Beyond belonging – building mattering into programme design, Rebecca Hodgson
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Much focus is placed on belonging, but arguably what has more impact on student and staff wellbeing is knowing that we matter. 'Mattering' in higher education can be defined as approaches and interventions which show that the university cares, and that students and staff matter as individuals. This practical workshop will use a research-based framework and evidence informed recommendations, providing participants with tools to design and manage programmes to enhance both student and staff experience.
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Beyond belonging – building mattering into programme design, Rebecca Hodgson
- 1. Beyond Belonging: building ‘mattering’ into practice Programme design for student and staff well-being Professor Rebecca Hodgson rebecca.hodgson-2@manchester.ac.uk SEDA Autumn Conference, 2023
- 2. Belonging and mattering “There is an important distinction between belonging and mattering; namely, belonging to a group is not sufficient to elicit feelings of mattering. ... for persons to matter, not only must their presence in the group be acknowledged, but they must also feel as though they are important ... ....increased feelings of mattering may increase a sense of belonging... (France & Finney, 2009: 111)
- 3. Background • My earlier research identified an ‘academic identity nexus’: the factors forming stable, confident professional identities in higher education • Four interdependent factors: self-efficacy; agency (optimal); belonging; and mattering • Can be applied to staff and students in higher education (and professional identities more widely) • A literature review (Austen, Hodgson, et al 2021) on access, retention, attainment, and progression filtered 14,000 pieces of literature into 161 sources for thematic review – ‘mattering’ emerged as a key theme • ‘EDI in action’ workshop (Dec 2022) co-led by international students: mattering emerged as a key theme
- 4. Resilience: maintenance of wellbeing Mattering attention (awareness) importance reliance (two-way) appreciation Self-efficacy mastery experiences modelling persuasion physiological reactions Agency (optimal) ownership contribution scaffolded Belonging connectedness acceptance legitimacy shared values from Hodgson, 2017, 2018 Professional identity nexus
- 5. Mattering in HE: students • Mattering – a focus for positive change • Much focus has been placed on belonging, but arguably what has more impact is students knowing that they matter. • ‘Mattering’ in higher education can be understood as approaches and interventions which show that a university cares and that students matter as individuals – that they are important to us. • Approaches and interventions designed from a student- centred perspective, that have a positive impact on the student experience, may support a sense of ‘mattering’
- 6. Mattering in HE: staff • As with students, arguably what has more impact than ‘belonging’ is staff knowing that they matter. • Manifests at the micro (local) and macro (institutional) scale • The most influential interactions / experiences seem to occur at the local level and via the overall culture of the institution • Professional development like PgCAP programmes can help support development of confident professional identities
- 7. Initial discussion: 5 minutes • Questions, comments?
- 8. What might mattering ‘look like’ for staff? Component of mattering What might this look / feel like for staff? Attention (or awareness) Colleagues know your name (and can pronounce it) Your identity is respected You are invited to meetings and included in team communications Your development needs are identified and provided for You have clarity / structure in terms of your responsibilities Importance You are treated as an individual by the university You feel known personally by key colleagues You have a mentor and a line manager who spend time with you Your opinion counts / is sought by colleagues You are supported practically and emotionally by colleagues Your contributions are encouraged and valued You undertake work that matters to you and your team / institution Reliance (two - way) You can make a direct and positive contribution to your team / programme / Department You have opportunities to be a key part of a team Colleagues and / or students seek you out for support and you are in turn supported You have opportunities for co-creation (e.g. teaching, research, policy) with colleagues and students Appreciation Your work provides opportunities to demonstrate successes and achievements Colleagues and line managers notice and acknowledge your efforts and achievements Your institution offers opportunities for reward and recognition for the work you do Your contributions are recognised and rewarded Colleagues, line managers, and students provide positive and constructive feedback
