How can I foster a sense of belonging for my students?

Dear Aggie,

I am thinking about my students and know they come from a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and levels of preparation. I want them all to feel that they belong here at NMSU, that they belong in my discipline, and that they can succeed. What strategies can I use to enhance students' sense of belonging?
-Fostering belonging

Dear Fostering,

This is a great question! Students' sense of belonging isn't just a 'nice extra ’; it has a powerful influence on motivation, learning, and persistence.

Before we dive in, I'd encourage you to take advantage of NMSU's Teaching Academy as a fabulous resource for teaching and learning. It offers excellent in-person and Zoom workshops on teaching, course design, assessment, grading, and more. You can learn more at https://teaching.nmsu.edu/.

Now, back to students’ sense of belonging. Students are constantly determining whether they belong in a class. Do they feel accepted? Respected? Included? Supported? These are the exact terms that Goodenow (1993) used to define sense of belonging.

A key point is that students' sense of belonging doesn't emerge only from friendships or social activities (although those certainly help). Instructors have tremendous influence through the everyday actions and words that communicate to students that they do belong here.

Actions that can help include learning students' names, inviting participation from many different voices, checking in with students who appear to be struggling, and acknowledging thoughtful questions and contributions.

One surprisingly powerful way to communicate belonging is through what education researchers call “instructor talk”. Instructor talk is any language, spoken or written, that doesn't directly teach course content but shapes the learning environment.

Research suggests two especially powerful categories of instructor talk: (1) building the instructor-student relationship and (2) explaining pedagogical choices.

Building the Instructor-Student Relationship
Here are a few examples (please see the p.s. below for more discipline-specific examples):

• “I know everyone in this room can succeed. It won't always be easy, but I wouldn't ask you to do this work if I didn't believe you could learn it.”
• “I'm interested in your thinking, not just whether you got the right answer.”
• “Because we have an exam this week, there won't be homework due. I'd rather you spend that time preparing.”
• “Questions are one of the best indicators that learning is happening. If you're confused, chances are someone else is too.”

Explaining Pedagogical Choices
Students are much more willing to invest effort when they understand why we're asking them to do something.
Examples:
• “This course helps you develop skills that employers consistently value, including critical thinking, communication, and problem solving.”
• “When you explain your thinking to a classmate, much of the learning happens.”
• “I ask you to submit your homework on Sunday afternoon so I have time to identify common areas of confusion before Monday's class.”
• “I'm asking you to revise this assignment because revision is how professionals improve their work, not because I expect perfection the first time.”

Here's the good news: fostering belonging doesn't require a complete course redesign. It can happen through dozens of small moments, such as a note of encouragement before an exam, a brief explanation of why an activity matters, or a reminder that struggling with difficult material is part of learning.

Conclusion

When we explain why we teach the way we do, normalize challenge, invite questions, and communicate confidence in students' ability to learn, we are sending a powerful message: 'All of us belong here.'

Even one or two intentional comments in each class meeting can positively influence students' sense of belonging in less than two minutes. That's a pretty impressive return on investment.

I hope your semester goes well. We have amazing students, and it sounds like you're ready to help them succeed.

~Aggie

p.s. Here are some more discipline-specific examples of ways to build the instructor-student relationship:

• “Historians often disagree. Our goal isn't to memorize one story of the past but to evaluate evidence and construct persuasive arguments.”
• “One of the wonderful things about philosophy is that reasonable people can disagree. Your job isn't to guess what I think—it's to build the strongest argument you can.”
• “Don't worry if you don't immediately know what you're looking at. Learning to "see" works of art is a skill that develops with practice.”
• “Psychology isn't about memorizing studies. It's about learning how to think critically about behavior and evidence.”
• “Agriculture is all about solving real problems. Whether your interests are plants, animals, food systems, or natural resources, this field needs people with different experiences and perspectives."
• “Not every experiment or field project works the first time. Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural scientists all learn by observing, adapting, and trying again."
• “Engineers rarely solve complex problems alone. Learning to explain your ideas, ask questions, and work with teammates is part of becoming an engineer."
• “If this design doesn't work the first time, congratulations—you've just experienced what engineers call the design process."
• "Business isn't just about numbers. It's about understanding people, making decisions with imperfect information, and communicating your ideas effectively."
• "When we discuss different solutions today, I'm less interested in finding one 'right' answer than in hearing the reasoning behind your recommendation."
• "Asking questions is a sign of professionalism, not weakness. Safe healthcare depends on people who are willing to speak up when they are uncertain."
• "Learning to 'see' works of art is a skill that develops over time. Don't worry if you don't notice everything immediately."
• "Reasonable people can disagree. Your goal isn't to guess what I think—it's to develop and defend your own argument using evidence and logic."
• "Psychology isn't about memorizing famous studies. It's about learning to evaluate evidence and think critically about behavior."

 

References:

• https://learn.hms.harvard.edu/insights/all-insights/role-instructor-talk-classroom
• Goodenow, C. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates. Psychology in the Schools, 30(1), 79-90.
• Jackson, B. D., Robinson, B. H., Madison, M. J., & Andrews, T. C. (2026). Instructor talk and student belonging in introductory biology: Not all talk matters and relationships vary by student identity. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 25(2), ar199. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.25-09-0199
• Seidel, S. B., et al. (2015). Beyond the Biology: A Systematic Investigation of Noncontent Instructor Talk in an Introductory Biology Course. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 14(4), ar43.