# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
By Joanna Cannon
How much time should your kids spend online? Ten cool things you should be watching on Netflix Clothes you shouldn't wear after fifty
These are real headlines, telling us what we should be reading, watching, wearing and thinking. Magazines and newspapers are filled with shoulds and should nots, musts and must nots. But we don't read these articles to find out how much time our children should be spending on the internet, or even what we should be wearing in any given situation. We read them to make sure we're doing the same as everyone else. We read them to make sure we fit in.

On the playground, we first begin to notice the differences between ourselves and other children, and we start to mirror the behavior of a dominant group in order to be accepted by them. This mimicry continues into adulthood, and we often unintentionally alter our speech patterns, our expressions and even the tone of our voice, depending on who we're talking to. Familiarity is the social glue that bonds people together, and we deliberately seek out the similar and the recognizable in order to feel secure. If we're doing the same as everyone else, we must be doing it right, and finding a reflection of ourselves in those around us is a form of validation.

The need for acceptance is a basic human instinct - although some value it more than others. We all want to fit in, to belong. In order to achieve that, we often present slightly different versions of who we are, depending on the environment and whose company we are in. We might have numerous 'editions' of ourselves - for work, or at home, or even online. All tweaked and modified in order to be accepted in that particular situation (of course, the question is, are we being accepted for who we truly are, or merely for the version we choose to present of ourselves?)

This duplicity works very well for most of us, but some people only have one version of themselves to present. They are unable, or unwilling, to sandpaper themselves down to fit society's expectations, and because their behavior or appearance doesn't quite match the herd, they are pushed further and further to the periphery of a community. These are the goats all around us, stitched into the landscape of everyone's day, waiting at bus stops and standing in line at the supermarket. We use very strange criteria to separate the goats from the sheep. Their hair might be a little too long, their clothes a little unconventional. They may choose to live their lives in a way we don't recognize in ourselves. They may very well also have mental health problems.

As a doctor working in psychiatry, I meet a lot of people who unbelong. People who stand at the edge of life's dance floor, trying to copy what everyone else is doing, but never quite getting it 'right'. These are people who are only ever noticed when something goes wrong when we need someone to blame. The rest of the time, they are generally excluded and ignored, because who they represent doesn't fit into the jigsaw of a community. As a society, we struggle to deal with the unusual and the unknown. We choose the ordinary over the extraordinary. In the quest for familiarity and reassurance, we reject those who highlight our differences, because those differences question our own choices and our own sense of belonging that we've been working on since the playground.

The true sadness of this rejection is that community support is a huge protective factor in mental illness patients. People are much more likely to remain well if they have a network of compassionate individuals around them. Isolation is a risk factor, not only for developing mental health problems but also for exacerbating pre-existing conditions. In an already disjointed community, the support for mental health patients is almost invisible. It's not easy being a goat in a world full of sheep.

I believe there is a little unbelonging in all of us. We spend our lives attempting to disguise it, but if you scratch the surface of most sheep, you may well find yourself with a goat. Perhaps it would be empowering to embrace our differences, rather than fear them. Instead of living our lives in monochrome, it might be more fulfilling to search for the color, and the variance, in those around us, and we can then allow ourselves to be accepted for who we really are - not for the fragments of our characters we allow people to see. The view from the edge of the dance floor could turn out to be a much more interesting one we imagined, and we could very well discover that unbelonging is actually a belonging all of its own.

Joanna Cannon is a psychiatrist with a degree from Leicester Medical School. She lives in England's Peak District with her family and her dog. She is the author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Abstract

Researchers routinely find that individuals and organizations are better off when the personal characteristics of members fit with contextual organizational characteristics. Typically, this kind of research examines employees and the work environment. However, the dynamics of fit can be applied broadly, and some researchers have found fit-related theory to be a useful tool for examining students' relationships with their universities. We build on this body of work by using new students' perceptions of needs-based and values-based fit with their university, instructors, and classmates to predict both intention to recommend and turnover intention. For the purposes of recruitment and retention, results emphasize the importance of needs-based fit with the university and with classmates.

Obtaining a university degree represents an important step in students' career development. Including opportunity costs, workers with a bachelor's degree earn a 12% return on their investment in education ( Abel & Deitz, 2014) amounting to about $2.8 million in additional lifetime earnings ( Carnevale, Rose, & Cheah, 2011). Further, university graduates are almost half as likely to be unemployed when compared with those with only a high school degree ( Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). Working toward the goal of completing a degree, students' first year is especially critical. Less than 64% of full-time students complete their degree at their initial institution ( National Student Clearinghouse, 2015) with more than 25% dropping out in their first year ( National Student Clearinghouse, 2016). Also, those who decide to leave one university are unlikely to finish their education elsewhere ( National Student Clearinghouse, 2015) and are often left with large amounts of education-related debt ( Executive Office of the President of the United States, 2016). While such statistics demonstrate the importance of degree completion for individuals, they also highlight a critical concern for universities: student retention. With enrollment numbers either holding steady or declining ( National Center for Education Statistics, 2016) and the substantial loss of students through dropping out, universities face financial burdens that adversely affect their functioning ( Korn & Kuriloff, 2015).

Given this evidence demonstrating that first-year students often drop out and that an unfinished degree can be harmful to both universities and students, it is important to develop a better understanding of the social-psychological dynamics related to university students' first-year experiences, and we do so using a person-environment fit (PE fit) perspective ( Edwards, Cable, Williamson, Lambert, & Shipp, 2006; Kristof, 1996). To some extent, past research has already found a PE fit lens to be useful tool for examining the intersection between students and their educational institutions. For example, researchers have found a link between various kinds of fit and outcomes such as academic performance, helping behaviors, intent to change major, academic satisfaction, and well-being ( Chen & Yao, 2015; Etzel & Nagy, 2016; Li, Yao, Chen, & Wang, 2012; Porter & Umbach, 2006). We build upon these previous findings in three important ways.

