Date of Award

1-15-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Educational Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Maureen Creegan-Quinquis

Second Advisor

Dr. J. Cody Nielsen

Third Advisor

Dr. Lindsay Turgeon-Brown

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the rhythms of higher education and redefined the ways faculty experienced connection, identity, and purpose within formal learning places. This study examined professional belonging by exploring the question: What was the lived experience of belonging for teaching faculty in a COVID-informed undergraduate formal learning place? The aim was to investigate how belonging was constructed, challenged, and reimagined during a period of collective disruption. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology and framed as a scholarly imram – a journey of wandering and insight drawn from Irish mythology – the research engaged nine faculty participants through semi-structured interviews. Data were interpreted through the conceptual lens of phenomenology and the theoretical framework of Allen et al. (2021), which presents belonging as the integration of competence, opportunity, motivation, and perception within professional settings. Findings revealed that faculty experienced belonging as dynamic and relational rather than static or solely tied to physical proximity. Five thematic “Islands of Insight”—Disruption and Reflection, Pedagogical Adaptation, Care-Based Connections, Professional Worth and Recognition, and Building Resilient and Equitable Spaces—illustrated how belonging emerged through adaptive practice and intentional community building. The study concludes that belonging, when grounded in purpose and relationship, may be a factor in sustaining professional and institutional identity and resilience during times of uncertainty. While limited to a single undergraduate institution in the United States, this inquiry provides insight into how belonging operates as both current and compass for those who facilitate learning. The findings contribute to ongoing conversations about belonging from a faculty perspective and the evolving purpose of higher education. This research affirms that professional belonging is not confined to place but is enacted through meaning-making, recognition, and care—revealing how educators chart belonging amidst disruption and how higher education might foster such belonging in future landscapes.

Allen, K. A., Kern, M. L., Rozek, C. S., McInerney, D. M., & Slavich, G. M. (2021). Belonging: a review of conceptual issues, an integrative framework, and directions for future research. Australian Journal of Psychology, 73(1), 87–102. https://doi-org.ezproxyles.flo.org/10.1080/00049530.2021.1883409

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