New (and first solo) publication on belonging in school, which I'm presenting at AERA today (April 24 @ 5:25 in Bluebird Ballroom Room 3C). Here's the open-access link, and a very quick summary: What do researchers vs. students really mean when we say “belonging”? link.springer.com/article/10.1... - ThreadSky

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alexbrowman.bsky.social • 35 days ago

New (and first solo) publication on belonging in school, which I'm presenting at AERA today (April 24 @ 5:25 in Bluebird Ballroom Room 3C). Here's the open-access link, and a very quick summary:

What do researchers vs. students really mean when we say “belonging”?

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-025-10009-3

Comments

alexbrowman.bsky.social•35 days ago

I argue that historically, educational and social psychology have largely equated belonging with social connectedness. Social connectedness is, of course, essential for belonging.

alexbrowman.bsky.social•35 days ago

But, I show that when we examine how students themselves describe their experiences of belonging in school, they describe a lot more than just their sense of social connection to others (their sense of social fit in school).

alexbrowman.bsky.social•35 days ago

Rather, their descriptions also emphasize the extent to which they experience support for their valued identities (self-concept fit), their goals (goal fit), and their basic financial, nutritional, health, and safety needs (resource fit).

alexbrowman.bsky.social•35 days ago

Why? Because, I argue, these affordances enable their identities, goals, and needs to feel natural and inconspicuous when they are at school, and it is those feelings of *fluency* that ultimately produce a holistic experience that they belong.

alexbrowman.bsky.social•35 days ago

Future research, then, should seek to develop belonging measures that account for all 4 experiences of fit that students themselves say influence their sense of belonging at school, rather than continuing to use measures that focus solely on their experiences of social connection at school.

alexbrowman.bsky.social•35 days ago

This and many other exciting perspectives on belonging in school at our AERA session, so please come and see us!

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