Belonging is not fixed: how ethnic-minority students build it over time

By Student Voice AI

Updated Feb 26, 2026

At Student Voice AI, we work with universities that want to understand belonging in a way that goes beyond a single satisfaction score. In a recent paper in Studies in Higher Education, Jente De Coninck, Peter A.J. Stevens and Wendelien Vantieghem examine how ethnic-minority students construct a sense of belonging, and how that sense of belonging shifts during an academic year. The findings are a useful lens for UK Student Experience teams, because belonging often shows up most clearly in open-text comments, and it can change quickly when peer dynamics, representation, or academic identity come under pressure. [Paper Source]

Context and research question

Belonging is often treated as a stable outcome, something students either have or do not. This paper starts from a different premise: sense of belonging (SoB) is constructed through relationships and recognition, and it can strengthen or weaken over time.

De Coninck et al. explore this through a qualitative longitudinal study in an open-access higher education system in Flanders. They collected semi-structured interviews at the start and end of the academic year, complemented by weekly diaries. The paper focuses on four cases drawn from a wider set of 31 participants, using qualitative content analysis to track how SoB changes and what shapes those changes.

Key findings

Belonging is dynamic, not a fixed trait. Even across a single academic year, students’ accounts show SoB rising and falling as their social and academic context shifts.

As the authors put it:

"The results show that SoB is not fixed but changes over time."

The paper identifies three mechanisms that shape SoB for ethnic-minority students: peer homophily, representation, and academic identity. Peer homophily matters because friendships and peer networks can be a route into informal learning, support, and everyday confidence. Representation matters because students take cues from who is present, who is visible, and who appears to be considered “normal” in a space. Academic identity matters because belonging is tied to whether students feel like legitimate learners, and whether they can participate without second-guessing how they will be read.

A second contribution is the paper’s emphasis on agency. The authors show that ethnic-minority students are not passively waiting to be “included”. Students actively redefine and reshape belonging in line with their goals and expectations, treating belonging both as an end in itself and as a means to academic success. They describe agency expressed through strategic identity work, friendship choices, and adaptation to institutional norms.

Taken together, this points to multiple belonging trajectories, not a single pattern. The practical implication is that one-size-fits-all belonging initiatives can miss the mark. The authors argue for differentiated institutional support that recognises how different students’ belonging develops over time, and what they are trying to achieve through it.

Practical implications

For UK higher education teams, there are practical ways to translate these findings into student voice work.

Measure belonging over time, not only annually. Pulse surveys, transition check-ins, and well-timed open-text prompts can surface shifts early enough to respond.
Ask about mechanisms, not just sentiment. In open-text questions, invite students to describe what changed their sense of belonging, who helped or hindered it, and how peer networks and teaching spaces shaped their participation.
Support peer connection without forcing assimilation. Mentoring, peer-led study groups, and inclusive cohort routines can help students build networks while retaining choice about identity and community.
Treat representation as operational. Review where students see themselves reflected, in staff, curriculum examples, group work norms, and everyday communications, then track whether changes show up in student comments.
Segment and analyse open-text by cohort. Overall averages can hide diverging trajectories. Breaking down belonging-related comments by demographic and programme context helps teams see where support needs to differ.

Student Voice Analytics supports this kind of work by categorising belonging and inclusion signals in open-text feedback, and by making it easier to compare experiences across cohorts and track how they change over time.

FAQ

Q: How can UK universities track changes in belonging for ethnic-minority students during the year?

A: Use multiple, lighter-touch measurement points rather than relying on one annual survey. Short pulse surveys at key moments (early weeks, after first assessment, mid-semester, and before exams), combined with open-text prompts about peer networks, teaching spaces, and support, can show when belonging is strengthening or slipping. Pair this with a clear “you said, we did” loop so students can see that belonging-related feedback leads to action.

Q: What should we be cautious about when applying a qualitative longitudinal study like this to our institution?

A: Qualitative longitudinal work is excellent for understanding mechanisms and trajectories, but it does not estimate prevalence in the way a large survey would. The institutional context also matters, and this study is situated in an open-access system in Flanders. For UK decision-making, treat the findings as strong hypotheses about how belonging shifts, then triangulate them with your own evidence, including survey results, open-text comments, continuation metrics, and targeted interviews.

Q: What does this mean for analysing open-text student comments at scale?

A: It is a reminder to look beyond “positive versus negative” and towards the conditions students describe. Comments about belonging often point to peer dynamics, representation, and academic confidence, and those signals may move during the year. Analysing open-text with segmentation helps you see whether belonging is improving for some groups while deteriorating for others, and it gives you the detail you need to design targeted interventions rather than generic messaging.

References

[Paper Source]: Jente De Coninck, Peter A.J. Stevens, Wendelien Vantieghem "Invisible threads: how ethnic-minority students weave belonging in higher education" DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2026.2631771

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