Enhancing Belonging Through Inclusive Teaching: The Amplified Impact on First-Generation Students

Authors

  • Ashley C. Jordan University of Arizona Author
  • Sarah Blanchard Kyte University of Arizona Author

Keywords:

first-generation college students, inclusive teaching, academic coaching, strength-based pedagogy, growth mindset, online learning, sense of belonging

Abstract

This study examines the impact of inclusive teaching interventions—academic coaching and strengths-based teaching—on students’ sense of belonging in an online statistics course. Findings revealed a significant overall increase in students’ sense of belonging, with a larger effect size observed among first-generation students compared to their continuing-generation peers. Students described how despite a level of initial anxiety about this math-centric course, cultivating a sense of belonging in the classroom was associated with enhanced development of a growth mindset. The interventions described in this study are readily adaptable across a range of institutional contexts, disciplines, and modalities.

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Author Biography

  • Ashley C. Jordan, University of Arizona

    Ashley C. Jordan is an Associate Professor of Practice and Director of Online Programs for the Psychology department.  Her primary research interests revolve around the scholarship of teaching and learning in online contexts in Higher Education. Specifically, she is interested in how pedagogical practices and technologies can be used and incorporated in an online environment to enhance student engagement with the instructor, with peers, and with course material. Her ultimate goal is to increase student success:  meaning better learning (evidenced through improved grades) and better retention (evidenced through graduation rates and time to degree). When she's not teaching undergraduate courses, she enjoys exploring new hiking trails and spending time with her husband and twelve-year-old twin daughters. 

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2026-04-22

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Enhancing Belonging Through Inclusive Teaching: The Amplified Impact on First-Generation Students. (2026). Journal on Excellence in College Teaching. https://celt.miamioh.edu/index.php/JECT/article/view/1218