Belonging matters – webinars

Belonging in Crisis

Student disengagement has spiked since the COVID-19 pandemic, with surveys indicating that nearly 40 percent of high schoolers feel disconnected from their schools. This alienation hits hardest in diverse settings, where cultural and linguistic barriers exacerbate isolation. In Southeast Asia, where hundreds of languages coexist, English language classrooms often sideline home tongues, leaving learners adrift.

The fallout is measurable. Students lacking belonging show poorer academic performance, with retention rates dropping by up to 10 percent in affected groups. Mental health suffers too—depression and anxiety rates doubled in several European countries between 2020 and 2022, a trend echoed globally. Economic costs mount as disengaged youth face limited job prospects, straining public resources.

Yet, belonging isn't abstract. Interventions like community-building exercises have lifted completion rates by 12 percent in trials at over 700 U.S. institutions. In Asia, policies promoting mother tongues as bridges to English instruction have improved attitudes and participation. Deadlines loom: UNESCO's 2030 education goals demand action, with inaction risking widened inequality gaps.

Tensions lurk beneath. Prioritizing belonging can clash with rigorous curricula, where group activities trade off against individual assessments. Stakeholders debate: teachers push for relational approaches, while administrators eye standardized test scores. Non-obvious risks include 'belonging uncertainty' during transitions, amplified by migration waves adding 5 million students to Southeast Asian systems since 2020.

Surprising data reveals reversals—two-year colleges see higher belonging among minorities, suggesting scale matters. In elite settings, first-generation students report steeper declines, down 15 percent over four years. These angles highlight belonging as a dynamic force, shaped by policy, culture, and power dynamics.