Culture and Religiosity: Contributors to Asian American Graduate Students’ Belonging

Abstract

This study examined the contribution of culture and religiosity to sense of belonging for 203 Asian American graduate university students. Religious commitment, religious struggle, and cultural congruity predicted 29% of the variance in students’ sense of belonging. Supporting the hypothesis, students who felt more ethnically affirmed at their graduate institution—held firmer religious beliefs and experienced less religious questioning—reported a greater sense of belonging to their graduate institution. Implications for practice are discussed.