COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Douglas Hermond

TITLE: SENSE OF BELONGING OF INDIAN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT A HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY

ABSTRACT: This mixed methods study, composed of autoethnography and ethnography, explored the experiences of six Indian international students at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). While rich research exists on challenges faced by international students in terms of their sense of belonging in the U.S. American colleges and universities, relatively little research had been performed on those challenges as specifically experienced by Indian international students. Furthermore, no studies looked at challenges experienced by Indian international students specifically at HBCUs, instead focusing on Predominately White Institutions (PWIs). Drawing upon Tinto’s (1993) Model of Institutional Departure, this study contended that, in addition to formal academic elements, Indian international students at HBCUs required informal academic elements in the form of healthy faculty/staff interactions and peer-group interactions for success in the classroom. This perspective aligned with Goodenow’s (1993) perspective, who highlighted the prime importance of a healthy sense of belonging in all students, and a need to feel accepted by, included by, and connected to their institutions. Open coding of the five interview transcripts and my own experiences yielded four themes regarding the factors influencing our sense of belonging at Prairie View A&M University: (1) With respect to “being accepted,” half of the respondents reported clique-like behavior by African-American classmates; (2) With respect to “being valued,” the majority of respondents exclusively or primarily reported having African-American classmates who were supportive and friendly and valued their input; (3) With respect to “being encouraged,” two-thirds of respondents exclusively reported that the HBCU’s instructors supported their efforts and made them feel welcome; and (4) With respect to “being included,” two-thirds of respondents mentioned strategies for making connections with classmates and instructors within the HBCU classroom. Once considered alongside the aggregate results from the data from the digital survey completed before the interviews by each respondent, the various themes and subthemes indicated areas of further improvement for this HBCU in terms of supporting the sense of belonging of its Indian international student population.

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