The Influence of Noncognitive Skill Development on the Sense of Belonging of First-Year Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if developing noncognitive variables influenced the sense of belonging in first-year students. The literature suggests sense of belonging could be defined from either a psychological or behavioral perspective. Either definition recommends that colleges and universities implement high-impact practices or improve student engagement within the first-year to improve sense of belonging. Participants were solicited from two first-year seminar courses and were asked to complete two survey instruments measuring noncognitive variables and sense of belonging. The survey instruments were analyzed separately to determine the average scores on eight noncognitive variables and to measure the sense of belonging within each participant. A correlation study was conducted between the survey instruments to identify if a significant relationship existed between the noncognitive variables and two sense of belonging constructs. The results indicated that there was a significant relationship between many of the noncognitive variables and that may influence sense of belonging in first-year students.