Publication Date
Spring 5-12-2018
Document Type
Action research project: USD users only.
Degree Name
MA Higher Education Leadership
Department
Leadership Studies
Abstract
This action research project was conducted at the Cross-Cultural Center at California
State University San Marcos. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the role that
multicultural center programming plays on underrepresented students’ sense of belonging and
mattering. I used a combination of Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle and Cooperrider
and Srivastva’s (1987) Appreciative Inquiry Model as the methodology that framed my research.
Appreciative Inquiry was used as an overarching framework to guide me, as a researcher and
Student Affairs professional, through this project. Students were asked to reflect on and learn
from their lived experiences with the Cross-Cultural Center, so that they could contribute to any
change that they would like to see in programming. Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning Cycle
informed the individual reflection, focus group, and individual interviews used to collect data.
Digital USD Citation
Fischer, Erin, "Cross-Cultural Connections: Sense of Belonging and Mattering in Underrepresented College Students" (2018). M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects. 16.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/soles-mahel-action/16