Examining Sense of Belonging Among Undergraduate Students in Speech-Language Pathology: Student Experiences and Recommendations for Improvement.
Purpose: This study examined sense of belonging among undergraduate students in a communication sciences and disorders (CSD) program, investigating differences across demographic groups and underlying reasons for belonging experiences. Given persistent workforce diversity challenges in speech-langua...
| Publicado en: | Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 823 - 836 |
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| Autor principal: | |
| Formato: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
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American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Jun2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=194459183&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 194459183 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 2381473X KTSD jtl: Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups issn: 2381473X maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2026 vid: 11 iid: 3 pid: 42 pub: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association place: Rockville, Maryland artinfo: ui: 194459183 194459183 194459183 10.1044/2026_PERSP-25-00166 194459183 ppf: 823 ppct: 13 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Examining Sense of Belonging Among Undergraduate Students in Speech-Language Pathology: Student Experiences and Recommendations for Improvement. aug: au: Ocampo, Alaine affil: Department of Speech-Language Pathology, California State University, Long Beach sug: subj: Students, Undergraduate Psychosocial Factors Students, Speech-Language Pathology Psychosocial Factors Social Inclusion Evaluation Student Experiences Evaluation Communicative Disorders Program Implementation Human California Male Female Adolescence Adult Middle Age Multimethod Studies Scales Descriptive Statistics Thematic Analysis Race Factors People of Color Social Networks Faculty Mentorship Personnel Retention Workforce Diversity Student Assistance Programs Funding Source Adolescent: 13-18 years Adult: 19-44 years Middle Aged: 45-64 years Male Female ab: Purpose: This study examined sense of belonging among undergraduate students in a communication sciences and disorders (CSD) program, investigating differences across demographic groups and underlying reasons for belonging experiences. Given persistent workforce diversity challenges in speech-language pathology and audiology, understanding belonging patterns is critical for supporting student retention and professional identity development. Method: A convergent mixed-methods design was employed with 25 undergraduate students enrolled in a speech-language pathology program at a Hispanic-Serving Institution in Southern California. Participants completed an eight-item Sense of Belonging Scale and open-ended questions about belonging experiences and improvement suggestions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, whereas qualitative responses underwent thematic analysis guided by an intersectional framework. Results: Overall belonging was positive (M = 2.07 on a 4-point scale), with faculty-related dimensions representing the strongest responses (80%-84%). However, demographic differences emerged: Students who identified as White reported consistently stronger belonging compared to students of color, who showed greater variability in experiences. Students of color comprised 92.3% of respondents providing improvement suggestions, identifying systemic barriers including limited diversity representation and inadequate social connection opportunities. Conclusion: Although CSD programs demonstrate strengths in faculty mentorship, demographic differences in belonging experiences suggest need for targeted interventions addressing representation, social connection, and academic support to enhance retention and workforce diversity. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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