- 9. What might mattering ‘look like’ for students? Component of mattering What might this look / feel like for students? Attention (or awareness) Key peers and tutors know your name (and can pronounce it) Your identity is respected You are invited to peer meetings and included in peer communications Your development needs are identified and provided for You have a mentor and a personal tutor Importance You are treated as an individual by the university You feel known personally by key university staff You have a mentor and a personal tutor who spend time with you Your opinion counts / is sought by peers and tutors You are supported practically and emotionally by peers and tutors Your contributions are encouraged in taught sessions You do work on your course that matters to you and the world Reliance (two - way) You can make a direct contribution to your course You have opportunities to be a key part of a team (group work, learning, assessment) You have opportunities to support peers and are in turn supported You have opportunities for co-creation with peers and tutors Appreciation Your course provides opportunities to demonstrate early successes and achievements Peers and tutors notice and acknowledge your efforts and achievements Your course offers opportunities to win prizes and awards Tutors recognise your contributions in class Tutors provide positive and constructive feedback
- 11. Identity framework: relationships Concept Inter-relationships belonging requires a sense of mattering (importance, appreciation) impacted by self-efficacy impacted by agency mattering requires a sense of belonging (connectedness, acceptance) requires opportunities to develop self-efficacy impacted by agency self-efficacy reinforced / undermined by belonging / not belonging reinforced / undermined by mattering / not mattering reinforced / undermined by appropriate / inappropriate agency agency a mechanism for / manifestation of belonging (legitimacy) a mechanism for / manifestation of mattering (reliance) reinforces / undermines self-efficacy
- 12. Literature review • Austen, L., Hodgson, R., Heaton, C., Pickering, N., and Dickinson, J. (2021) Access, retention, attainment, progression – an integrative literature review, Advance HE: York • Recommendations as to ‘what works’
- 13. Access: what works? • Supporting students to access HE by helping them to navigate existing systems and processes and overcome barriers – Outreach; Information, Advice and Guidance; Financial support • Understanding our institution and where under- representation is • Focus on culture, policies, staff-base, and practices, to attract and support the students who are under-represented and/or disadvantaged. – Admissions; Embracing diversity
- 14. Retention: what works? At the level of the institution: • Financial aid (hardship funds); childcare; travel support • Personalised interventions At the level of the course: • Proactive academic-student contact • ‘Mattering’ in teaching and learning interactions • Facilitate creation of learning communities by pedagogical design • Opportunities to have early ‘successes’ (a primary flag in learner analytics information)
- 15. Attainment: what works? • Provide financial student support but as part of multi-intervention programme e.g. including careers seminars • Focus on transition and induction • Adopt a student-centred pedagogy e.g. – active – problem-based – experiential – peer supported learning • Use open access educational resources • Focus on supporting psycho-social behaviours of learning and combine with data analytics • Use peer mentoring/tutoring as part of a wider programme of activities
- 16. Progression: what works? • Investment via multi-faceted interventions which provide more than one opportunity to develop student progression to employment (work experience AND careers interventions AND mentoring) • Opportunity via work placements, sandwich placements and internships can have a positive experience on student progression outcomes, and can provide a levelling/equalising effect(WP) on graduate outcomes • Assumption that the development of behaviours (confidence, resilience) and employability skills (in or out of the curriculum) will lead to longer term employment successes
- 17. Thinking holistically… Early interventions Curriculum aligned Financial aid Extra Curricular Personal support and guidance Learner analytics
- 18. References • Austen, L., Hodgson, R., Heaton, C., Pickering, N., and Dickinson, J. (2021) Access, retention, attainment, progression – an integrative literature review, Advance HE: York • Bobek, B. L. (2002). Teacher Resiliency: A Key to Career Longevity. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 75(4), 202–205. • Elliott, G. C., Kao, S., & Grant, A.-M. (2004). Mattering: Empirical Validation of a Social-Psychological Concept. Self and Identity, 3(4), 339–354 • Hodgson, R (2017) New lecturers’ journeys: the formation of the academic in higher education, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield • Hodgson, R (2018) A new model for academic identity, The 6th International Conference for Academic Identities, Hiroshima, Japan, 19- 21 September 2018 http://rihe.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en/2018/09/9-19en/ • France, M. K., & Finney, S. J. (2009). What Matters in the Measurement of Mattering? A Construct Validity Study. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 42(2), 104–120. • May, V. (2011). Self, Belonging and Social Change. Sociology, 45(3), 363–378
Hinweis der Redaktion
- example of comment on article on belonging re: awarding gap- do students want to belong to institutionally / structurally racist organisations? belonging – risks being patriarchal – who are we to define what someone should want to belong to? risks tokenistic actions belonging has to come from the enactment – the lived experience of – which is more closely related to mattering...
