“I'll Seek Help From You If You See Me”: A Comparative Case Study of Academic Help-Seeking and Belongingness Among Asian American and Latinx Undergraduates

Using a comparative case study methodology, we aimed to understand how sense of belonging, among Asian American and Latinx undergraduates, impacts their academic help-seeking behaviors in the classroom. We recruited 19 participants attending one of two universities—one public Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and one private Predominantly White Institution (PWI)—to participate in a focus group/interview. We use this data to center the racioethnic student experiences of Asian American and Latinx undergraduates and understand how sense of belonging is (a) conceptualized, (b) perceived to be fostered or discouraged at the institutional level, and (c) shapes the connections and help-seeking behaviors that undergraduates enact in academic spaces.