S2E8: Bringing Belonging to the Classroom

Our interviews with faculty have focused on a wide range of topics, including antiracist pedagogy, accessibility, experiential learning, well-being, and religious diversity. But, in conversation after conversation, the faculty, staff, and students we talked with emphasized the importance of the feeling of belonging in the learning experience.

Throughout our interviews with faculty, we have delved into diverse subjects such as antiracist pedagogy, accessibility, experiential learning, well-being, and religious diversity. However, a consistent theme has emerged in our discussions with faculty, staff, and students — the crucial significance of fostering a sense of belonging in the educational journey.

We’re wrapping up our second season with a closer look at a theme that has come up repeatedly in our podcast: belonging. Feelings of belongingness in the classroom provide students with the comfortability to engage, interact and participate, and ultimately contributes to a more effective learning experience. Yet, the level of belonging students feel can be different, due to a wide set array of socioeconomic challenges that can shape their educational experience (Gopala & Brady).

Concluding our second season, we explore a recurring theme in our podcast episodes: belonging. The sense of belonging in the classroom cultivates an environment where students feel at ease to engage, interact, and participate, ultimately enhancing the overall learning experience. However, it’s important to acknowledge that the extent of belonging may vary among students, influenced by a myriad of socioeconomic challenges shaping their educational journey (Gopala & Brady).

For example, in a study conducted to investigate the satisfaction college students feel in their sense of belonging in the classroom, researchers Xumei Fan, Kathryn Luchok and John Dozier found that “students in the underrepresented groups (i.e., non-White, non-heterosexual, and non-Christian) reported significantly less satisfaction and a weaker sense of belonging than those in the majority groups,” (Fan et al., 2020). Therefore, facilitating conversations that discuss the contributing factors to student belonging, such as “social connection, academic integration, and being comfortable with the campus and its resources,” enhances student well-being as a whole (Why a Sense of Belonging Matters).

Illustratively, a study examining college students’ satisfaction with their sense of belonging in the classroom revealed significant disparities among underrepresented groups, including non-White, non-heterosexual, and non-Christian students, who reported lower satisfaction and a weaker sense of belonging compared to those in the majority groups (Fan et al., 2020). Engaging in conversations that explore factors influencing student belonging, such as social connection, academic integration, and comfort with campus resources, contributes to overall student well-being (Why a Sense of Belonging Matters).

In this episode, we pulled together these conversations to highlight patterns, insights, and key takeaways. This episode synthesizes these conversations, bringing attention to patterns, insights, and key takeaways surrounding the theme of belonging in the educational context.

References

Gopalan, M., & Brady, S. T. (2020). College Students’ Sense of Belonging: A National Perspective. Educational Researcher, 49(2), 134-137. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X19897622

Fan, X., Luchok, K. & Dozier, J. College students’ satisfaction and sense of belonging: differences between underrepresented groups and the majority groups. SN Soc Sci 1, 22 (2021).

Why a Sense of Belonging Matters. AACRAO. (2022, August 23).