Self-Construal, Sense of Belonging, Perceived Match, and Persistence Intentions: Exploring Intersecting Identities and Moderation Effects

Prior research has examined the relationships among self-construal, sense of belonging, perceived match, persistence intentions, and demographic factors. However, investigations often overlook the intersecting identities of race, gender, and generation status. Furthermore, little is known about how these demographic factors moderate the relationship between these psychosocial factors and persistence intentions. This study explored self-construal, perceived match, sense of belonging, and persistence intentions at the intersection of race, gender, and generation status. We also examined how these characteristics influence the relationship between these psychosocial factors and persistence intentions. Participants were introductory psychology students ( N = 1,496). Three-way analyses of variance revealed one significant three-way interaction for interdependent self-construal, favoring Hispanic continuing-generation (CG) female students over Hispanic CG males, albeit with a small effect size. Additionally, moderation analysis revealed that independent self-construal more strongly influenced persistence intentions among first-generation students than CG students. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.