In a study of over 5,000 North American first-year college students, those who were more extroverted, amiable, or less neurotic reported a stronger sense of belonging at school. Alexandria Stubblebine, an independent researcher in Ocala, Florida, USA, and colleagues publish their findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.
Previous studies have revealed that personality qualities are linked to a sense of belonging. Other studies have linked a solid sense of belonging to a variety of benefits in college, including improved academic performance and mental health.
Some research has looked into the links between students’ sense of belonging at school and demographic characteristics such as gender and race. However, little research has investigated the relationship between students’ personalities and a sense of belonging at school.
Additionally, individuals who were less neurotic, less open, and more extroverted were more likely to attend a large college. Students at large colleges showed a greater statistical link between extroversion and belonging than students at small institutions.
These findings shed fresh light on the relationships between personality and school belonging, as well as revealing the potential significance of school size. The authors advocate for additional research to expand understanding, such as looking at the potential influence of students’ color and ethnicity on these relationships, as well as the impact of other school factors other than size. Such research could help schools better understand how to enable students with diverse personalities and backgrounds to develop a sense of belonging and prosper in college.
The authors continue, “Students who were more pleasant and more extroverted tended to have higher belonging in college, especially in big schools, and students who were more neurotic (that is, worried and/or handle stress poorly) tended to have lower belonging in college. Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, openness to new ideas and conscientiousness were not associated with students’ sense of belonging.”
