No one can argue that it feels good to belong and we’ve all had that unpleasant experience of being the outsider. In recent years, research into the impact of belonging on achievement has drawn clear links between how included we feel and our academic performance. This is an under-acknowledged factor in schools when looking at why some students have stronger outcomes than others.
A sense of belonging refers to the extent to which students feel personally accepted, connected to, and supported at school. It includes school-based experiences, relationships with teachers and peers, and a child’s general feelings about school. Belonging plays a vital role in academic performance because students with it are more likely to engage fully and participate.
There is a significant body of research from psychologists like Walton and Claude from Stanford and Catherine Good from CUNY showing very strong connections between an individual’s sense of belonging and their motivation, attendance, emotional well-being, and grades. This sense of belonging is essential and correlative in almost every place where achievement can be measured.
For example, The Quaglia Institute found that students in high school who feel they have a voice are seven times more likely to participate than those who do not. At the University level, belonging is a greater predictor of degree completion than a student’s high school GPA. Researchers like Dr. Gopalan from MIT have uncovered profound links between social identity, belonging, and achievement.
Students with a strong sense of belonging are freer to learn because their brains experience less frontal lobe stress making it easier to pay attention and to process and retrieve information. Further, students who feel connected demonstrate a greater commitment to their learning and are better equipped to face challenges, take healthy risks, and tackle obstacles.
This grit, as Angela Duckworth from the University of Pennsylvania calls it, translates into higher performance and greater outcomes. Hundreds of studies across the world have shown for decades that included students in any educational setting develop stronger confidence, experience less stress, and feel free to question, self-advocate, and seek guidance.
Naturally, research is clear that disconnected students are under more stress and, thus, more likely to disengage, fail, or drop out. The research of Stamford University Psychologist Geoffrey Cohen linked a lack of belonging to negative outcomes like poor grades and behavioral issues. This is more concerning now as social media and societal factors are driving young people to feel more isolated than ever.
Recent work by Jean Twenge shows a sense of belonging in school on the decline in the last decade across the globe. Unfortunately, adolescent loneliness is on the rise. Therefore, schools are a logical front line for creating social anchors that help students feel connected. Simply put, students who feel they belong outperform those who do not, so this should be top of mind.
The University of Chicago’s Project for Educational Research recommends four pillars for promoting belonging at school. They suggest cooperative learning creates natural connections between students through overcoming shared challenges and celebrating shared successes. Unsurprisingly, they say much of a child’s sense of belonging comes back to the strength of the social-emotional curriculum. Student voice matters and by creating space for it, we communicate what a student thinks is important to adults. Finally, culturally responsive practice is an easy way to ensure a sense of belonging, so everyone knows they’re welcome.
Schools invest heavily to ensure the curriculum and resources we utilize are high quality. One might argue that of equal importance to what students are asked to do in school are the conditions under which we ask them to do it. Perhaps, therefore, this is a good time for schools to make greater investments in this important area.
Christopher Herman is Head of School at Garden School, a Nursery to Grade 12 Independent school in Jackson Heights. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s School Leadership Program and former adjunct faculty at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He writes and speaks often on topics relevant to education.
