Category: annotated bibliography

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This article examines the concept of student transition into and through higher education, critiquing the normative and linear narratives that often permeate this area. Employing a theoretical framework that conceptualizes transitions as troublesome, rhizomatic, and as processes of becoming, the findings highlight several key themes. Firstly, students described the need to unlearn previous approaches to…

Relational Thinking in Education: Topology, Sociomaterial Studies, & Figures (Decuypere & Simons, 2016)

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in annotated bibliography, topologies

This foundational paper does not focus overtly on belonging, but is important in the topological literature in relation to educational studies. It traces trends in relational forms of thinking, making connections between sociomaterial and sociotopological forms of thinking that it asserts are not common in educational research, at least at its time of print. It…

Adolescent School Belonging and Mental Health Outcomes in Young Adulthood: Findings from a Multi-wave Prospective Cohort Study (Allen et al, 2024)

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This quantitative study connects secondary school belonging, or connectedness, with longterm benefits into young adulthood. Belonging is framed via dimensions such as positive affect towards school, meaningful relationships with teachers, and feelings of being socially valued. Previous research had indicated immediate benefits to belonging, for mental health and wellbeing, however, this study used data from…

Mind Over Monsters: Supporting Youth Mental Health With Compassionate Challenge (Cavanagh, 2023)

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This book, grounded in psychology and pedagogy, addresses the current youth mental health crisis. While not centrally focused on belonging, the book argues for environments for youth characterized by compassion and belonging, alongside the creation of practices that encourage challenge. The book focuses on supporting overall youth mental health in supportive, safe, and playful ways. Cavanagh, S. (2023).…

Safety and Belonging as Explanations for Mental Health Disparities Among Sexual Minority College Students (Wilson & Liss, 2022)

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This study builds on the psychology-based minority stress model to explore the risks that sexual minority students identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or asexual (LGBA+) experience in relation to mental health during college. The study confirms lower levels of safety, belongingness, and happiness among sexual minority students, as well as higher levels of reported depression…

School Belongingness, Well-being, and Mental Health among Adolescents: Exploring the Role of Loneliness (Arslan, 2021)

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This paper, based in data from Turkish schools, approaches the need to belong as a fundamental psychological construct related to multiple key adolescent school‐based and quality‐of‐life outcomes. The study investigates the mediating effect of loneliness on school belonging constructs such as social inclusion and exclusion on well‐being and mental health challenges. Findings suggest that loneliness…

Rethinking Belonging through Bourdieu, Diaspora and the Spatial (Thomas, 2015)

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in annotated bibliography, topologies

This paper examines the discourse of belonging in relation to retention strategies for part-time, mature undergraduates in English higher education, through a sociomaterial, spatial lens. The paper argues that the dominant institutional narratives of the ‘typical’ or ‘authentic’ student as young, full-time and residential serve to position part-time, mature undergraduates on the periphery of higher…

Being ‘at’ University: The Social Topologies of Distance Students (Bayne et al, 2013)

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in annotated bibliography, topologies

This paper takes a topological perspective on how online distance students understand and enact the idea of the university. Located within the ‘new mobilities’ paradigm, this analysis overviews how online students conceive of the University of Edinburgh. It suggests that even for students who never physically go to campus, the material campus remains both symbolically…

Impact of Transitioning to Remote Learning on Student Learning Interactions and Sense of Belonging Among Public Health Graduate Students (Zamora et al., 2023)

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The article discusses the importance of student learning interactions and a sense of belonging in distance education settings, particularly in the experiential field of public health. The paper examines how the sudden shift to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Master of Public Health students’ interactions with peers, instructors, and course content, as well…

COVID-19 and Loneliness in Higher Education: a UK-based Cohort Comparison Study (Ouzia, 2023)

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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…

Attributes of Blended Learning Environments Designed to Foster a Sense of Belonging for Higher Education Students (Mendoza & Venables, 2023)

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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…

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)

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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…

Building Belonging in Online WIL Environments — Lessons (Re)learnt in the Pandemic Age: A Collaborative Enquiry (Mueller et al., 2022)

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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…

Sense of Belonging During a Global Pandemic: A Case of Accounting Students (Luong et al., 2022)

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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…

College Students’ Belonging and Loneliness in the Context of Remote Online Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic (Hansen-Brown et al., 2022)

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