Making sense of ‘Sense of Belonging’ : the role of community and peer networks in Student Success

Pawelski, Matthew (2023) Making sense of ‘Sense of Belonging’ : the role of community and peer networks in Student Success. In: Student Success in Taught Education Conference, 2023-11-07 - 2023-11-07, University of Leeds. (Unpublished)

Abstract

The Lancaster Success Programme (LSP) is an award-winning social mobility and student success initiative - a targeted coaching-led programme for students from widening participation backgrounds. The first part of this session will briefly outline the LSP’s portfolio of support and how this range of activity provides a platform for LSP students to build connections with their peers. Its overarching aim is the development of a stronger sense of belonging and community across the LSP. The second part will seek to explore what we mean by notions of ‘feeling part of a community’ and ‘sense of belonging’ – how do we measure them, what should we be measuring, can we use the terms interchangeably, and what impact do they have on key student outcomes. There are questions around different types of belonging: what it means to belong to a community, and its impact on student outcomes. This paper will explore these challenges in the context of student success and use evidence from evaluation generated by the LSP which captures students’ perceptions of belonging and community.