First, we integrate multiple foci and forms of fit to develop a more holistic theoretical understanding of PE fit in the education context. Specifically, we develop and test hypotheses that distinguish between freshmen university students' perceptions of fit with their university, their instructors, and their classmates from both a needs-based and a values-based perspective. This contribution verifies the discriminant validity of multiple forms of fit in terms of multiple foci among a unique population. Second, we link these fit perceptions to students' intention to recommend their university to others and their intentions to remain at their university, thereby demonstrating incremental predictive validity of multiple fit perceptions and providing insight into the difficulties associated with recruitment and retention. Third, we contribute to the body of research utilizing Tinto's ( 1988, 1997) model of student retention by examining perceived fit during the early stages of students' academic careers when they are first separating from family and previous friendship groups while transitioning into university. Overall, our research expands our understanding of the fit foci that students consider (i.e., university, instructor, and classmates), the form of fit with those different foci (i.e., values and needs), and the relationships between fit assessments and behavioral intentions.

Foci and Forms of PE Fit

Individuals search for and create environments that best allow for the expression of personal characteristics ( Su, Murdock, & Rounds, 2015). As such, PE fit is a global concept with many different operationalizations, and personal characteristics can fit (or not fit) with a particular context on a wide variety of dimensions. For example, researchers have examined the degree of congruence existing between employees and their work rewards, job demands, organizational values, supervisors, and work groups ( Edwards et al., 2006). The overarching conclusion of this research has been that greater degrees of PE fit lead to a wide variety of beneficial outcomes, including improved recruitment and selection, job satisfaction, job performance, commitment, retention, and personal well-being (e.g., Edwards et al., 2006; Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman, & Johnson, 2005). While the application of the fit concept has been broad and robust, it is important to note that each application of PE theory carefully specifies both the foci and form of fit being studied.

Foci of Fit

The PE fit concept can be operationalized using a wide assortment of different foci existing at varying levels of analysis ( Adkins & Caldwell, 2004). For example, researchers utilize the concept of person-organization fit (PO fit) to examine the congruence between individuals and the organization they belong to ( Kristof, 1996; Kristof-Brown, 2000). Greater degrees of fit are considered to be a positive influence on organizational members, and researchers have often utilized the attraction-selection-attrition theoretical framework ( Schneider, Goldstein, & Smith, 1995; Yang & Yu, 2014) in developing predictions regarding outcomes associated with PO fit. This framework predicts that individuals are attracted to and selected into organizations with which they perceive greater fit and leave those organizations with which they do not perceived strong PO fit. These predictions have been supported, by research documenting how PO fit predicts important attitudes and behaviors, including job satisfaction ( Gabriel, Diefendorff, Chandler, Pradco, & Greguras, 2014; Kristof-Brown et al., 2005), organizational commitment ( Greguras & Diefendorff, 2009; Kristof-Brown et al., 2005), and performance and turnover ( Hoffman & Woehr, 2006).

Since organization-level perceptions can be abstract ( Piasentin & Chapman, 2006), researchers also operationalize PE fit in more specific manners than PO fit. For example, researchers have examined employees' perceptions of fit with their supervisor (i.e., person-supervisor fit), finding links to increased commitment, and high-quality relationships (e.g., Kristof-Brown et al., 2005; van Vianen, Shen, & Chuang, 2011) along with increased citizenship behavior ( Kim & Kim, 2013). Also, the concept of person-group fit reflects the degree of compatibility existing between individuals and their work groups, and it is commonly used to examine how team composition affects individuals' motivation and ability to join, remain, and perform (e.g., Ferris, Youngblood, & Yates, 1985; Shin & Choi, 2010; Vogel & Feldman, 2009; Werbel & Johnson, 2001).

Forms of Fit

PE fit is also operationalized in a wide variety of forms ( Kristof, 1996), including needs-based and values-based fit. The needs-based form of fit reflects the extent to which the psychological needs of individuals are being fulfilled by their current contexts, organizations, tasks, or interpersonal relationships ( Edwards et al., 2006; Kristof, 1996; Kristof-Brown et al., 2005). As such, specific needs can vary widely depending upon individual preference; still, researchers have found needs-supplies fit, when assessed in a general and overarching manner (e.g., Cable & Deue, 2002; Etzel & Nagy, 2016), to have a consistent positive relationship with beneficial outcomes such as performance and a negative relationship with undesirable outcomes such as turnover intentions ( Kristof-Brown et al., 2005).

Values-based fit reflects the degree to which individuals' ideals and morals are congruent with another party ( Edwards et al., 2006; Kristof, 1996). These other parties can be individuals (e.g., Hoffman, Bynum, Piccolo, & Sutton, 2011), groups (e.g., Meeussen, Delvaux, & Phalet, 2014), or organizations (e.g., Yang & Yu, 2014). Value congruence provides a foundation on which mutual attraction, trust, efficient communication, and predictable interaction facilitate mutually beneficial relationships ( Edwards & Cable, 2009) characterized by identification, citizenship behavior, satisfaction, and retention ( Cable & DeRue, 2002; Edwards & Cable, 2009; Edwards et al., 2006; Kristof, 1996)

Foci and Forms of University-Student Fit

While most of the research related to the concept of PE fit has been done in the context of employees at work, the resulting theory is versatile and there is a growing body of fit research designed to increase our understanding of students within the university environment. Most commonly, this student-centered research examines one kind of fit with a singular form (e.g., needs or values based) and an organizational-level focus. For example, Roberts and Robins (2004) found that college students' perceptions of value congruence with their university predicted personality development. Other research has used students' fit perceptions to predict performance and satisfaction ( Westerman & Vanka, 2005), enrollment ( Wintre et al., 2008), organizational commitment ( Lawrence & Lawrence, 2009), and psychological well-being ( Gilbreath, Kim, & Nichols, 2011). More recently, researchers have started to take interest in a wider variety of foci and forms of fit relevant to the university student experience. For example, Etzel and Nagy (2016) maintained a primarily university-level focus, yet they did so while accounting for multiple forms of fit. Sortheix and Lönnqvist (2015) examined the dynamics of values-based congruence between students and their classmates. In addition, Chen and Yao (2015) studied multiple foci and forms of fit when they used person-major fit and person-group fit to predict student satisfaction, citizenship, and academic performance.

