Belonging and the Lived Experiences of Underrepresented Occupational Therapy Students

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.

https://encompass.eku.edu/jote/vol9/iss3/1