The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 1 - 78

Christina W. Yao

tioned studies indicate Chinese students have
barriers related to language proﬁciency that
requires further examination of the inﬂuence
of language on Chinese students' sense of belonging, particularly within the campus residential setting.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK:
SENSE OF BELONGING
Sense of belonging is an overarching concept
that can be applied to Chinese students' experiences in their residence halls. College students' sense of belonging includes students'
perceptions of institutional support and relationships with others, which combine to
elicit feeling connected and afﬁliated with the
campus community. It is a "cognitive evaluation that typically leads to an affective response
or behavior" (Strayhorn, 2012, p. 3). Resulting
feelings of belonging can positively inﬂuence
students' academic achievement and persistence in college (Hausmann, et al., 2007), particularly for students from underrepresented
groups (Strayhorn, 2012).
Sense of belonging evolved from a sociological concept that examines perceived and
observed group cohesion (Bollen & Hoyle,
1990) to a construct measuring college
students' success in college (e.g., Berger,
1997; Hausmann et al., 2007; Hurtado &
Carter, 1997; Johnson et al, 2007; Museus &
Maramba, 2011; Strayhorn, 2012). Within a
collegiate context, sense of belonging is important because many students are "inclined
to feel isolated, alienated, lonely, or invisible"
(Strayhorn, 2012, p. 10), which can inﬂuence
students' persistence and satisfaction with
their college experience. The need for belonging is particularly relevant for international

students who are thrust into a foreign living
environment when they attend college.
Few studies on Chinese students' sense
of belonging in residence halls exist. Most
studies that include underrepresented college
students (e.g., Berger, 1997; Hausmann et al.,
2007; Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Johnson et al,
2007; Museus & Maramba, 2011) examine domestic students of color and do not include international student populations. For example,
Johnson et al. (2007) found ﬁrst-year students
of color reported lower sense of belonging to

The cultural distance arises
from differences in Eastern
and Western culture, most
notably in language, customs,
and daily practices.

their living-learning community (LLC) than
white students. Similarly, in a study on women
of color in a science, technology, engineering,
and math (STEM) LLC, Johnson (2011) found
women of color reported overall lower sense
of belonging than white women in the same
LLC. These examples of sense of belonging
literature are important since they support the
idea that students experience sense of belonging differently based on gender, race, culture,
and identity. However, one major limitation
in these studies was that all participants were
domestic students, thus highlighting a need to

THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 1

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