The Relationship Between Missing Classes and Undergraduates Feelings of Belonginess and Mental Health  

Presenter(s)

Grant Gunderson, Grace Haglin, Kaitlyn Kaiser, Evelyn Hullopeter

Abstract or Description

Problem  

The US has a high rate of students dropping out of college (Cohort). This study investigates how students’ mental health and belonginess are connected to missing class. The current study, in partnership with the University’s Institutional Research Office, investigates how students’ sense of belonginess and mental health challenges are connected to missing class across the semester.   

Procedure 

“We Are Listening” is a program that administers a monthly survey to university students.  The surveys are made of items related to themed topics like student life and academic registration. Each month questions assess students’ belonginess, mental health, and number of missed classes. The mental health question asks how many days the students’ academic performance was affected by emotional or mental difficulties in the past four weeks. It is hypothesized that as the semester progresses, students will report worse mental health. We also predict a positive correlation between mental health days and number of classes missed.   

Results (to date)  

Two surveys have been administered for this academic year (F23-S24) and an additional survey is planned in February. In September (N=460), 8.70% of students reported that their academic performance was negatively impacted by mental health six or more days during the prior four weeks. In October (N=324), this rate increased to 16%. For students that reported that they had missed class (N=146) in the first weeks of the semester only 22% reported that they had no days negatively affected by mental health. Of the students that had not missed class (N=219), 37% of them reported no days negatively affected by mental health. Preliminary analysis of the October survey indicates that students are missing classes at a higher rate. It is expected that this relationship between missed classes and mental health will continue.  By the time of the Capitol Rotunda conference, we will have collected data from an additional survey in February.  Correlational and regression analysis will be performed to investigate the relationship between missing classes, mental health, and belongingness. 

Conclusions and implications 

A lot of research has focused on the impact of belongingness on retention at colleges and universities.  The current study investigates how missing classes, mental health, and belongingness across an academic year will be correlated.  These findings will give interested individuals an understanding of the connection between missed classes, mental health, and belongingness throughout the academic year.       

Mentor

Travis Ricks