In reviewing the research conducted to date, we note two potential areas where additional research can extend our understanding of student perceptions of fit. First, previous studies have tended to focus on students who are more experienced. Thus, our understanding of perceived fit among new students who have recently separated from their families and established social groups and are transitioning into university ( Tinto, 1988, 1997) is limited. Considering the extent to which fit has been found to be a significant predictor of turnover (e.g., Hoffman & Woehr, 2006; Kristof-Brown et al., 2005) and considering that many students stop attending after their first year ( National Student Clearinghouse, 2016), this shortcoming is an important one to address. Second, the body of literature examining simultaneous foci and forms of fit among students is just starting to develop, often limiting themselves to one particular form of fit assessed in relation to one or two different foci. Thus, we have limited information regarding the extent to which students perceive distinctions and discriminate between closely related fit-foci, and we also have limited information regarding the extent to which additional foci and forms incrementally improve predictive validity in the university context.

Simultaneous Foci of Different Forms of Fit

In terms of the organizational-level foci, researchers have consistently found that individuals readily perceive PO fit, so much so that it is often assessed prior to entry and explains applicant attraction to organizations, as well as employee selection ( Schneider et al., 1995). Among students, examining fit with an organizational focus is also the most well developed and robust body of PE fit research in the academic context (e.g., Lawrence & Lawrence, 2009; Westerman & Vanka, 2005). Organizations (as a whole) represent an important contextual operationalization of PE fit, and we predict that new students, even though they are quite early in their academic careers and have limited information, will also perceive PO fit in terms of both needs-based (i.e., this university fulfills important needs for me) and values-based (i.e., this university shares important values with me) forms. We make this prediction because these forms of fit represent simultaneous, yet distinct, reasons why students might be attracted to, join, and remain with their universities ( Schneider et al., 1995; Yang & Yu, 2014).

Less clear is the extent to which new students simultaneously perceive other foci of fit with entities or groups within the university, such as their instructors or classmates. We argue that examining the extent to which students simultaneously perceive multiple foci of fit is important because students may focus on certain foci more than others, which can ultimately help universities to understand if there are specific areas in which to improve new students' experiences. There have been a limited number of studies that examine different fit foci among students, including classmates. However, these kinds of studies typically have not yet examined discriminate or predictive validity when considered in conjunction with multiple foci (e.g., Sortheix & Lönnqvist, 2015) and multiple forms (e.g., Chen & Yao, 2015) of fit. Further, despite the fact that the quality of student-instructor relationships is generally considered to be an important predictor of student success (e.g., Komarraju, Musulkin, & Bhattacharya, 2010), we are unaware of any studies that examine fit in terms of an instructor focus.

We predict that new students will perceive both needs-based and values-based fit in terms of instructor and classmate foci because these organizational groups are fundamental parts of the academic context. As such, students frequently interact with their instructors and classmates starting on or before the first day of classes. At times, interactions are likely to be needs related and more task oriented ( Edwards et al., 2006; Kristof, 1996; Kristof-Brown et al., 2005), while at other times, interactions are likely to be more values based and characterized by mutual attraction and trust ( Edwards & Cable, 2009). For example, Tinto (2006) identifies instructor-student interactions as a critical relationship influencing student outcomes. As such, instructor-focused needs-based fit is likely to be relevant when students are dependent on their instructors to provide direction on assignments (e.g., compatibility of communication styles), and instructor-focused values-based fit is likely to be relevant when students seek out like-minded instructors to provide formal and informal mentoring. Alternately, and more in-line with research examining learning communities ( Tinto, 1997), classmate-focused needs-based fit may be important when students rely on each other for completing assignments (e.g., compatibility of work ethic), and classmate-focused values-based fit likely serves as a foundation for friendship, social support, and common-interest group.

Hypothesis 1 (H1): New students will perceive their university, instructors, and classmates as distinct foci of both needs-based and values-based fit.

Fit, Intention to Recommend, and Intention to Turnover

Beyond understanding the multiple forms and foci of fit that students hold, it is important to examine how these multiple perceptions of fit relate to important outcomes for both students and universities. Given the importance of enrollment and retention to both parties, we focus specifically on students' intentions to recommend their university to others, and students' intentions to leave the university.

Needs-based fit

Students' interactions with their university, instructors, and classmates often take on a needs-based orientation. For example, many students attend university with the pragmatic intent of preparing themselves for a future career and may be focused on fulfilling training and certification-related needs; instructors fulfill these needs by provide this training through formal classroom instruction and out-of-class assignments; and classmates further assist in need-fulfillment as they help study and complete group assignments. Thus, we believe that new students will perceive needs-based fit with their university, instructors, and classmates because these relationships often serve a practical purpose. We predict that students who perceive needs-based fit with their university, instructors, and classmates will be more likely to recommend their university to others (e.g., Groth, 2006) and less likely to intend to quit their academic studies (e.g., Hausmann, Schofield, & Woods, 2007) because, when needs-based fit is high, students perceive these foci to be providing desired benefits ( Kristof-Brown et al., 2005), such as preparing them for future careers and helping them to succeed in their university studies.

Hypothesis 2 (H2): Students' perceptions of needs-based fit with their classmates, instructors, and university will have a positive relationship with intention to recommend the university to others.

Hypothesis 3 (H3): Students' perceptions of needs-based fit with their classmates, instructors, and university will have a negative relationship with intention to quit the university.

Values-based fit

Students' interactions with their university, instructors, and classmates can also take on a values-based orientation. Universities frequently define themselves in value-laden terms (e.g., inclusive, collaborative, ethical, and entrepreneurial); instructors often become personal mentors providing value-laden advice; and similar values can contribute to friendships between students and their classmates. These kinds of interactions often facilitate a sense of belonging among new students ( Hoffman, Richmond, Morrow, & Salomone, 2002). When values-based fit is high, student perceives these foci as has having similar standards for normative behavior ( Edwards & Cable, 2009). Given that similarity often provides the foundation on which strong relationships are built ( McPherson, Smith-Lovin, & Cook, 2001), we predict that students who perceive higher degrees of value-based fit will be more likely to recommend their university to others (e.g., Groth, 2006) and be less inclined to leave (e.g., Hausmann et al., 2007), based on the positive experiences and relationships they have developed with each of these foci.

Hypothesis 4 (H4): Students' perceptions of values-based fit with their classmates, instructors, and university will have a positive relationship with intention to recommend the university to others.

Hypothesis 5 (H5): Students' perceptions of values-based fit with their classmates, instructors, and university will have a negative relationship with intention to quit the university.

