Student Belonging in Higher Education

Providing sector leading, scholarly informed critical explorations on students’ sense of belonging in higher education settings, this key text explores invaluable considerations for contemporary issues to inform institutional policy, pedagogic practice, student education support and diversity and accessibility practices.

Drawing on the research and practical expertise of an international authorship, alongside vital insights from student contributors, this book is both timely and necessary. It provides critical reflections and discussion of the complexity of students’ sense of belonging, focusing on the challenges for those now implementing, exploring and researching student belonging initiatives in higher education. Responding to the urgent need to understand diverse student populations, chapters explore the dynamics of student experiences at the individual, social, academic, and institutional levels and recognises underlying issues to create solutions to overcome barriers and tensions. Topics such as the multidimensionality of belonging, and its relation to social capital, the role of context, and measurement of belonging are critically discussed in this collection to provide lessons learned and knowledge from the field, to make practice with students more considered and robust for the challenges ahead in the contemporary and future university.

Student Belonging in Higher Education is a must-read for all those interested and invested in the topic of student belonging. It offers evidence-based critical reflections and recommendations for those implementing, exploring and researching student belonging initiatives to create more inclusive, supportive, and thriving academic communities.