Belonging Across Contexts: Implications for Theory and Measurement of a Popular Motivational Construct

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: Belonging and the Social Dynamics of Learning

Abstract

Sense of belonging is an increasingly popular construct, yet as research has expanded to measure
belonging in different contexts (e.g., schools, classrooms, clubs), measures have commonly been
adapted from one context to the next with no theoretical discussion of whether belonging
fundamentally changes across contexts. In this qualitative study, interview data show that
belonging does indeed change across contexts in. Implications for measurement include how
context can affect 1) the criteria for belonging (e.g., the role of ability), and 2) who determines
the criteria for belonging (e.g., peers vs. teachers/ authority figures). As the first study to
compare descriptions of belonging across multiple contexts, we believe this work strengthens the
overarching theory of belonging and will consequently improve its measurement.

Authors

• Peter McPartlan, San Diego State University

• Teomara Rutherford, University of Delaware