- The research brief provided by AdvanceHE was to explore evidence-based policy or practice that had a demonstrable impact on student outcomes (access, retention, attainment, and progression). One aim was to update the previously published review led by Webb at al from Plymouth in 2017. The size of and scope of this review was considerable, focusing on the four outcome areas across the student lifecycle and the connections between them. We utilised the definitions of access, retention, attainment, and progression which were outlined in the previous review. Access to HE - the extent to which groups can gain entrance to different types of higher education institutions. Retention - participants’ likelihood of continuing or withdrawing from study. Attainment- the extent to which students are enabled to fulfil their potential; sometimes discussed in terms of achieving a 2.1- or first-class degree. Progression - successful transitions within the programme of study and afterwards (to employment or further study) Our approach to the methodology relied heavily on our experience as evaluators and HE leaders and we focused our attention on the definition of demonstrable impact on student outcomes. To focus on ‘what works’, and to manage the scale of the project, the Office for Students Standards of Evidence (Centre for Social Mobility 2019) were used to guide the inclusion and exclusion of sources, focusing on empirical (pre and post, minimum two data collection points etc) and causal evidence (has a target group with comparison or control). We also adopted a integrative methodology, which utilised an approach to evidence that included grey literature (not peer reviewed) and an Expert Stakeholder group, whose reviews and reflections became part of the evidence base. Our methodology, search strategy, inclusion criteria and limitations are published as a Protocol in the appendix of the report, making it possible for future reviewers to critique or replicate the approach, as needed. Using shared RefWorks projects, and with the valuable help of 2 student researchers, we filtered close to 14 thousand pieces of literature into 161 sources for thematic review. There are limitations in any research study so it is important to acknowledge these: - our inclusion/exclusion criteria, and focus on empirical/causal evidence, did not find a plethora of evidence on long term student outcomes – this is a gap which will be addressed in our recommendations at the end of this webinar; - a focus on outcome definitions may have overlooked intermediary/mediating factors (impact of wider definitions of learning gain, skills and behaviour change etc); - there was a dominance of quantitative studies aligned with our metric driven student outcome measures (e.g. grades as a measure of attainment); - there was a messiness in the evidence base despite clear inclusion/exclusion criteria – even with a clear protocol this was often a subjective call; you will notice a skew in the volume and quality of sources found in each area, and we also touch on disciplinary skews; finally, many of the studies we reviewed researched student cohorts not student groups and differential impact on different student groups is missing at times.
- Blue = supporting students to access HE by helping them to navigate existing systems and processes and overcome barriers (self-actualisation) Outreach Activities: Evidence of effectiveness of interventions which provide practical help, support, and knowledge, in relation to understanding the HE environment and its admissions processes. Information, Advice and Guidance: considering the benefits of building employability and careers support into pre-entry IAG, to support long-term planning and goal setting. Value of IAG specialists based within schools and FE colleges – providing academic and pastoral support at a personal level and encouraging students to address and overcome challenges they may face in relation to Access Financial Support: Evidence that this is most effective when targeted at those who are most in need, integrated as part of a package of interventions and support, and focused on supporting students throughout the HE student lifecycle (more effective on-course than pre-course). Purple = understanding our HE institutions and where under-representation is actually happening. Focus on what institutions need to do as a whole or individually to amend their thinking, culture, policies, staff-base, and practices, to attract and support the students who are under-represented and/or disadvantaged. Admissions: Thinking about extent to which students’ educational backgrounds are taken into account (geographical areas of under-representation, institutions with tendency for lower qualifications, from lower-socio-economic groups, or any other demographic which is disadvantaged. ) Adjusting entry requirements to target particular student cohorts, considering any inherent bias in our admissions policies and practices. Embracing Diversity: Cultural change. Welcoming students with varied school / FE college experiences not just at the point of entry but throughout the HE experience, acknowledging that whilst some students may attain entry grades, they may have limited opportunities to develop social and cultural capital, or their experiences may just be different from those which are most familiar to us in Western cultures. Some may have little experience of extra-curricular activities which encourage personal growth. Putting into action the words which we use in mission statements. May require some brave decisions, and unilateral decisions about target groups and methods, which will require evaluation to be embedded from the start, with causal evidence of impact, in order to be developed at scale.
