We are socially driven creatures with a psychological need to be accepted and feel that we belong — in our workplaces, friend groups, universities, etc. The belief that we matter and are supported, accepted, and respected has been connected with subjective well-being and various success indicators (Goplan & Brady, 2019). As faculty, we are in a unique position to help our students develop this sense of belonging and foster their engagement. While it’s not enough to simply tell students they belong, it can be developed with some relatively easy-to-implement strategies.

Most of us have experienced belonging uncertainty at some point in our lives – especially when entering a new social or academic environment (or during a transition). When negative events inevitably occur, students often perceive this as evidence that they do not belong – which may lead them to disengage resulting in poor academic outcomes. Students who develop a sense of belonging, in contrast, tend to display greater academic self-confidence and adjustment, motivation for studies, engagement, use of college resources, self-reported mental health, and persistence (in the course, major, and college). Interventions to bolster social belonging appear to improve academic outcomes for all students but are especially important for underrepresented minorities and first-generation students at four-year colleges and universities (Freeman, et al., 2007; Murphy & Zirkel 2015; Walton & Cohen, 2011). 

When Should a Social Belonging Intervention be Used?

There are some practical considerations when adopting a social belonging intervention. 

• Students’ active participation and involvement is important.
• An intervention should be delivered early in students’ academic careers – ideally, in the first year.
• It should not be perceived as an intervention (e.g., you could assign one as an active reading and writing exercise).
• You should customize the intervention to fit your context (e.g., Will you address belonging in the course, major, or college?)
• You should start by reviewing your mindset around belonging and consider your social identity and positionality as well as your students’ social identities.

In general, the goal of the intervention is to communicate to the student that:

• they are not alone if they feel they don’t belong in their new school (e.g.,  communicate that it is normal and temporary), and
• with time, their experience will improve.

When and How Should These Interventions Be Used?

Several two (to three) step interventions have been proposed and supported by research. The three basic steps are as follows.

Exposure to Senior Student Testimonials
The first step is to expose students to senior student testimonials that communicate that they also struggled to belong but found that it got easier with time. In some studies, this was communicated via video testimonials, and in others students were given survey data that showed the senior students also struggled with belonging.

Saying is Believing
A second step has the student write about a time that this happened to them (perhaps when entering high school). Note: Students need to believe they are the experts in this transition and can help future students.

Message to future students (Optional)
To further reinforce their expertise, a third step is to have the students write a speech based on the ‘saying is believing’ essay they wrote in step 2. This can be recorded or written.

This intervention can be adapted for in-person or online environments. I’ve provided a template you can modify for use in your own classroom.

What Else Can I Do to Promote Belonging?

Other evidence-based strategies can be used to increase student belonging and create a community of engagement. The following list is not exhaustive, but the suggestions are easy to incorporate into your course design. 

1. Encourage your students to find (or remind themselves of) a similarity they have with a classmate or other group to which they belong and take time to connect—over a love of Euchre or Always Sunny in Philadelphia, for example.  Finding similarities will help them develop quality relationships.
2. Suggest joining a recreational or professional organization or club (e.g., club soccer or euchre club). OU has a wide range of groups and organizations that cater to many interests and professional pursuits.
3. Encourage them to volunteer their time. There are plenty of on and off-campus volunteer activities that align with your potential career.
4. Communicate lay theories or beliefs that transition to college can be challenging, but that the challenges are normal and not indicative of lack of potential or belonging.
5. Use personal stories/experiences to communicate your own struggle to belong.

Given the importance of inclusivity and belonging to students’ success and well-being, I am confident that you will find that the proposed strategies are easy to adapt and go a long way in addressing issues related to equity and belonging.

References and Resources

Allen, K. Kern, M., Rozek, C., McInerney, D. & Slavich, G. (2021). Belonging: A Review of Conceptual Issues, an Integrative Framework, and Directions for Future Research. Australian Journal of Psychology, 73(1), 87-102.

Freeman, T. M., Anderman, L. H., & Jensen, J. M. (2007). Sense of belonging in college freshmen at the classroom and campus levels. Journal of Experimental Education, 75(3), 203–220. https://doi.org/10.3200/JEXE.75.3.203-220.

Gopalan, M., & Brady, S. (2019). College Students’ Sense of Belonging: A National Perspective, 49 (2), 228-233. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X19897622

Gopalan, M., Linden-Carmichael, A. Lanza, S. (2022). College students’ sense of belonging and mental health amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Journal of Adolescent Health, 70(2), 228-233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.10.010 

Gillen-O’Neel, C. (2021). Sense of Belonging and Student Engagement: A Daily Study of First and continuing-generation college students. Research in Higher Education, 62:45–71 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-019-09570.

Murphy, M., Gopalan, M., Carter, E., Emerson, K., Bottoms, B., & Walton, G. (2020). A Customized Belonging Intervention Improves Retention of Socially Disadvantaged Students at a Broad-Access University, Science Advances 6 (29)

Murphy, M., & Zirkel, S. (2015). Race and belonging in school: How anticipated and experienced belonging affects choice, persistence, and performance. Teachers College Record, 117(12), 1–40.

Solanki, S., Fitzpatrick, D., Jones, M., & Lee, H. (2020) Social-psychological interventions in college: A meta-analysis of effects on academic outcomes and heterogeneity by study context and treated population. Educational Research Review, 21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100359Get rights and content

Walton, G. & Cohen. G. (2011). A Brief Social-Belonging Intervention Improves Academic and Health Outcomes of Minority Students. Science, 331(6023):1447-332.

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About the Author

Rebecca Malatesta, PhD, is a Special Instructor and Student Success Coordinator in the Psychology Department. She is very interested in understanding barriers to student success and discovering evidenced-based strategies to address inclusion and belonging in the classroom and students’ subjective well-being. Rebecca loves to read, especially the classics.

Rebecca served as guest editor for the Happiness Factor in Academic Success: Boosting Well-being and Performance series. Contribute to the Teaching Blog as a guest editor.

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