Belonging 

As an immigrant who spent years navigating the feeling of being an outsider in academic spaces, I vividly remember a moment in my art studies lecture that enhanced my sense of belonging. The professor created an inclusive environment by encouraging us to bring our lived experiences into the discussion. When the topic shifted to women’s rights in global contexts, I shared my experience living in Iran in relation to the graphic novel Persepolis. Connecting my background to the class discussion—especially through the lens of one of my favourite books—was empowering. I felt that my experiences were acknowledged and genuinely valued because I was met with interest and respect from the professor and my peers. This shift in how my experiences were received made me feel connected to the classroom community and empowered me to engage more deeply with the course, knowing my voice mattered. That sense of belonging profoundly impacted my academic success and personal growth. (Undergraduate Student)

Belonging is rooted in the sense of being socially connected, accepted, and valued within an environment. Cultivating spaces where individuals feel safe to express their authentic selves enhances the learning of writing by creating an environment where students can share their thoughts and ideas freely. Social connection promotes creativity and critical thinking by encouraging students to embrace feedback and engage in collaboration, both of which are essential for developing strong writing skills.

Writing in the academy, with its explicit and implicit expectations, contains both the path of access and the barriers of constraint. In many cases, expectations of how one should write define a narrow gap of what is acceptable in the academy. Writing that falls outside of that boundary is marginalized and minimized. Because structure influences the epistemological boundaries, possibilities for understanding and the complexities they bring to bodies of knowledge also get marginalized, minimized, or altogether left out (Sterner & Fisher, 2020, p. 75).  

Belonging, “seeing oneself as socially connected” (Walton & Cohen, 2007, p.82) is crucial for success in social, academic, and professional settings. In educational settings, nurturing belonging means creating inclusive spaces where students feel supported, recognized, and able to express their authentic selves. This involves intentionally creating adaptable learning environments that embrace diverse forms of support, giving all students the opportunity to thrive. People from dominant groups often feel like they naturally belong because their modes of writing and communicating align with the normative structures of the university. However, the forms of writing that are expected can create a sense of non-belonging for others, especially those from historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized (HPSM) groups. This is particularly true for racialized students (Murphy & Zirkel, 2015; Walton & Cohen, 2007). Along with feeling “comfortable” and “fitting in,” students from marginalized groups also value “safety,” “respect,” and “the ability to be their authentic selves” as signs that they belong (Vaccaro & Newman, 2022).

A sense of belonging promotes creativity and critical thinking, as students who feel respected are more receptive to feedback and willing to collaborate—key factors in developing strong writing skills. When students feel valued, they become more confident in their writing, more willing to explore new perspectives, and more engaged with challenging content without fear of judgement. The inclusive teaching of writing cultivates a sense of belonging, safety, and home/location for the students within the classroom (through course content, readings, themes). This can be achieved through teaching practices that acknowledge diverse experiences, address barriers to inclusion, and promote collaborative learning.

Suggested activities

• Acknowledge the time writing development takes
• Reveal instructors’ own particular struggles with writing (and belonging more generally)
• Address with students the gatekeeping function of scholarly writing genres and communities, and the histories of exclusion associated with disciplinary knowledge production
• Explore with students the limitations and opportunities within academic writing for self, community, belonging, such as writing with current peers and writing to future (potential) peers (Sterner & Fisher, 2020)
• Foster the classroom as a community of learners (including the instructor), including group tasks and collaborative, supported peer review
• Teach students how to enter/access/claim belonging in writing communities while also resisting/challenging/rewriting the genres of those communities to include diverse voices and experiences and Indigenous ways of knowing

Use cases

Annotated Bibliography

• Murphy, M. C., & Zirkel, S. (2015). Race and belonging in school: How anticipated and experienced belonging affect choice, persistence, and performance. Teachers College Record (1970), 117(12), 1-40.
• Sterner, S. K., & Fisher, L. C. (2020). Expanding academic writing: A multilayered exploration of what it means to belong. Taboo (New York, N.Y.), 19(5), 65-80. 
• Vaccaro, A., & Newman, B. (2022). Theoretical foundations for sense of belonging in college. In E. M. Bentrim, & G. W. Henning (Eds.), The impact of a sense of belonging in college (1st ed., pp. 3-20). Routledge.
•  Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2007). A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(1), 82-96.