Table 1.
Scale assessment using Oblimin principal components analysis with Kaizer Normalization and Pearson's moment product correlation coefficient analysis for items and scale constructs of academic belonging.
| Item | Component loadings | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
| I feel at home at this study | 0.735 | 0.102 | −0.132 | 0.210 | 0.248 | ||
| I feel like I can be myself within this study | 0.713 | 0.054 | −0.154 | 0.182 | 0.220 | ||
| My teachers know me | 0.513 | 0.087 | −0.060 | 0.021 | −0.307 | ||
| Teachers are committed to their students | 0.673 | −0.051 | −0.016 | −0.047 | −0.314 | ||
| Teachers make sure students feel safe to ask questions | 0.764 | −0.058 | 0.026 | −0.036 | −0.133 | ||
| Teachers are receptive to suggestions and feedback for improvements |
0.778 | −0.012 | 0.111 | −0.146 | −0.066 | ||
| I participate in thinking about, and discussing, ways to improve education | −0.050 | 0.542 | −0.108 | 0.065 | −0.316 | ||
| I commit myself to the higher education institute | −0.022 | 0.733 | −0.035 | −0.083 | −0.109 | ||
| I participate in extra (online) activities provided by my study | 0.029 | 0.760 | 0.039 | 0.097 | 0.088 | ||
| I participate in (online) social activities that are hosted by my study or study association | 0.028 | 0.779 | −0.022 | −0.062 | 0.131 | ||
| I am committed to my fellow students | −0.025 | 0.152 | −0.733 | 0.095 | −0.069 | ||
| I can share my emotions and stories with fellow students | 0.065 | −0.032 | −0.777 | −0.010 | −0.073 | ||
| Being in touch with my fellow students helps me to perform well | 0.061 | −0.008 | −0.752 | −0.097 | −0.002 | ||
| I approach fellow students to work together on (online) assessments | −0.096 | 0.027 | −0.737 | 0.099 | −0.060 | ||
| I work hard to succeed in my studies and spend a sufficient amount of time | −0.050 | −0.002 | −0.033 | 0.837 | 0.050 | ||
| Usually, I participate in all study activities | 0.122 | 0.015 | −0.070 | 0.690 | −0.004 | ||
| I am rarely behind with the coursework for my study | −0.011 | −0.045 | −0.012 | 0.781 | −0.051 | ||
| I do not regularly do other things during class (e.g., Whatsapp, Facebook) | −0.046 | 0.144 | 0.293 | 0.357 | −0.273 | ||
| On occasions I discuss personal matters with teachers | 0.113 | 0.167 | −0.124 | −0.085 | −0.655 | ||
| I know the names of the teachers whose classes I follow | 0.048 | −0.106 | −0.126 | 0.201 | −0.552 | ||
| I discuss gained insights with teachers | 0.120 | 0.080 | −0.096 | 0.106 | −0.655 | ||
| Keeping in contact with teachers has a positive effect on my results | 0.439 | 0.006 | −0.059 | −0.037 | −0.453 | ||
| Pearson's moment product cross–correlations | |||||||
| Academic belonging (6 items) | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | Scale |
| 1. I feel at home at this study | (–) | 0.676*** | 0.431*** | 0.405*** | 0.404*** | 0.344*** | 0.720*** |
| 2. I feel like I can be myself within this study | . | (–) | 0.460*** | 0.395*** | 0.404*** | 0.322*** | 0.716*** |
| 3. My teachers know me | . | . | (–) | 0.509*** | 0.425*** | 0.360*** | 0.726*** |
| 4. Teachers are committed to their students | . | . | . | (–) | 0.604*** | 0.589*** | 0.792*** |
| 5. Teachers make sure students feel safe to ask questions | . | . | . | . | (–) | 0.621*** | 0.774*** |
| 6. Teachers are receptive to suggestions and feedback for improvements | . | . | . | . | . | (–) | 0.731*** |
| Social Integration (4 items) | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | Scale | ||
| 1. I am committed to my fellow students | (–) | 0.586*** | 0.440*** | 0.477*** | 0.792*** | ||
| 2. I can share my emotions and stories with fellow students | . | (–) | 0.494*** | 0.448*** | 0.819*** | ||
| 3. Being in touch with my fellow students helps me to perform well | . | . | (–) | 0.422*** | 0.748*** | ||
| 4. I approach fellow students to work together on (online) assessments | . | . | . | (–) | 0.760*** | ||
*significant at p < 0.05.
**significant at p < 0.01.
***
significant at p < 0.001.