Author: Bonnie
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COVID-19 and Loneliness in Higher Education: a UK-based Cohort Comparison Study (Ouzia, 2023)
Data analyses revealed that a greater need to belong, reduced sense of belonging, and lower social support from a significant other were significant predictors of loneliness, regardless of cohort. These findings indicate that while the pandemic may have disrupted students’ ability to develop a sense of belonging, particularly for those starting university during or after…
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Attributes of Blended Learning Environments Designed to Foster a Sense of Belonging for Higher Education Students (Mendoza & Venables, 2023)
This article investigates the aspects of blended learning, both synchronous and asynchronous, that promote students’ sense of belonging, and identifies best practices for creating inclusive curriculum design in blended learning environments. The findings, informed by the Community of Inquiry framework and Universal Design for Learning guidelines, provide a set of salient attributes to guide the…
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Belonging as a Gateway for Learning: First-year Engineering Students’ Characterizations of Factors that Promote and Detract From Sense of Belonging in a Pandemic (Buckley et al., 2023)
The study examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected first-year engineering students’ sense of belonging, particularly those with minoritized identities. The paper approaches belonging as a key predictor of student success, and given that emergency remote teaching (ERT) changed the dynamics of instructional support and faculty interactions, it examines how various factors impacted students. Findings suggest…
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Building Belonging in Online WIL Environments — Lessons (Re)learnt in the Pandemic Age: A Collaborative Enquiry (Mueller et al., 2022)
The study explores pedagogical strategies that foster a sense of belonging for learners. Through a collaborative enquiry, the authors identify three key threads to the fabric of belonging: humanizing online WIL, the importance of mentor presence, and fostering professional belonging. The study suggests that strategies targeting these areas are central to building a sense of…
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Sense of Belonging During a Global Pandemic: A Case of Accounting Students (Luong et al., 2022)
The study explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift between on-campus and online teaching on accounting students’ sense of belonging at University A in New Zealand. It suggests that the effect on students’ sense of belonging may depend on various factors and offers practical implications for accounting educators and the higher education…
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College Students’ Belonging and Loneliness in the Context of Remote Online Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic (Hansen-Brown et al., 2022)
The study examined college students’ sense of belonging and loneliness in the context of remote online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers found that students’ belonging, and loneliness were linked to their class format, aspects of their virtual classes, social contact, and experiences in the pandemic. Working more hours and increased family obligations did…
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Nostalgia, Belonging and Mattering: An Institutional Framework for Digital Collegiality Drawn from Teachers’ Experience of Online Delivery during the 2020 Pandemic. (Bowskill et al., 2022)
This article explores the emotional experiences of two teachers in different countries (UK and China) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Its aim is to understand the role of technology in three affective outcomes of teaching – nostalgia, belonging, and mattering – during the online pivot. The findings explore ways in…
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Student Belongingness in Higher Education: Lessons for Professors from the COVID-19 Pandemic (Tice et al., 2021)
This study, from Australia, highlights the significant disruption to the higher education student experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in terms of sense of belonging. During the pandemic, the national student survey data showed a notable drop in learner engagement and belonging. The study framed the moment as an opportunity to critically examine belongingness among…
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Isolation, Burnout, and a Lost Sense of Belonging: Combating the Challenges of Distance Education During a Pandemic (Heider, 2021)
This paper overviews challenges faced by teachers and students in the shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, which included feelings of isolation and burnout for teachers, and a lost sense of belonging for students. The chapter recommends strategies such as virtual huddles with colleagues and free professional development opportunities like podcasts, continuing education…
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Student Teachers’ Sense of Belonging in Collaborative Online Learning (Seifert & Bar-Tal, 2023)
This Israeli study investigated the contributions of student teachers’ self-perceived readiness for online learning to their own sense of belonging, with particular focus on previous experiences with online collaborative or participatory learning spaces. The findings showed that student teachers who had previously had good experiences in a collaborative online course and had strong technological literacies…
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Trust, Belongingness, and Teacher’s Self-efficacy: A Quantitative Investigation of an Online Intervention Program for Schoolteachers (Lupas et al., 2023)
The quantitative study found that an online training program focused on trust and belongingness for teachers had significant positive effects across several psychological variables that were used to measure participating teachers’ individual well-being. The variables included belongingness, connectedness, and teacher’s self-efficacy. The results indicated that fostering trust and a sense of belonging in school communities…
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The Benefits of Belonging: Students’ Perceptions of Their Online Learning Experiences (DiGiacomo et al., 2023)
This US-based study of the social organization of online learning environments during the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that students’ sense of belonging and inclusion varied by race, gender, and whether instructional modality was synchronous or asynchronous. Opportunities for discussion, interaction with peers, and feeling that one’s racial or ethnic group was represented in the curriculum were…
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Belonging in Distance Learning: Perspectives of Adult Learners in Malaysia (Bok, 2023)
This article focuses on Malaysian adult learners’ sense of belonging when studying remotely. Findings indicate that these adult distance learners experienced a sense of belonging through an annual campus meeting, the e-Learning platform, and peer support. However, overall, it notes that they also felt a sense of isolation among their peers in these distance-learning programs.…
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I Probably Have a Closer Relationship with my Internet Provider: Experiences of Belonging (or Not) among Mature-aged Regional and Remote University Students (Crawford et al., 2022)
Mature-aged students in regional and remote Australia often feel invisible, misunderstood, and undervalued within the university landscape. However, some students report feeling visible and known. Factors associated with inclusion and belonging include study mode, socio-economic status, mental health conditions, and available supports. Qualitative analysis reveals that connections with university staff, familiarity with systems and places,…
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Bridging the Transition to a New Expertise in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning through a Faculty Learning Community (Bailey et al., 2022)
Teaching-only faculty are facing challenges in delivering evidence-based teaching through engaging with the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). This transition is often poorly supported and undertaken in isolation. To address this, a faculty learning community (FLC) was formed to provide a space for sharing challenges and practical support for engaging in SoTL. The FLC…