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Document Type (Journals)

Original Research

Abstract

Belonging has been explored in research in higher education with a focus on student engagement or performance and the impact of psychological aspects on individuals' learning. Few studies focused on underrepresented occupational therapy students’ belonging. Our research aimed to explore the lived experience of occupational therapy students regarding belonging at university. This phenomenological study was conducted with six occupational therapy students from the United Kingdom who volunteered to participate in semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was carried out through Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA). Three themes were constructed: Theme 1: Representation and belonging - “I was the only non-white person in the room”; Theme 2: Navigating between being and doing - “we've done a lot of talking, what are we going to do?”, and Theme 3: Societal and Institutional Oppression - “Are they even aware?”. The sense of belonging appeared to fluctuate according to individuals, places, and cultures. Our analysis suggests considerations for further occupational therapy education regarding effective strategies to enable belonging, as well as inclusive practices in higher education.

Biography

1. Dr. Daniel Cezar da Cruz, PhD, MSc, BSc, FHEA, MRCOT, HCPC, Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, School of Health, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom

2. Dr. Angela Murphy, EdD, MSc OT, BSc OT, FHEA, Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, School of Health, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom

3. Zara Mahmood, BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy, Senior Occupational Therapist, Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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