Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

5-1-2025

Disciplines

Psychology

Advisor

Dr. Majel Baker

Abstract

Relationships with peers and professors are central features of the college experience and may relate to how students feel about their place within their academic majors. This study hypothesized that 1) students who report more comfortable relationships with their professors would also report greater comfort within their academic major, 2) stronger peer relationships would be associated with a heightened sense of belonging in one’s major. Participants were recruited from the CSBSJU Psychology Research in Action pool (n=38) and were surveyed twice in one semester, one week apart (Time 1 and Time 2). Professor relationships was statistically significant, F(2, 34) = 28.268, p < .001, and explained 62.4% of the variance in T2 major belonging (R² = .624, Adjusted R² = .602). T1 major belonging significantly predicted T2 major belonging (B = 0.625, β = .589, t = 5.041, p < .001). In addition, professor-student relationships at T1 also significantly predicted T2 major belonging (B = 0.245, β = .328, t = 2.806, p = .008). Peer relationships overall model was statistically significant, F(2, 34) = 26.439, p < .001, and explained approximately 60.9% of the variance in T2 major belonging (R² = .609, Adjusted R² = .586). T1 major belonging was a significant predictor of T2 major belonging (B = 0.515, β = .485, t = 3.312, p = .002). Additionally, peer relationships at T1 significantly predicted T2 major belonging (B = 0.384, β = .364, t = 2.486, p = .018). While the results support the importance of social relationships in academic settings, the small sample size limits the generalizability of the findings and highlights the need for further research with larger, more diverse samples to better understand these dynamics.

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