- NB – note OfS terminology re: Continuation At the level of the course: Proactive academic-student contact - (checking in, ‘validating’ the student experience) – for example, via academic advisors / personal tutors / module leaders - Webb and Cotton (2018); Dwyer (2017); Burnette (2017); Gabi and Sharpe (2021) ‘Mattering’ in teaching and learning interactions’- knowing names, demonstrating care, enabling and validating student contributions, being friendly and approachable - Arshad-Snyder (2017); Dwyer (2017); Gabi and Sharpe (2021) Facilitate creation of learning communities by pedagogical design – active / participative learning, collaborative learning and assessment activities, tutor and learner collaboration, buddy and mentor systems across levels - Loes et al., 2017 – larger longitudinal study; Ikuma et al. (2019); Johnson et al. (2020) Opportunities to have early ‘successes’ (a primary flag in learner analytics information) - formative or early assessment tasks, with feedback) – completion of which is a key indicator of retention risk and should be a primary flag in learner analytics information - Kehoe (2017), Ortiz-Lozano et al. (2020), : Scherzberg (2017); At the level of the institution: non-academic personal support in the form of... Financial aid (hardship funds); childcare; travel support - Qayyum et al. (2019), Troester-Trate (2020), Wilson & Dauncey, 2020, Snyder (2017) Personalised interventions such as supportive text messaging tailored to a student’s needs - Wilson & Dauncey, 2020 Limitations: Single institution studies Existing factors, not new interventions Multi-variable interventions (difficulties in ascribing causality) faculty interactions and communities: Webb and Cotton (2018); Dwyer (2017); Burnette (2017); Gabi and Sharpe (2021) in class mattering: Arshad-Snyder (2017); Dwyer (2017); Gabi and Sharpe (2021) peer mentoring: Simmons and Smith (2020) Early successes: Scherzberg (2017); Ortiz-Lozano et al. (2020) learner analytics: Kehoe (2017), Ortiz-Lozano et al. (2020) learning communities: Loes et al., 2017 – larger longitudinal study; Ikuma et al. (2019); Johnson et al. (2020) financial support: Qayyum et al. (2019), Troester-Trate (2020), Wilson & Dauncey, 2020, Snyder (2017) personalised interventions: Wilson & Dauncey, 2020
- In terms of attainment interventions around the theme of 'mattering', a few key points emerge. We identified how interventions that were grounded with supporting data through the use of analytics were particularly effective in enhancing attainment but there is an opportunity for more robust evidence to be developed in this respect. There was some differentiation around how much of an impact financial support could have but where it was provided as part of a wider programme of interventions, it was more successful in enhancing attainment. Some of the studies that we looked at demonstrated the positive impact of students' transitions and induction into the Higher Education setting which are generally available to at risk groups of students. Some of these initiatives were introduced either before the students arrived at university or early into their Higher Education studies to help improve outcomes in that first particularly crucial year. We also saw how the adoption of pedagogical, student-centred approaches, for example active learning, experiential learning, and peer supported learning have a positive impact on students' attainment. The review highlighted studies that had found no negative impact of using open access educational resources. In fact, Jhangiani (2018) noted how students who were assigned an open textbook performed the same or better than those students who were asked to read a commercial text. A study by Medley-Rath from the same year indicates the potential for making cost savings in this area without detrimentally affecting attainment with the potential for using those valable resources elsewhere. Another theme which came up related to interventions which were based on psycho-social or behavioural theories around the student experience where the focus tends to be on those stdents who fall within the 'at risk'category. For example, research by Deighton et al (2019) identified the benefits of supportive text messaging on progression, average grades, attendance and engagement. We found that it may be helpful to combine such approaches with data analytics to identify at risk students as early as possible to maximise impact. Another aspect we identified from the literature review was how peer mentoring/tutoring could impact outcomes around attainment as part of a wider programme of activities, for example provision of a summer bridge programme and an undergraduate research experience. As stated, there are limitations with using grades as the measure of attainment, but we also needed to maintain a focused and proportionate review. It is interesting to note topics areas that we might have expected, or were mentioned by our stakeholder groups that didn’t appear, possibly due to the focus on grade outcomes – an exploration of assessment (to supplement to discussion on teaching and learning) was not evident, and a discussion of student engagement was somewhat lost by the outcome focus. Finally, it became clear that the majority of reviewed sources of pedagogic interventions reported positive impact, and this was in contrast to other areas where there was a balance between what worked/didn’t work. Guided the paper by Dawson & Dawson (2018) on reporting and publication bias in HE, we included this reflection in our review.
