Belonging

One of the most powerful forces shaping learning in graduate education is something that often goes unnamed in course syllabi, rubrics, and learning objectives: belonging.

We talk frequently about curriculum design, evidence-based teaching strategies, and competency development. These are all essential. But before any of those things can fully take hold, students must experience something more fundamental:

They must feel that they belong.

For adult learners—particularly graduate students preparing for professional roles—belonging is not simply about feeling comfortable in a classroom. It is about feeling seen as a developing professional, respected as a person with life experience, and valued as a contributor to the learning community.

In this sense, belonging is not merely a social nicety. It is an andragogical strategy.

What Makes Adult Learners Different?

Malcolm Knowles’ theory of andragogy reminds us that adult learners approach education differently than younger students. Adults bring:

Prior life experiences
Professional identities
Personal responsibilities
Internal motivations for learning

Graduate occupational therapy students, for example, often balance coursework with jobs, caregiving roles, and financial pressures. Many are career changers or second-career professionals. Others may be returning to school after years away from academic environments.

Adult learners therefore ask different questions than traditional undergraduates:

Do I belong here?
Can I succeed here?
Will my experiences be valued here?
Is this community supportive of my growth?

If the answer to these questions is uncertain, learning is compromised. Cognitive resources that should be focused on clinical reasoning and professional development instead become focused on self-protection and uncertainty.

Belonging removes that barrier.

Belonging as a Learning Condition

Belonging functions as a precondition for deep learning.

Research across higher education has repeatedly shown that students who experience belonging demonstrate:

greater persistence
deeper engagement
stronger professional identity formation
higher academic performance

For adult learners, belonging is particularly important because it validates their decision to return to school and affirms their place within a professional community.

In occupational therapy education, belonging also mirrors a core value of the profession itself: participation and inclusion in meaningful occupations.

In many ways, learning in a graduate program is itself an occupation—one that requires access, support, and community.

Designing Belonging Intentionally

Belonging does not happen by accident. It must be designed into the learning environment.

Some simple but powerful strategies include:

1. Recognizing Prior Experience

Adult learners bring rich experiences that should be acknowledged and integrated into learning.

This might include:

inviting students to share relevant personal or professional experiences
using case discussions that allow multiple perspectives
encouraging peer teaching

When adult learners see that their knowledge contributes to the classroom, they shift from consumer of information to member of a professional community.

2. Creating Psychological Safety

Learning complex clinical reasoning requires students to take intellectual risks.

Students must feel safe to say:

“I’m not sure.”
“I might be wrong.”
“I’m still learning.”

Faculty can foster this by modeling humility, curiosity, and openness to discussion.

3. Building Cohort Identity

Graduate professional programs thrive when students develop a sense of cohort identity.

This can be strengthened through:

collaborative learning
shared professional rituals
reflection on professional identity

When students begin to see themselves not just as individuals but as members of a future profession, belonging deepens.

4. Connecting Learning to Purpose

Adult learners are strongly motivated by meaning and purpose.

Connecting coursework to real clinical impact—whether through case studies, community partnerships, or client stories—helps students see how their learning contributes to something larger.

Belonging is strengthened when students understand:

“I am here for a reason.”

Belonging and Professional Identity

For occupational therapy students, belonging does something particularly powerful: it supports professional identity formation.

Students move from thinking:

“I am a student studying occupational therapy”

“I am becoming an occupational therapist.”

That shift is not purely cognitive. It is relational and social. It happens through:

mentorship
peer collaboration
shared professional values
participation in authentic learning experiences

Belonging is what allows students to see themselves reflected in the profession they are entering.

A Final Thought

In higher education we often focus on the visible elements of teaching:

lectures
assignments
exams
competencies

But some of the most powerful aspects of learning are invisible.

Belonging is one of them.

When adult learners feel welcomed, respected, and valued, they are more willing to engage deeply, take intellectual risks, and develop the confidence required for professional practice.

In occupational therapy education—where our profession centers on participation, inclusion, and meaningful engagement—it seems fitting that our classrooms should embody those same principles.

RESOURCES TO HELP YOU DESIGN YOUR BELONGING TOOLKIT

https://www.gradpartnership.org/resources/sense-of-belonging/

Practical Toolkit for Supporting Belonging

https://eab.com/resources/resource-center/inclusion-belonging-higher-education-resource-center

Structures for Belonging: A Synthesis of Research on Belonging-Supportive Learning Environments (SERN)

https://www.perts.net/programs/cb

Research on Belonging in Graduate School / Academia

Allen, K. A., Kern, M. L., Reardon, J., Crawford, J., Slaten, C. D., Heffernan, T., … & Roberts, S. (2024). Creating a sense of belonging in academia: challenges, facilitators, and implications for university leaders, staff and graduate students. Research handbook of academic mental health, 436-458.

DePauw, K. P., & Gibson, M. (2022). A space and a place for graduate education: Building community and belonging. In A Practitioner’s Guide to Supporting Graduate and Professional Students (pp. 166-184). Routledge.

Ham, P. (2025). Promoting Sense of Belonging Among First-Generation Students in Occupational Therapy. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 13(4), 1-12.

Isenberg, A. S., Mathia, E. L., Chen, S., McGreevy, E. M., Binning, K. R., & Raina, K. D. (2025). Social and Academic Belonging: Developing an Ecological Belonging Program for Occupational Therapy Students. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 79(5), 7905205180.

Khan, S., DeLuca-Berg, E., Laughlin, K., Achon, J., Mrabe, K., & Edema, C. (2025). Barriers and facilitators of a sense of belonging among occupational therapy students and faculty: A qualitative study using the ecology of human performance framework. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 9(1), 5.

Reid, H., & Pride, T. (2023). Colliding identities and the act of creating spaces of belonging in the occupational therapy profession. Healthy Populations Journal, 3(1).

Taff, S. D., & Clifton, M. (2022). Inclusion and Belonging in Higher Education: A Scoping Study of Contexts, Barriers, and Facilitators. Higher Education Studies, 12(3), 122-133.

Thomas, J. L., Fox, M. E., Machnik, K. A., & Wildey, M. N. (2025). Perceived support & belongingness amongst groups of underrepresented & majority graduate students. Journal of American College Health, 73(10), 3772-3775.

Tyminski, Q. P., Johnston, J. N., Hung, V., & Gopman, J. (2023). Belonging in Graduate Health Professions Education-Implications for Occupational Therapy Education: A Scoping Review. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 7(4), 6.

Tyminski, Q. P., & Elmesky, R. (2025). How Identities Shape Belonging in Occupational Therapy Education: A Phenomenological Exploration of Student Belonging. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 9(4), 4.