Methods

Participants and Procedure

The sample population was the entire incoming class of 362 new full-time students at the business college of a large Midwestern university. Data were collected at two points in time in order to reduce the occurrence of common method variance ( Podsakoff, Mackenzie, Lee, & Podsakoff, 2003). The Time 1 survey was distributed in the sixth and seventh week of fall semester. The Time 2 survey was distributed approximately 4 months later in the spring semester. We received 281 responses to Time 1 survey and 186 responses to the Time 2 survey. Matching of responses from Times 1 and 2 was done using respondent-specific codes created by the students themselves. After eliminating cases with inappropriate or incomplete responses and eliminating cases where it was impossible to match Time 1 and Time 2 responses, we had a final sample size of 113 students who completed both surveys-a 31% completion rate. This final sample size exceeded the estimated 95 respondents required to identify an effect size of .15 with p < .05 using six independent variables and two control variables (as calculated by the online estimator located at www.danielsoper.com). Respondents were 62% female with and an average age of 18.51 years, ranging from 18 to 20.

Measures

All independent and dependent variables were measured using 7-point Likert-type scales. The perception of needs-based fit was measured three separate times at Time 1 by adapting Cable and DeRue's (2002) 3-item measure of fit to separately reflect the university (e.g., "This university provides just about everything I want from my university"), instructors as a group (e.g., "My instructors provide just about everything I want from my instructors"), and classmates as a group (e.g., "My classmates provide just about everything I want from my classmates"). Respondents indicated the degree to which they fit in relation to all three foci. The university-targeted measure (α = .87), the instructor-targeted measure (α = .86), and the classmates-targeted measure (α = .86) all had strong reliability.

Similarly, the perception of values-based fit was also measured at three times at Time 1 by adapting Cable and DeRue's (2002) 3-item measure to separately reflect the university (e.g., "My personal values match the university's values"), instructors as a group (e.g., "My personal values match my instructors' values"), and classmates (e.g., "My personal values match my classmates' values"). The university-targeted values-fit measure (α = .88), the instructor-targeted values-fit measure (α = .92), and the classmates targeted values-fit measure (α = .90) all had strong reliability.

Intention to Recommend was measured at Time 2 by adapting Groth's (2006) 4-item measure of customer-based citizenship. This measure asked respondents to indicate the extent to which they would recommend the university (as a whole) to coworkers, family, peers, and potential students (e.g., "I am likely to recommend the university to family members"). The measure was reliable (α = .93). Intention to Turnover was measured at Time 2 by using four items (e.g., Bluedorn, 1982) reflecting students' intention to leave the university (e.g., "I would like to transfer to another school within the next six months"). This measure was also reliable (α = .93).

The control variables of age and gender were measured using single-item questions. Age data were reported in years, and gender was indicated by a check box. Table 1 reports means, standard deviations, and correlations.

Means, Standard Deviations, and Intercorrelations ( N  = 113).

Results

We evaluated our measures using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using the standards of root-mean-square error of approximation ( Steiger, 1990) < .08, comparative fit index ( Bentler, 1990) > .90, and standardized root mean square residual ( Hu & Bentler, 1999) < .10. Error terms for positively worded and negatively worded items in our turnover intention measure were allowed to covary among themselves.

To test H1, we performed four different CFAs and used a chi-square difference test to determine the measurement model that best fit our data ( Table 2). The first CFA combined all fit measures into a single factor that serves as baseline for comparison to potential measurement models. The second CFA combined both forms of fit across all three foci, resulting in a two-factor model with one factor representing needs-based fit and the other representing values-based fit. The third CFA combined both forms of fit, but maintained the distinction between foci. This three-factor model distinguished between university, instructor, and student foci but did not distinguish between needs-based and values-based forms. Our fourth and final CFA maintained the hypothesized distinctions between forms and foci of fit resulting in a six-factor model. As reported in Table 2, chi-square difference tests confirmed that the hypothesized six-factor model that maintained the distinctions between various foci and forms of fit provided a better representation of the data than the one-factor, two-factor, and three-factor representations. Further supporting H1, the six-factor model was the only one of the four to exceed our criteria for good fit (χ 2 = 381.68, df  = 279, root-mean-square error of approximation = .06, comparative fit index = .95, and standardized root mean square residual = .05), and we conclude that observed self-reports on measures do reflect the perception of distinctions between underlying foci and forms fit.

Comparison of Measurement Models Reflecting Forms and Foci of Fit.

We tested Hypotheses 2 through 5 using multiple regression, and Table 3 reports results. When intention to recommend was the regression criterion ( R 2 = .27), we found that only classmates-focused and university-focused needs-based fit were significant predictors. Interestingly, neither instructor-focused needs-based fit nor any of the values-based fit measures were significant predictors of intention to recommend the university to others. These findings provide partial support for H2 and no support for H4. When intention to turnover was the regression criterion ( R 2 = .21), we again found that only classmates-focused and university-focused needs-based fit were significant predictors. Neither instructor-focused needs-based fit or any of the values-based fit measures were significant predictors of intention to turnover. These findings provide partial support for H3 and no support for H5.

Results of Multiple Regression.

Discussion

In an effort to better understand the discriminant and incremental predictive validity of multiple foci and forms of fit among new students, we examined how the needs-based and values-based fit focused at the university, instructors, and classmates predict intentions to recommend and turnover intentions. In line with our expectations, we found that new university students perceived all three foci and both forms of fit, and discriminated between them. Further, we found that the needs-based forms of fit focused on the university and classmates predicted intention to recommend the university to others and intention to leave the university. Together, these findings are important for university administrators, suggesting that paying attention to students' perceived needs-based fit (i.e., the extent to which the university and their classmates fulfill important needs for the student) can support their efforts to increase both enrollment (through current students recommending the university to others) and retention (through current students' intentions to remain at the university). However, contrary to our expectations, we did not find any relationships between perceptions of fit with instructors and important outcomes, nor between values-based fit for any of the three exchange partners. These findings raise a number of issues warranting further discussion.

