SENSE OF UNIVERSITY BELONGING: A CASE STUDY OF AL-QUDS UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

The main purpose of the current study was to investigate sense of belonging (SOB) of Al-Quds University students. Index of a 25-item scale was used to measure SOB which was developed by the researchers, based on the SOC model (McMillan & Chavis, 1986), and was administrated to three hundred and sixty-nine students (173 males and 196 females) full-time undergraduate students at Al-Quds University stratifiedly selected. The findings demonstrate that the students of Al-Quds University indicated a moderate level of SOB to their university. Differences were found between gender, place of residency, and academic year; however, SOB has emerged as a significant predictor of students' academic achievement. Implications of the findings of this study, and directions for future empirical research were briefly discussed.