The benefits of belonging: Students’ perceptions of their online learning experiences

Abstract

Learning environments that support a sense of belonging have been shown to help students fully and meaningfully participate in their learning. Less is known, however, about the social organization of online learning environments that support a sense of belonging, particularly in postsecondary contexts. With an explicit attention to issues of equity, this mixed-methods study examined what makes undergraduate students in the United States of America (N = 4,544) feel included in online learning environments during a global pandemic. Survey responses collected in the fall of 2020 were analyzed through a sociocultural learning theory framework. Rating scale and open-ended responses revealed that students’ sense of belonging and inclusion varied by student race and gender and by instructional modality (synchronous vs. asynchronous). Opportunities for discussion, interaction with peers, and feeling that one’s racial or ethnic group was represented in the curriculum were among the environmental affordances that supported a sense of belonging.

Keywords:

• online learning
• social belonging
• higher education
• COVID-19 pandemic

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was declared by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daniela K. DiGiacomo

Daniela K. DiGiacomo is an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky in the School of Information Science. Her program of research focuses on how to design formal and informal learning settings in ways that support and extend young people’s lived experiences, interests, and expertise.

Ellen L. Usher

Ellen L. Usher is an education scientist at the Mayo Clinic. She was Chellgren Endowed Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Kentucky from 2019 to 2022m where she directed the P20 Motivation & Learning Lab. Her research focuses on the social cognitive processes involved in teaching and learning.

Jaeyun Han

Jaeyun Han is a recent doctoral graduate from the Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology at the University of Kentucky. Her major research interests lie in the areas of academic motivation, achievement, and higher education research.

Jill M. Abney

Jill M. Abney is a senior faculty instructional consultant at the University of Kentucky’s Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching, where she supports instructors as they seek to foster community, equity, and belonging in their courses. She also teaches courses in history focused on war, society, gender, and research methods.

Anastacia E. Cole

Anastacia E. Cole is a doctoral student in the Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology at the University of Kentucky. She aims to support teachers’ well-being and success through research particularly in areas of teacher self-efficacy, burnout, and teacher education and development.

Jaylene T. Patterson

Jaylene T. Patterson is a doctoral student in the Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology at the University of Kentucky. Her research interests focus on the educational experiences of minoritized students through investigating identity development, culturally relevant teaching practices, teacher race-match, school ethnic-racial socialization, and school climate.