Tumultuous times for the Education industry - lots of disruption but also things that have remained the same. The quintessential human need to belong is one of them and school plays a key role.

The desire to forge and cultivate social bonds is among the most powerful human motives. But belonging is about a lot more than having friends.

To state the obvious, the last few years have been tumultuous for the Education industry. This article will not further add to the soaring rhetoric following all changes and factors driving the turbulence within the sector, but rather focus on the exact opposite: what has remained the same.

Education, as a whole, is and remains the most crucial social system for investing and believing in a better future. At the same time, the education industry is also … just that: an actual industry.

“The job to be done” has remained invariable while also accommodating, more than ever, space for innovation: to communicate and nurture a sense of belonging.

Transcending geographies, cultures, genotypes and generations, belonging is a quintessential experience all humans seek, and probably not only humans. When choosing a school or university over another, students will lean towards the institution that speaks more intimately to their social identity, encompassing their values, ideals, beliefs and future aspirations. Relatability and the need for safety, as a projection for the uncertain future, are also emotions that schools can connect with to start planting the seeds of belonging.

How can “the sense of belonging” be defined?

Belonging can be defined as a subjective feeling that one is an integral part of their surrounding systems, including family, friends, school, work environments, communities, cultural groups, and physical places (Hagerty et al., 1992, from NLM library, USA)

There are multiple concepts baked into “belongingness”: connection, attachment, acceptance, unity, common sense of character, identity, engagement, participation, membership, shared values and beliefs, congruence, security, cohesion, comfort.

Why is belonging so important?

The topic of belongingness has benefitted from generous amounts of theories, research and studies across multiple disciplines, all agreeing that a sense of belonging is a vital need that motivates human behavior.

Abraham Maslow was the one elevating belonging to a central place in psychology in his “Theory of Human Motivation". Maslow placed “belongingness” — what he described as the human need for interpersonal connection and acceptance— in a prime position in his hierarchy, just after the needs for food, clothing, shelter, and physical safety (see ref. 3 at the end of the article).

According to Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary, all human beings need a certain minimum quantity of regular, satisfying social interactions. Inability to meet this need results in loneliness, mental distress, and a strong desire to form new relationships (see ref. 4 at the end of the article).

“Recent research shows that a sense of school belonging is a significant predictor of future employment, education, and training.”

Parker et all, 2021, “Does school belonging predict NEET Status in emerging adults?”

What makes critical a sense of belonging in school?

A study made in 2020 on a sample of over 2000 undergraduate students found a positive connection between a sense of belonging in school and an overall well-being, with additional implications on reducing or preventing mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, loneliness (Frontiers, see ref. 6 at the end of the article).

Among middle school and high school students, multiple studies have found a link between a more positive sense of belonging and better academic motivation, lower rates of school dropout, better social-emotional functioning, and higher grade point average. At a college level, a better sense of belonging has been linked to perceived professor caring and greater involvement in campus organizations. (Wikipedia, see ref. 7 at the end of the article)

Another interesting read on the MIT blog, summarizing a research of Dr. Maithreyi Gopalan, that also digests 3 key studies made around this topic: “Students’ Sense of Belonging Matters: Evidence from Three Studies”.

How can schools communicate that “sense of belonging” to potential students?

Communicating a sense of belonging is something that schools (and not only them) have lengthily centered their marketing, recruiting and admission strategy around. To understand why and how this works, we need to go back to the definition of belonging, to remember that it is subjective and emotion-centered.

From the numerous pillars that sustain the sense of belonging, let’s focus on the key ones that can be addressed and spoken to, as part of the communication strategy of a school or higher ed. institution: relatability, social identity and comfort & security.

1. Relatability - as the first step towards being accepted and fitting it, a key pillar of the sense of belonging

What better way to connect with potential students than having them thinking themselves into the school experience shown on page or screen. A school’s website, social media presence or brochures cannot get more successful than that.

The tools at hand to capture and convey a school experience aimed at forging social and emotional connections in the mind of a potential student: campus pictures, videos and tours, images and testimonials of real students, parents (for K12), and faculty, open days, opportunities to connect with existing students and alumni.

One caveat: authenticity is key for school marketing. Schools should paint a real picture and stay away from temptations like photoshoots with student models, staged diversity and produced testimonials, to mention just a few. Executing a communication strategy aimed at building a sense of belonging by incorporating fake or over-beautified elements will not go far. It will result in an actual loss-loss equation.

