The Time of Semester as a Confound Variable Leading to Inconsistent Correlational Findings Between Belongingness and Other Variables of Interest

Presenter(s)

Robert Mangiamele

Abstract or Description

Problem

Belongingness has received significant attention in recent years, especially regarding university students. Numerous studies have found correlations between belongingness and factors related to academic success (See Glass & Westmont, 2014 for review). These studies provide useful information regarding general trends. However, there are numerous instances of ignoring the confound of time of the semester in these studies. The present study measures how much belongingness changes across a semester and how this change affects belongingness’s relationship to other variables such as mental and academic success.   

Procedure

Five surveys have been conducted at Bemidji State University, over two years. For these five surveys, belongingness was assessed at different times across the semester. Questions relating to the sense of feeling valued, comfortable, and part of the community and having a sense of purpose and belonging were utilized. In addition, a measure of mental health and academic success were also measured. It was hypothesized that the time of the semester would lead to decreases in belongingness and that the correlation between belongingness and mental health and academic success would be inconsistent across the time of assessment.

Results

A total of 1,673 participants provided responses to NESSI belongingness items across five different time periods. Resultant NESSI scores demonstrated a gradual fall in belongingness as the semester progressed. September 2022 reported M = 3.05 (SD = 0.68), October 2022 declined to M = 2.96 (SD = 0.73). Fall semester of 2023 similarly fell from September 2023 M = 3.10 (SD = 0.68) to late October early November M = 3.00 (SD = 0.76) and late November M = 2.88 (SD = 0.77). Cronbach’s Alpha values revealed good internal consistency, the lowest being 0.80 in October 2022 and the highest 0.88 in September 2023. Mental health was also assessed in these five surveys, and it was observed that the correlation between Belongingness and Mental Health was inconsistent across the time of semester. 

Conclusions

The current study presents evidence that belongingness decreases across the semester. It was also observed that the correlation between belongingness and the measure of mental health and academic performance was inconsistent across time. This inconsistency in correlations indicates an important confound that needs attention when interpreting research into belongingness and other important variables.

Mentor

Dr. Ricks