Surprising (Non)Findings: The Values Form of Fit

The lack of predictive validity for the values-form of fit is surprising. Past empirical research usually finds both needs-based and values-based fit to be significant predictors of important outcomes (e.g., Kristof-Brown et al., 2005), with some authors concluding that these forms are on equal footing (e.g., Cable & Edwards, 2004). Further, some research has already documented relationships between values-based fit and beneficial student outcomes (e.g., affective commitment: Lawrence & Lawrence, 2009; student performance: Westerman & Vanka, 2005). However, it is noteworthy that previous education-related PE fit studies that examine values fit have tended to examine only that particular form ( Lawrence & Lawrence, 2009), and those few studies that assess multiple forms of fit (e.g., Etzel & Nagey, 2016) typically do not include both values-based and needs-based facets. Thus, our (non)findings related to values-based fit raise the possibility that needs-based fit is the primary and more generalizable predictor of outcomes, at least when it comes to turnover and recommendation intentions. However, we caution against overweighting this straightforward interpretation of our findings as there are at least two competing explanations.

First, it is worth noting that our respondents were new students who were navigating their first weeks at university while previous education-related studies examined values fit using samples of students containing more experienced students (e.g., Lawrence & Lawrence, 2009; Westerman & Vanka, 2005). Thus, our results may reflect students perceiving needs-based fit as more important during this early stage of separation from family and well-established friendship groups ( Tinto, 1988, 1997). As such, it is possible that the two bases of fit are hierarchical for students. Once students are further along in their transition to university and satisfied that important needs will be met, values-based fit and feelings of belonging may become more important. Future research might test this proposition using a longitudinal approach with longer time horizons than our current study, perhaps collecting data over multiple years, perhaps all the way through to graduation.

Second, it is also noteworthy that our sample was composed entirely of students in a business college. It may be the case that students enrolled in professional colleges that are generally associated with preparing students for employment in specific jobs or fields (such as business and engineering) might be focused on more pragmatic needs than are students in colleges associated more broadly with a liberal arts education (such as humanities). Future research might test this proposition by designing studies that examine multiple forms of fit using multiple samples taken from different colleges or majors across the university.

Surprising (Non)Findings: The Instructor Focus of Fit

Also surprising is our lack of findings related to instructor-focused fit. Our initial logic for including this focus in our examination is that instructors might be viewed as direct and important points of contact ( Tinto, 2006), and thus play an important role in shaping students' intentions toward the university with respect to recommendations and retention. Also, instructors provide multiple resources to students, ranging from instruction and assessment to social support. Therefore, perceptions of fit, whether based on needs or values, should be important predictors of future intentions. Our (non)findings raise the possibility that the university and classmate foci of fit are of primary importance, and the instructor focus of fit may not be as important as we initially assumed. However, we again caution against overweighting this straightforward interpretation of our findings as there remain competing explanations deserving future research consideration.

Some these competing explanations are directly related to our choice to examine the fit perceptions of new students at a large university. These new students may not have had time to develop a relationship with their instructors. In addition, these students are likely to be taking at least some large auditorium-style introductory classes. In such an environment, it may be difficult for new students to perceive that they have any kind of a relationship with their instructors. Thus, it is possible that instructor-focused fit will become more important over time as students become more comfortable interacting with instructors and develop relationships and as classes become smaller. Similar to our observations related to the values form of fit, researchers looking to explore the possibility that the student-instructor relationship becomes more important over time will also want to design longitudinal studies that are longer term and follow students across multiple years.

Another competing explanation for instructor-related nonfindings is our choice to assess perceived fit with a measure that asked students to evaluate their instructors as a group. Thus, responding to measure items required students to aggregate their perceptions across multiple instructor, and the measure may have masked any important individual relationships that students had. We encourage researchers looking to explore individual-oriented instructor fit to draw on already existing literature related to mentoring students (e.g., Crisp & Cruz, 2009), and we also encourage these researchers to design their studies so that they focus on clearly dyadic student-instructor interpersonal relationships.

Additional Foci and Forms of Fit

For pragmatic reasons, we could not perform a comprehensive examination of potentially important foci and forms of fit. For example, we examined fit with the university as a whole but did not include fit with the specific college or faculty. This choice was made under the rationale that new students would be unfamiliar with the nested nature of a large university. Similarly, we considered values-based and needs-based forms of fit which are applicable to our chosen relationship-oriented foci but did not consider the demands-abilities form of fit because it is more task oriented and not applicable to our chosen foci. This third form of fit represents the degree of congruence between context-related demands and individual competence ( Kristof, 1996). Contextual demands represent requirements for specific knowledge, skills, and abilities, and degree of fit is determined by the extent to which the individual is adequately qualified. These qualifications are defined by the task at hand and can include mental ability (e.g., Schmidt & Hunter, 2004) and skill in managing emotions (e.g., Diefendorff, Greguras, & Flenor, 2016), both of which are likely to be necessary for student success ( Etzel & Nagy, 2016).

General Versus Specific Measures of Fit

We measured values-based and needs-based fit by adapting Cable and DeRue's (2002) measure. This approach measures perceived fit ( Kristoff, 1996) as a latent construct by asking students to provide an overarching assessment. As such, this measurement method is appropriate because of the general nature of our research questions (Do specific foci and forms of fit matter for predicting behavioral intentions?). Further, the validity and versatility of Cable and DeRue's (2002) measure is well documented through numerous studies examining a wide variety of contexts, including universities (e.g., Etzel & Nagy, 2016). That being said, it would be interesting and valuable to know which specific needs and which specific values are of critical importance. To answer this question, future researchers may want to design exploratory studies aimed at developing list-style fit measures (e.g., Gilbreath et al., 2011; Kristof-Brown, 2000) in terms of specific foci. However, researchers will also want to keep in mind that the formative measures they create may require unique methodological and theoretical considerations ( Edwards & Bagozzi, 2000; Howell, Breivik, & Wilcox, 2007).

Limitations

One strength of our study is that we collected data from a cohort of incoming full-time students at a large public university over two time periods separated by 4 months. This longitudinal design alleviated issues related to common method variance ( Podsakoff et al., 2003). However, we do acknowledge that of the robustness of our findings is limited in at least four ways.

