AN INVESTIGATION INTO STUDENTS' SENSE OF BELONGING: A CASE STUDY AT A UNIVERSITY IN VIETNAM

This study aimed to examine students' perceptions of belonging in their first year studying at a university in Vietnam, explore significant factors affecting students' sense of belonging and find out how students' sense of belonging influences their educational outputs. A mix method approach which combined both quantitative and qualitative analysis was used in this research. In the quantitative phase, 266 first-year students were asked to give their responses on a questionnaire which consisted of three sections. Section one was an adaption from The Psychological Sense of School Membership Scale (Goodenow, 1993) while the other sections involved items on factors affecting students' sense of belonging and the influences of students' belonging on educational outputs. In the qualitative phase, 20 first-year students (10 on-campus and 10 off-campus) took part in the semi-structure interviews. The results showed that the factors affecting students' sense of belonging to the university were academic factors (classroom comfort and instructor support), social factors (co-curricular involvement, peer connection, faculty support, and campus climate) and environmental factors (campus facilities and living space). Institutional factors, on the other hand, did not contribute to students' sense of belonging. Eventually, the findings revealed that students' sense of belonging had a significant effect on their academic achievement, motivation and positive well-being. Meanwhile, loneliness and stress were relieved.