Degree Date

6-2024

Document Type

Dissertation - Public Access

Degree Name

Ed.D. Doctor of Education

Academic Discipline

Higher Education Leadership

First Advisor

Jaclyn Rivard

Second Advisor

Bettyjo Bouchey

Third Advisor

Shaunti Knauth

Abstract

The contemporary postsecondary learning experience is heavily mediated by educational technology (EdTech) tools and yet little is known about the ways in which these tools impact student engagement and sense of belonging, two indicators which are important to student persistence and graduation. Using Strayhorn’s (2023) critical socioecological sense of belonging framework, this convergent mixed methods study offers insights into these relationships by examining student engagement with EdTech and student sense of belonging and the impact of student traits on the relationship between EdTech and sense of belonging. This study was conducted at a private, broad access Hispanic-Serving Institution in the Midwest with a large new majority student population: transfer, women, Students of Color, first-generation, commuter, parenting and employed. The participants (N = 301) included students taking in-person, online (asynchronous), and virtual (synchronous online) courses. This study validated a seven-item sense of belonging survey instrument. Multiple linear regression models tested EdTech use and reported sense of belonging and student demographic, academic, and non-academic labor traits and found three traits to have statistically significant predictive value on the relationship between EdTech engagement and sense of belonging: transfer status, social class, and caregiving responsibilities. Themes related to student traits, gratitude, service, and desired improvements emerged in the qualitative data analysis. These findings lend support for an ecological model to understand the dynamic relationships among student traits, institutional policy, practice, systems, and people, and external systems.

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