A ‘satisfied settling’? Investigating a sense of belonging for Muslim students in a UK small-medium Higher Education Institution.

Authors

  • Maisha Islam The University of Winchester
  • Tom Lowe The University of Winchester
  • Gary Jones The University of Winchester

Abstract

In West European and North American Higher Education (HE), students of Islamic faith often feel overlooked, disregarded and marginalised by traditional post-secondary education colleges and Universities (Stevenson, 2014). This paper presents the findings of a research study conducted at a small-medium sized University in the UK to explore Muslim students' sense of belonging at the Institution, aiming to assess whether the University of Winchester followed a western trend of housing barriers to a full HE experience for minority student groups (Harper & Quaye, 2015). As the student population in the UK is growing to 50% of 18-24-year-old adults, so too is the number of students from diverse and underrepresented groups such as: students of faith, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students, disabled students and students with caring responsibilities (Lea, 2015). Therefore, understanding Winchester's Muslim student populations' sense of belonging and engagement at the Institution was to be deemed necessary. This study spanned over Winter 2017 / Spring 2018 using semi-structured interviews with 20% of the Muslim student population at the University, with findings suggesting that although the HEI has a very small Muslim population, students generally felt valued and a sense of belonging to the Institution. However, this was seen to be one-sided (fuelled mostly by positive academic experiences) and was implicated by being of minority status, to which the article labels as a ‘satisfied settling’. The article will also discuss how simple implementations by HEIs can further engage and enhance the university experience for these students.

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Author Biographies

Maisha Islam, The University of Winchester

Maisha Islam is the Administrator for the Centre for Student Engagement at The University of Winchester.

Tom Lowe, The University of Winchester

Tom Lowe is the Centre for Student Engagement Manager at the University of Winchester and the Secretary for RAISE.

Gary Jones, The University of Winchester

Dr Gary Jones is the Head of Department for Politics and Society at The University of Winchester and has been a university lecturer for over 15 years. 

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Published

2018-11-15

How to Cite

Islam, M., Lowe, T., & Jones, G. (2018). A ‘satisfied settling’? Investigating a sense of belonging for Muslim students in a UK small-medium Higher Education Institution. Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal, 2(2), 79–104. Retrieved from https://sehej.raise-network.com/raise/article/view/891

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