The beginning of a PhD research thesis on 'Exploring the concept of belonging in CBHE by Rochelle Martinez

I am a part-time PhD with the Lancaster University and a full-time Business lecturer at UCEN Manchester. After teaching in a CBHE environment for ten years, I have developed an interest in student identity and creating a sense of belonging of our students, particularly students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The following abstract gives an overview of my research plans for the following 12 months of which my thesis is due to be submitted. Discourse has shown that non-traditional students are at a disadvantage compared to the traditional university student, and student sense of belonging within higher education is argued to be a key ingredient to student and institution success. Research available supports students’ sense of belonging is within a university context.

As CBHE students are already at a disadvantage compared with traditional university students, there is a need to explore the concept of belonging from a CBHE perspective. Qualitative research methods will be applied to a small sample of first year undergraduate Business students by answering the following research questions. To what extent, and in what ways do students feel a sense of belonging within a non-traditional HE is setting and how do they conceptualise a sense of belonging within HE. Finally, findings will help to identify in what ways might a non-traditional HE context create a sense of belong for first year undergraduate students. Once data has been gathered, thematic analysis will be applied to examine the data set and make meaning of student experience with feeling a sense of belonging in a CBHE context.