First, due to the fact that our study examined students who were still in the first year of their academic career, respondents may not have reached a logical point for deciding to leave or remain at university. Thus, we examined retention through the lens of behavioral intentions, and our study assumes that reduced turnover intention is a reasonable proxy for improved future retention. We believe that this assumption is warranted because of the robust body of past empirical research documenting the link between intentions and actual behavior (e.g., Tett & Meyer, 1993; Webb & Sheeran, 2006). However, in order to fully verify a causal relationship, future researchers examining the effects of fit among students will want to collect data across multiple semesters while maintaining longitudinal retention records.

Second, it is noteworthy that we did not sample part-time students or more experienced students, and results among these alternate populations may be different from ours (e.g., Longwell-Grice & Longwell-Grice, 2008). For example, students who are farther along in their studies may perceive instructor-focused fit to be of more consequence, or have stronger reactions associated with values-based fit.

Third, universities are diverse, and the relationships we have identified may not be fully generalizable. Future researchers may want to examine this potential variation by collecting data in universities that substantially contrast our chosen context, perhaps at smaller or more specialized universities.

Fourth, our analyses do not include control variables related to ability, personality, or socioeconomic status. Given the importance of these kinds of variables for student retention ( Lotkowski, Robbins, & North, 2004), researchers will want to include these kinds of variables in their future analyses.

Practical Implications

We believe that our work provides valuable insight related to student enrollment and retention. The significance of needs-based fit perceptions in our study suggests that recruitment and retention efforts for new students may be more effective when they are needs related. We suggest that administrators, in an effort to improve positive word-of-mouth recommendations and student retention, find out what their particular student body perceives as being important needs and then make an effort to fulfill as many of those needs as pragmatically possible. In particular, understanding students' needs with respect to their future career goals (and thus reason for attending the university) and addressing those may lead to significant increases in positive word-of-mouth recommendations to future students and retention of current students. Moreover, the significance of the classmates-based foci in our study suggests that word-of-mouth recruitment and student retention may benefit from administrative efforts to create positive relationships among the students themselves. This may be achieved through promoting and supporting student organizations and extra-curricular activities, or through facilitating student learning communities in which classmates can fulfill each other's needs. Another focus may be student associations affiliated with future career goals and job placement, where students can see classmates as helping to fulfill their important needs in those areas. Overall, given the importance of students' perceptions of classmates' need-based fit, it is essential that administrators explore new ways to promote high-quality interactions among new students.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that researchers and university administrators would benefit from a more complete understanding of students' perceptions of PE-fit in terms of specific foci. Needs-based fit with the university and with classmates were significant predictors of both intentions to recommend the university and intentions to remain enrolled at the university. However, instructor-focused and values-based forms of fit exhibited limited predictive validity. Thus, it appears that new students care most about their relationships with the university and with their classmates and how those two constituencies fulfill important needs. Given these results and potential implications, we believe there is a critical need for additional empirical research aimed at various foci and forms of PE fit among the student body. In particular, our surprising (non)finding regarding students' fit with their instructor deserves further attention.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

Abel, J. R., Deitz, R. (2014) Do the benefits of college still outweigh the costs? Current Issues in Economics and Finance 20: 1-12.
Google Scholar

Bluedorn, A. C. (1982) The theories of turnover: Causes, effects, and meaning. Research in the Sociology of Organizations 1: 75-128.
Google Scholar

Bureau of Labor Statistics (2017) Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htm.
Google Scholar

Korn, M., & Kuriloff, A. (2015, October 8). Problems mount for the 'other' college debt. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://libproxy.uww.edu:9443/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1719918839?accountid=14791.
Google Scholar

Lotkowski, V. A., Robbins, S. B., Noeth, R. J. (2004) The role of academic and non academic factors in improving college retention | (ACT Policy Report). Retrieved from http://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/college_retention.pdf.
Google Scholar Crossref

Su, R., Murdock, C. D., Rounds, J. (2015) Person-environment fit. In: Hartung, P., Savickas, M., Walsh, B. (eds) APA handbook of career intervention, Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, pp. 81-98. |
Google Scholar Crossref

Yang, K., Yu, T. (2014) Person-organization fit effects on organizational attraction: A test of an expectations-based model. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 124: 75-94. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2013.12.005. |
Google Scholar Crossref

Author Biographies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Where and How Does Fitting in Matter? Examining New Students' Perceived Fit With Their University, Instructors, and Classmates - Joshua R. Knapp, Suzanne S. Masterson, Uma Kedharnath, 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Abstract Researchers routinely find that individuals and organizations are better off when the personal characteristics of members fit with contextual organizational characteristics. Typically, this kind of research examines employees and the work environment. However, the dynamics of fit can be applied broadly, and some researchers have found fit-related theory to be a useful tool for examining students' relationships with their universities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Station Agent: Directed by Tom McCarthy. With Peter Dinklage, Paul Benjamin, Jase Blankfort, Paula Garcés. When his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor and a woman dealing with her own personal loss.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A young ballet dancer from 1905 is transported into the 21st century with the power of a magical necklace. While her boyfriend looks for a way to bring her back, she must find a way to fit i... Read all A young ballet dancer from 1905 is transported into the 21st century with the power of a magical necklace. While her boyfriend looks for a way to bring her back, she must find a way to fit in and dodge the sinister time agents. A young ballet dancer from 1905 is transported into the 21st century with the power of a magical necklace. While her boyfriend looks for a way to bring her back, she must find a way to fit in and dodge the sinister time agents.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Find Me in Paris (TV Series 2018-2020) - IMDb

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find Me in Paris: Created by Jill Girling, Lori Mather-Welch. With Jessica Lord, Rik Young, Caitlin-Rose Lacey, Eubha Akilade. A young ballet dancer from 1905 is transported into the 21st century with the power of a magical necklace.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
An unforgettable story of kindness and unrelenting courage.

Sara Blum lives an idyllic life with her adoring parents in Vichy France. But her world comes crashing down when the Nazi occupation separates the family and forces the young Jewish girl into hiding. Her classmate Julien and his family will risk everything to ensure her survival, and, together, Sara and Julien manage to find beauty in a secret world of their creation.

First a graphic novel, now read the novelized version of the celebrated New York Times bestselling story of kindness and unrelenting courage in a time of war-inspired by the blockbuster phenomenon Wonder.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Celebrate the Power of Kindness with WONDER - Penguin Random House

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Celebrate the power of kindness with WONDER by R.J. Palacio-the worldwide bestseller that launched the Choose Kind movement.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Readers’ Most Anticipated New Spring Books

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Spring is finally springing! And just in time, frankly. The past winter was a rough one. For book people, there’s no better way to celebrate t...