If a sense of belonging can enhance students' academic achievements, the same is true for the opposite. There is a high chance that students who don’t feel like they belong, will not perform in class nor will they recommend the schools to their peers. No praising testimonials, no top scores at exams - let’s remember that the alumni of a school, their achievements and careers, are one of the school’s best assets.

2. Social identity - a shared set of values, beliefs, and goals to instill feelings of connection and belonging

Social identity is a person’s sense of who they are, based on their group membership(s). Tajfel and Turner (1979) map out, in their theory on social identity, 3 stages of social identity: social categorization, social identification and social comparison.

Being a student means belonging to a social category already, but being a student at school Y or Z adds another dimension to the social identity of a person. The values communicated by a school via all its outlets, the composition and diversity of its faculty and student body, the approach it adopts towards teaching and preparing students for the future, the programs, curricular and extracurricular activities - they are all signals and indicators that allow students to identify or not with one school or another.

There will be an emotional significance to the identification with a school, and elements of self-esteem will become bound up with getting admitted, going to class and finally graduating. Of course, there will be a lot of comparison done in the process of choosing a school as well as after. Transfers are actually quite common.

Once again, honesty - in the values and “picture” propagated by schools, is essential and turning it into a marketing stunt simply won’t do. Goes without saying that the diversity, inclusion and equity pitch must walk the talk.

3. Comfort and security - as cues to form a vision of successful future self who belongs into the world

Schools play a central role into our lives, they are important developmental contexts for children and adolescents. Choosing “the wrong” school for your kid as a parent, or for yourself, is something that weighs heavy on us all.

To address this element or pressure and stress, schools need to communicate clear info on the value they add. It becomes essential to provide reassurance through all means possible: from the availability of programs and how fit they are for the new future, to positive validation received from existing students and alumni. Qualified teachers, truly equipped to prepare students for the transformed future ahead, state-of-the-art facilities, committed counselling, exciting extra curricular activities - these are all equally important.

A school is an investment, sometimes quite a substantial one and it comes with a huge bet with major implications for one’s future, hence it must come with some guarantees.

And speaking of the future, the communication plan of a school should inspire prospective students to form and see the desired future version of themselves - and not only. Helping them see how attending this school is going to help them achieve their dreams is a deciding factor. Best to leave this task to a school’s best ambassadors: existing students and alumni via their testimonials, success stories and inspiring career paths.

At the end of the day, whether a student truly belongs or not into a certain school context is something that needs to be experienced, nurtured and cultivated. But connecting with potential students before they even get the chance to set foot on campus is not only possible but vital for educational institutions.

Let’s nor forget that Education is an industry as well. With its public, private and non-profit players, with direct and indirect competitors, just like any other sector out there, education functions with similar dynamics, laws of demand and offer and commercial aspects. Lastly, the battle for “survival”, especially when it comes to the private education institutions, is just as present and just as pressing as with any other business out there.

If you represent a school looking for a fresh pair of eyes, acquainted with the industry and the marketing landscape, contact us. Our senior consultants are a great sparring partner to brush up and maximise your efforts to boost student admissions and retention.

Bibliography & References

1) National Library of Medicine, Belonging: A Review of Conceptual Issues, an Integrative Framework, and Directions for Future Research

2) National Library of Medicine, The Need to Belong: a Deep Dive into the Origins, Implications, and Future of a Foundational Construct

3) Psychology Today, The New Psychology of Belonging, by Kim Samuel

4) Wikipedia, Baumeister, R. F.; Leary, M. R. (1995). "The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation". Psychological Bulletin. 117 (3): 497–529.

5) Parker, P., Allen, K. A., Parker, R., Dickel, T., Guo, J., Marsh, H. W., & Basarkod, G., (2021). Does school belonging predict NEET Status in emerging adults? PsyArXiv. 10.31234/osf.io/cbwph

6) Frontiers, Emotional Intelligence, Belongingness, and Mental Health in College Students, Front. Psychol., 31 January 2020, Sec. Psychology for Clinical Settings, Robert W. Moeller, Martin Seehuus, Virginia Peisch

7) Wikipedia, Pittman, L. D.; Richmond, A. (2007). "Academic and psychological functioning in late adolescence: The importance of school belonging". Journal of Experimental Education. 75 (4): 270–290.

8) Simply Psychology, Social Identity Theory In Psychology (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) by Saul Mcleod, PhD

Image Credits

In order: Bruno Kelzer, Duy Pham, Ed Us isengrapher, Ben Lambert, Leohohovia Unsplash.

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