Challenging simplistic and deficit perceptions of belonging amongst historically underrepresented students

As the topic of student belonging amongst minoritised student demographics becomes increasingly researched and theorised within higher education, there is a risk that practitioners and policy makers adopt approaches summarised from top-level findings, thus missing important nuance. This opinion piece poses four self-reflective questions to ensure that efforts to address belonging gaps for minoritised students are appropriate and successful. These questions prompt readers to: recognise the value of asset – over deficit – approaches; reflect on how definitions of minoritised students do not account for the difference between historical and current underrepresentation; question whether demographic binaries are useful and relevant; and consider how not all students want to belong and whether it is appropriate to challenge this position. Overall, this article provides a protocol so that practitioners and policy makers can have more confidence in embedding findings from belonging research into their local contexts.

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