# data[].attributes.body
Fact : The more students feel that they fit in at school, the more likely they are to participate in school activities, to make friends, to perform better in school, and to enjoy good mental health.

# data[].attributes.body
Fact : Feeling a sense of belonging makes us happier when we "fit in"

# data[].attributes.body
Quote by Dr. Seuss: “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

# data[].attributes.body
"I came to terms with not fitting in a long time ago. I never really fitted in. I do not want to fit in. And now people are bullying into that."

# data[].attributes.body
“Maybe I'm not so different from everyone else after all. It's like somebody gave me a puzzle, but I don't have the box with the picture on it. So I don't know what the final thing is supposed to look like. I'm not even sure if I have all the pieces.” Out of my mind Sharon M.Draper.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Winner of the Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Author Award, and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature! Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang, New Kid is a timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real, from award-winning author-illustrator Jerry Craft.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Lacking specific interpersonal skills is a broad type of social problem. Another is being too shy or insecure around people. One problem area is a little different. It's when you don't fit into the social norm, and that's what's giving you trouble.

Not fitting in could mean:

Having different interests and priorities than most of the people around you (for some reason, the example that always comes to mind for me is someone living in a U.S. town where the entire population seems obsessed with high school or college sports, while they couldn't be any less interested)

Having different beliefs or values than everyone around you (e.g., being the only artsy hippy in a closed-minded town, being the only conservative religious person in a dorm full of students who love drinking and partying)

Simply being the odd person out who gets picked on (e.g., being the 'weird' guy at your job)

Being part of a legitimately marginalized group, like being gay in a more intolerant part of the country

Of course, social awkwardness, shyness, and not fitting in do sometimes go together, however there are many cases where someone feels their communication skills are fine, and they're not anxious around anyone, but their social lives suffer because they're different.

The extent to which someone doesn't fit in could be very subtle and more irritating than anything. For example, someone may mostly be similar to their social circle, but get condescending little comments for one opinion they hold. In the middle of the scale might be someone who belongs to a subculture that's not well-represented in their area, and feels misunderstood and lonely. At the other extreme, someone may blatantly stand out from the norm and be viciously ostracized.

The consequences can vary too. On the mild side all that may happen is someone gets some friendly teasing about their unconventional hobbies, or boring lectures from their straight-laced mom. Many people have a difference or two that draws some light flak, and they mostly just put up with it.

A modoerate consequence may be that many people don't want to be friends with someone. That makes it harder for them to build a social life, but they can make it work with some effort. Severe, rarer repurcussions for not conforming include threats and harrassment, assault, being blackballed from your community, and having your property vandalized.

What can you do if your problem is that you don't fit in? There's no way I can control the outside world or solve everyone's issues for them, but here are my thoughts. The ideas in this similar article may also be helpful too:
Getting Away With Doing Your Own Thing Socially
Don't feel you have to give in and change

If you're getting hassled for not fitting in, then the implicit message is that you're faulty as you are, and that everything would be better if you just become more like everyone else. That's not the answer though. It's one thing to have actual weaknesses in your social skills, which people are giving you legitimate criticism for. There's also consciously choosing to be pragmatic and superficially go along with social norms in order to get something you want. Those are valid reasons to adjust how you act. If someone just varies from the mainstream in a harmless way, they shouldn't have to give in to the masses for its own sake.

Find your people

It won't be possible for everyone, but if it's an option, seek out a group of your like-minded peers. Maybe there's a particular bar in your town that caters to your subculture, or a monthly meet up, or an obscure club at your university you could join. Even if you're stuck in an out-of-the-way spot and can't meet any real-world friends, there are always online communities.

Live a double life

Sounds dramatic, but it usually doesn't have to be anything too shady. People in certain subcultures, or who have unpopular beliefs, or who are in marginalized groups, may have to do this. They'll decide it's less hassle to present themselves as an average person, while they do their own thing in their free time. At work they'll follow the dress code, and avoid saying anything too controversial. If one of their co-workers ran into them on the weekend, they may not recognize them. People who go this route also tend to develop subtle ways of finding each other.

For some people, splitting into two selves is simply a practical choice. Think of the young clean-cut office worker who goes to hardcore punk shows every Saturday. Others are forced into it, because their true self would be too misunderstood and rejected if it was out in the open. At the sad extreme, people have to lie about who they are to almost everyone in their life, because they'd be in danger otherwise. However, they're still willing to sneak around, because totally erasing core parts of themselves isn't an option.

Leave the area

If the situation you're in is bad enough, and you don't see it getting better any time soon, then it may be the right call to move somewhere else. Maybe you can leave fairly soon, or you might have to hunker down for a while and build up the resources to make a break for it. This is one of the classic solutions, used by people who were raised in stifling small towns the world over. Especially when you're younger, you can't choose where you live, and where you were brought up may be a terrible fit for you.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
When Your Main Social Problem Is That You Don't Fit In

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Lacking specific interpersonal skills is a broad type of social problem. Another is being too shy or insecure around people. One problem area is a little different. It's when you don't fit into the social norm, and that's what's giving you trouble.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Chrysanthemum - Teaching Children Philosophy - Prindle Institute

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This Teaching Children Philosophy discussion guide for Chrysanthemum raises and explores questions about perfection and bullying.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The bestselling Giraffes Can't Dance is now a padded board book!

Giraffes Can't Dance is a touching tale of Gerald the giraffe, who wants nothing more than to dance. With crooked knees and thin legs, it's harder for a giraffe than you would think. Gerald is finally able to dance to his own tune when he gets some encouraging words from an unlikely friend.With light-footed rhymes and high-stepping illustrations, this tale is gentle inspiration for every child with dreams of greatness.Discover this classic story, now in a padded board book format perfect for babies and toddlers!

Related collections and offers

Product Details

ISBN-13:

9781338814002

Publisher:

Scholastic, Inc.

Publication date:

11/26/2021

Edition description:

Signed Edition

Pages:

32

Sales rank:

19,087

Product dimensions:

9.70(w) x 11.80(h) x 0.50(d)

Lexile:

AD570L ( what's this?)

