Collaboration, connections and confidence: the influence of school structures on new teacher sense of belonging

Purpose Organizational scholars note workplace sense of belonging can increase job satisfaction and employee retention. However, we know little about how K-12 schools and districts can support the development of a sense of belonging among their educators. The purpose of this study is to understand how teachers’ sense of belonging is shaped by the organizational features of a school. Design/methodology/approach We used a qualitative interview-based research design where we interviewed 39 teachers in their first 5 years of teaching in one elementary school district and employed inductive qualitative coding methods to understand the organizational influences on educators’ sense of belonging at school. Findings Findings suggest that belonging is enhanced when organizational features (policies and practices that link people, resources and tasks) (1) support collaboration and feeling included, (2) lift educator voice and build connections and (3) enhance confidence. Importantly, the presence of specific organizational features was not enough. What mattered was how educators experienced them. Practical implications These findings have implications for school leaders looking to attract and retain teachers. Originality/value We add to the scholarship in two important ways. First, we describe how schools support educator belonging. Second, we extend prior scholarship on teacher belonging by looking beyond the purely relational and/or affective aspect of belonging to examine how a sense of belonging may be enhanced or hindered by the organizational features in place.