Student belonging in action: an introduction

Student belonging, as a potential means to enhance students’ experiences and success, has been an increasingly popular topic of focus over the last few years, both within the UK and internationally. This growing interest is reflected in a surge of scholarly publications (Figure 0.1), influential sector-wide reports (Blake et al., 2022; Naughton et al., 2024), and conferences dedicated to the topic: RAISE 2023, the European First Year Experience 2024, and the Foundation Year Network 2024. The topic has also inspired a wave of books and edited collections in recent years (Bentrim et al., 2022; Carruthers Thomas, 2018; Nunn, 2021; Rueda and Lowe Swift, 2024; Strayhorn, 2019).