Age Range:

3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Giles Andreae is the author of the international bestseller Giraffes Can't Dance, as well as many other books for children. Giles lives with his wife, Victoria, and their four young children by the river in the United Kingdom. Guy Parker-Rees is one of today's bestselling children's book illustrators. He is the illustrator of the international bestseller Giraffes Can't Dance, as well as Dinosaurumpus!, both written by Giles Andreae. Guy lives in the United Kingdom with his wife and three sons. Visit him online at guyparkerrees.com.

Editorial Reviews

Andreae's ode to a different drummer stumbles when it preaches about uncovering your own beat, but is ferned along by enough sweet verse and Parker-Rees' dazzling colors that it almost pulls its own weight. Gerald the giraffe's legs are too spindly for dancing, they are always buckling at the knees when it comes to the old soft-shoe. And while all the other creatures show some mean moves at the Jungle Dance ("The chimps all did a cha-cha/with a very Latin feel,/and eight baboons then teamed up/for a special Scottish reel"), poor Gerald is hooted off the dance floor before he even has a chance to crumple. As he shuffles homeward, and as he stopes to admire the moon, a cricket suggest that "just need a different song." So, to the sound of the wind in the trees, Gerald starts to move: a gentle swaying, some circling, ans some swishing. Suddenly he commences to belt out Olympic-quality gymnastic moves—"Then he did a backward somersault/and leapt up in the air"—-that blows the other animals away. But probably not readers, even the youngest of whom will want to know just why Gerald's legs didn't buckle this time, special music or not. Bad enough that in a story about rhythm, the verse doesn't always scan—but mus Gerald srike the Travolta pose? Gerald doesn't find himself, he simply learns how to mimic.—-Kirkus Reviews, July 1st 2001All the jungle's got the beat, but Gerald the giraffe has four left feet. Such is the dilemma in this British team's bouncy if didactic picture book about self-esteem. As a multitude of fleet-footed beasts eagerly "skip and prance" at the annual Jungle Dance in Africa, Gerald feels sad "because when it comes to dancing/ he was really very bad." Jeered by waltzing warthogs and cha-cha-ing chimps when he attempts to cut a rug, Gerald hangs his head and leaves the celebration behind. Luckily, a friendly cricket appears in the moonlight, chirping a morale-boosting song of self-confidence that soon sets Gerald in graceful motion. Andreae's rhyming text has a jaunty rhythm that's likely to spark interest in the read-aloud crowd, in spite of a heavy-handed message. Parker-Rees's kicky depictions of slighly anthropomorphic animals boogying on the dance floor are the highlight here. His watercolor and pen-and-ink artwork exudes a fun, party vibe. —Publishers Weekly, September 10th, 2001A clumsy giraffe is instantly transformed into an exceptional dancer when he finds music that he loves. Gerald has tall, thin legs, which are good for standing still, but when lie tries to run, his crooked knees buckle. At the annual Jungle Dance, lie is laughed off the floor. A cricket tells him that "...sometimes when you're different you just need a different song." This advice enables the lonely creature to dance, much to the amazement of the other animals. The rhythmic text follows a pattern of four lilies per stanza. Some rhyme and others do not. Some flow smoothly; others are forced. One line states that, "He threw his arms out sideways. - - ." Huh! Giraffes don't have arms. Full-page color illustrations done in pen and ink and watercolor are bold and warm. Characters are whimsical and expressive, but they don't make up for the drastic and unbelievable turnaround that takes place upon hearing the cricket play his violin. For stories about individuality, stick with Helen Lester's Tacky the Penguin (1988) and Three Cheers for Tacky (1994, both Houghton) or Robert Kraus's Leo the Late Bloomer (HarperCollins 1971) and Owliver (Prentice-Hall, 1974; o.p.).—-School Library Journal, October 2001

From the Publisher

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The bestselling Giraffes Can't Dance is now a padded board book!Giraffes Can't Dance is a touching tale of Gerald the giraffe, who wants nothing more than to dance. With crooked knees and thin legs, it's harder for a giraffe than you would think. Gerald is...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Book Details

A positive and affirming look at skin color, from an artist's perspective.

Seven-year-old Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her skin. But when she and her mother take a walk through the neighborhood, Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades.

Through the eyes of a little girl who begins to see her familiar world in a new way, this book celebrates the differences and similarities that connect all people.

Karen Katz created The Colors of Us for her daughter, Lena, whom she and her husband adopted from Guatemala six years ago.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A positive and affirming look at skin color, from an artist's perspective. Seven-year-old Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her skin. But when she and her mother take a walk through the neighborhood, Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The hidden power of not (always) fitting in. | Marianne Cantwell | TEDxNorwichED

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Tom Odell - Magnetised (Official Video) Tom Odell's second studio album 'Wrong Crowd' is OUT NOW: http://smarturl.it/WrongCrowdAlbumDL?IQid=yt http://www.tomodell.com/ Directed by George Belfield.

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/yiAJFa26KKU

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Where I Belong (Simple Plan & State Champs ft. We The Kings)

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
A top high school cheerleader has to prove herself from scratch when she moves to a new school, and compete against her old school team to secure an audition in

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
To Anyone Who Feels Like They Don't Belong

# data[].attributes.body
This book talks about an 11 year old smart girl named melody who is a disabled girl and all her close ones to her like her mother, father, her neighbor Mrs.V and her teacher and friends try to help her go by the hard times because of some bullies

# data[].attributes.body
Ally, Keisha, and Albert, who “set the world on fire” as they overcome challenges and conflicts. The plot begins with Ally refusing to try at school because of her learning disabilities.

# data[].attributes.body
Born with facial differences that, up until now, have prevented him from going to a mainstream school, Auggie Pullman becomes the most unlikely of heroes when he enters the local fifth grade. As his family, his new classmates, and the larger community all struggle to discover their compassion and acceptance, Auggie's extraordinary journey will unite them and prove you can't blend in when you were born to stand out.

# data[].attributes.body
Rules is the story of a twelve-year-old girl named Catherine, who is torn between caring for her autistic brother David and finding her own place in life. Catherine's day-to-day life during one summer vacation is usually occupied by caring for David and trying her best to keep him out of trouble.