Cultivating Belonging for Self and Others in Learning Spaces During the Pandemic

Abstract When people belong, they feel valued and respected as their authentic selves. Belonging can occur individually, as in belonging to oneself, and in groups, where people belong among others. Belonging to both self and others contributes to feelings of security and safety, and belonging is related to students’ success in school. This study sought to explore the lived experiences of belonging in education during the covid -19 pandemic. Professionals in education, including faculty and administrators in K-12 and higher education, non-profit leaders, and parents, were guests on a podcast about belonging, which used a semi-structured interview approach. The episodes, which yielded rich qualitative data collected in real-time as the pandemic progressed, were transcribed, and systematically analyzed using three cycles of inductive coding. Participants described belonging as fundamental and critical to development, and they shared how they prioritized and fostered belonging in their varied learning spaces. The four categories that emerged from the study, definition of belonging, concerted effort, person-centered , and tools of belonging , connect to tell the story of participants’ experiences of belonging in education through the pandemic, and offer theoretical and practical insights about the intentional cultivation of belonging.