- A caveat is needed in this section – the evidence was a lot more difficult to find and include using our pre-defined criteria. At times this evidence does discuss the relationship between intermediate (e.g. employability skills) and long term outcomes (employability outcomes) to supplement the review. I recommend the Employability literature as a companion to the section. There are two key points to make here, one is about investment in student outcomes and the other is about the importance of progression related opportunities. Investment: There were a couple of studies which discuss the impact of interventions which had multiple activities to support student progression. The Lakeland (2019) case study includes multiple interventions spanning work experience, careers interventions and mentoring and Martinson et al. (2018) evaluated a large training programme that had elements of career interventions, work based learning, and basic skills development. Combining multiple interventions is one aspect of what works – measurement of distilled impact at activity level is particularly tricky. The evidence of impact for progression opportunities for students was more robust but still had issue with evidencing impact on longer term employment: for example, Kerrigan et al. (2018) concluded that “participation in a sandwich placement year is strongly associated with enhanced graduate prospects” (Kerrigan et al., 2018, p. 95) and this is replicated for widening participation students (compared to those who had not completed a year in work). In this regard, a sandwich placement (if available and desirable for WP students given the time/financial commitments) can provide a levelling/equalising effect on graduate outcomes.
- Pertinent examples of holistic interventions included: early interventions which were delivered pre-entry and during transition and induction; interventions which provide financial aid or assistance to students pre and post entry (with a package of support); interventions which were designed purposively to align with the student’s curriculum; interventions which provided personal support and guidance for students; and the use of learner analytics to support identification of student need, intervention design and evaluation of subsequent impact. Financial Support –In terms of access outcomes, financial support packages that are accompanied with other interventions that address intersectionality and the multiple barriers experienced by students appear to have more impact. Financial aid, when provided as part of a multi-intervention programme (e.g. combined with pastoral support) has also been shown to be more successful in enhancing retention and attainment outcomes. Whilst the impact of finances alone is complex, there is evidence of impact across the student lifecycle. Learner Analytics – the effective use of educational data analytics in noted within the retention and attainment areas and impact associated with early indicators/opportunities for validation (e.g. through assessment), identification of risk and non-deficit targeting based on personalised needs. Whilst not specifically mentioned within the access and progression area, the importance of good quality institutional data to track student journeys and provide evidence of impact is crucial, and is the focus of many of our report recommendations. Extra Curricular: Wilson and Dauncey (2020) collated provider evidence of the impact of extra-curricular activity at all levels of study. They reference the longitudinal analysis of impact at Nottingham Trent University which found that participation in extra-curricular activities increased attainment in all years of study. The known association between attainment and progression outcomes is used in this case study to predict the association between extra-curricular activity and progression outcomes, although as mentioned, the evidence of impact is lacking. We also included a discussion of enrichment and extra-curricular activities and the impact on access intentions, preparedness and HE application rates. Curriculum aligned e.g. course based research experiences were evidencing impact on retention, attainment and progression outcomes Early interventions – in addition to the timing of pre-HE access interventions, transition and induction support interventions (particularly for underrepresented groups) were being explored in terms of retention and attainment outcomes, as were pre-HE careers interventions. Personal support – in addition to applicant ‘information and guidance’ in the access space, academic + pastoral support is explored in access (supporting college readiness), retention (importance of peer networks in learning communities and peer mentoring), and attainment (peer teaching, peer assessment). In the progression area, support tended to come from academics or service teams (e.g. coaching and mentoring) rather than peers.