Digest #183: The Importance of Belonging for Student Success
Cover image by Zubair Rafiq on Pexels
By Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel
The feeling of belonging has been identified as an important factor in education (1) (2). The main components of student belonging are being connected to peers/teachers/institution; feeling safe and as a part of the community; feeling valued and accepted; and creating a diverse and inclusive environment (3). In today’s digest, I am sharing resources to learn more about the role of belonging and to implement activities and elements in the classroom or institution wide.
1. The Power of Belonging: Enhancing Student Success Through Inclusive Teaching Strategies by Stacey S. Souther (Cuyahoga Community College) for The Scholarly Teacher
A short overview article on the science of belonging for student success. It touches on some main points and sets the scene for potential interventions. The author also discusses the Universal Design for Learning approach to support inclusive practice which contributes to feelings of belonging.
2. The Science of Belonging: Why Students Thrive When They Feel Valued by Dr Christopher S. Culver for the Orange Sparrow
A screenshot of some findings on belonging and student characteristics such as motivation, anxiety, and self-efficacy. Additionally, the author shares strategies to enhance feeling of belonging in students.
3. Encouraging a sense of belonging and connectedness in secondary schools by the Australian Education Research Organisation
This is a practice guide to enhance belonging in secondary school students. It features approaches that target classrooms or the whole school. Snapshots of implemented practices (similar to mini case studies) are described as well.
4. Students’ Sense of Belonging Matters: Evidence from Three Studies by Dr Maithreyi Gopalan for the MIT Teaching + Learning Lab speaker series
This is a talk by Dr Maithreyi Gopalan on “Fostering a Sense of Belonging in College” where she presents evidence for the importance of belonging in education by particularly focusing on the period of transition from high school to university and by highlighting findings of a belonging intervention.
5. How to build belonging at your institution Eliza Compton for Times Higher Education
This resource is a collection of links to many other resources to support belonging and inclusivity in education. While it is targeted towards higher education, many of the ideas can be applied to other educational sectors, too.
References:
Korpershoek, H., Canrinus, E. T., Fokkens-Bruinsma, M., & De Boer, H. (2020). The relationships between school belonging and students’ motivational, social-emotional, behavioural, and academic outcomes in secondary education: A meta-analytic review. Research papers in education, 35, 641-680. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2019.1615116
Van Kessel, G., Ryan, C., Paras, L., Johnson, N., Zariff, R. Z., & Stallman, H. M. (2025). Relationship between university belonging and student outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Australian Educational Researcher, 52, 2511-2534. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13384-025-00822-8
Allen, K. A., Slaten, C., Lan, M., Craig, H., May, F., & Counted, V. (2024). Belonging in higher education: A twenty-year systematic review. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 21, 1-55. https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.T2024091300015991445570083
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