Feeling valued and connected to others in one's learning community is positively associated with student well-being, academic engagement, and performance. By assessing students' perceptions of their belonging, instructors can identify opportunities for improvement. Below are some insights on the importance of cultivating Belonging Certainty and strategies for improving this learning condition.
Belonging uncertainty is the concern people have about the extent to which they belong, or fit in, in different contexts or across time. Social isolation and belonging uncertainty are negatively associated with achievement, performance, and well-being. Belonging certainty is the absence of this concern.
This item was developed by Dr. David Yeager and colleagues at the Carnegie Foundation and has been found to be a strong predictor of student persistence and success in their courses. Watch the video below to hear more from Dr. Yeager about the importance of cultivating Belonging Certainty in higher education courses.
Students respond to this question on a 5 point scale and the percentages in Ascend reports reflect the portion of participants who select “hardly ever” or “never.” These two answers suggest that the participant feels a high degree of certainty about their belonging in the class.