Influence of the university campus environment on sociocultural engagement and satisfaction of health professions education students: role of the sense of belonging

Sociocultural competence is crucial for health professions education (HPE) students, and universities can enhance this competence by fostering a supportive environment that promotes student participation in social activities, thereby increasing their sense of belonging and satisfaction with university programs. However, the precise interactions between campus environment, belonging, and sociocultural engagement in HPE students remain ambiguous. Using Communities of Practice (CoP) theory, we posited that an environment encouraging social participation enhances sociocultural engagement through identity development and belonging, leading to greater program satisfaction. Our study, involving 683 undergraduate HPE students at Gulf Medical University, utilized validated questionnaires to measure sociocultural engagement and scales for campus environment, student relationships, sense of belonging, and program satisfaction, with path analysis employed to examine variable relationships.