative study","Higher Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/792","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Jaclyn Rivard, Ph.D.","Jamal Scott, Ed.D.","Brian Hamluk, Ed.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Chandler, Alison K."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2024-02-17T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Higher Education Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Sense of belonging","Black college students","Hispanic-serving institution","minority serving institution","imposter phenomenon","qualitative study","Higher Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/792"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["As the number of Black college students who have enrolled in federally designated Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) has risen, it has become necessary to examine how their sense of belonging has been fostered, particularly given the educational disparities and equity gaps in retention, persistence, and graduation rates. Furthermore, the focus on initiatives geared towards Latinx students may contribute to feelings of inadequacy among Black students, which is compounded by racialized experiences that have occurred in educational settings both prior to and during college. This phenomenological study explored the experiences of nine Black undergraduate students at a private four-year HSI in the Midwest with the aim of understanding how they define sense of belonging and the factors that influence it. The study also examined the institution's role in mitigating or perpetuating barriers to its development. Findings suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach to fostering a sense of belonging is insufficient among Black students, particularly when the HSI lacks Black representation. Instead, Black students desire safety found within the Black campus community, validation and encouragement from faculty and staff, and a belief that they are seen, heard, and valued by institutional leadership.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Black Students Matter: A Phenomenological Approach to Exploring Sense of Belonging Among Black Students Attending a Hispanic-Serving Institution"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Jaclyn Rivard, Ph.D.","Jamal Scott, Ed.D.","Brian Hamluk, Ed.D."],"dc:creator":["Chandler, Alison K."],"dc:date.available":["2024-02-17T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["As the number of Black college students who have enrolled in federally designated Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) has risen, it has become necessary to examine how their sense of belonging has been fostered, particularly given the educational disparities and equity gaps in retention, persistence, and graduation rates. Furthermore, the focus on initiatives geared towards Latinx students may contribute to feelings of inadequacy among Black students, which is compounded by racialized experiences that have occurred in educational settings both prior to and during college. This phenomenological study explored the experiences of nine Black undergraduate students at a private four-year HSI in the Midwest with the aim of understanding how they define sense of belonging and the factors that influence it. The study also examined the institution's role in mitigating or perpetuating barriers to its development. Findings suggest that a one-size-fits-all approach to fostering a sense of belonging is insufficient among Black students, particularly when the HSI lacks Black representation. Instead, Black students desire safety found within the Black campus community, validation and encouragement from faculty and staff, and a belief that they are seen, heard, and valued by institutional leadership.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/792"],"dc:subject":["Sense of belonging","Black college students","Hispanic-serving institution","minority serving institution","imposter phenomenon","qualitative study","Higher Education"],"dc:title":["Black Students Matter: A Phenomenological Approach to Exploring Sense of Belonging Among Black Students Attending a Hispanic-Serving Institution"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Higher Education Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:20Z"}