SEEN AND UNSEEN: FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS’ SENSE OF BELONGING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Oct 15, 2026

Qualitative research examines how first-year students’ sense of belonging was shaped during the Covid-19 pandemic as they transitioned to college. Focus group data from a small liberal arts institution were analyzed using thematic analysis, identifying three main themes: navigating uncertainty, seeking in-person connection, and developing resilience. Results highlight how pandemic disruptions complicated students’ desired social and institutional connection, emphasizing the need to rethink student belonging approaches affected by Covid-19.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Literature Review

Sense of belonging foundations and models

Institutional role and dimensions of belonging

Covid-19 pandemic challenges and impacts on belonging

SEEN AND UNSEEN: FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS’ SENSE OF BELONGING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Charlie Potts Gustavus Adolphus College This qualitative research study examines the sense of belonging among first year students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, the study focuses on how the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced a sense of belonging among first year students as they transition to college. Focus group data collected at a small, liberal arts institution was analyzed using thematic analysis, and three main themes are explored: Navigating uncertainty, seeking in-person connection, and developing resilience. Findings and implications from this study illuminate a need to rethink approaches to students whose sense of belonging has been impacted by disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Keywords: sense of belonging, first-year students, Covid-19 Please direct inquires about this manuscript to: Charlie Potts, [cpotts@gustavus.edu](cpotts@gustavus.edu) College Student Affairs Journal, Volume 39(2), pp. 214-224 ISSN 2381-2338 Copyright 2021 Southern Association for College Student Affairs All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. 215 College Student Affairs Journal Vol. 39, No. 2, 2021 Te Covificantidc-1hllpeanngesmicforhsrcstr-eateyeard ssitgu-- dents as they transition to college (Patel, 2020; Brown, 2020) . The traditional ways in which students connect to peers and to their institution have been disrupted, and the feelings of belonging that students desire has been significantly complicated. The primary goal of this study was to identify how students’ sense of belonging has been affected by transitioning to a four-year private college during a pandemic and to examine how students are finding belonging ina time of uncertainty and change. This study explores the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on how students perceive a sense of belonging on campus. Extant research examines the importance of the transition to college and sense of belonging, but little is yet known about the influence that the pandemic has had on how students are experiencing belonging during their transition to college. The inquiry is timely because of the emergent and evolving nature of the pandemic and how it has affected higher education and the college student experience. This study analyzes qualitative focus group conversations with first-year college students, focusing on perceptions of belonging-both social and institutional-during the pandemic. Specifically, the central research question was: How has the Covid-19 pandemic influenced a sense of belonging among first-year college students as they transition to college? Literature Review Strayhorn (2019) asserted that all students desire, and need, to feel a sense of belonging in college. Human development literature demonstrates that the need to belong is fundamental to the human experience (Maslow, 1970) . Humans strive to form relationships that are meaningful, positive, and long lasting (Baumeister & Leary, 1995) . Strayhorn’s model stems from Maslow’s (1970) hierarchy of needs, and he defined a sense of belonging as “students’ perceived social support on campus, a feeling of connectedness, or that one is important to others” (p. 27) . Strayhorn’s (2019) model includes seven core elements of sense of belonging, among them the idea that sense of belonging is a universal, basic human need, that it is influenced by one’s identities and relates to mattering (i.e., feeling that someone cares), and that it leads to positive outcomes and success. Institutions play a key role in helping students cultivate a sense of belonging (Supiano, 2018) . For first-year college students, finding and developing a sense of belonging on campus encompasses multiple dimensions and depends on various factors (Duran et al., 2020; Gopalan & Brady, 2019; Hoffman et al., 2002; Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Means & Pyne, 2017; Miller & Servaty-Seib, 2016; Museus et al., 2017; St

FAQs

What is the central research question of the study?

How has the Covid-19 pandemic influenced a sense of belonging among first-year college students as they transition to college?

How was data collected and analyzed?

The study used qualitative focus group conversations with first-year college students, analyzed through thematic analysis.

What themes emerged from the focus groups?

The analysis explored navigating uncertainty, seeking in-person connection, and developing resilience.

Oct 15, 2026

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