Relationship between university belonging and student outcomes
A systematic review and meta-analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21522706 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gisela van Kessel (0000-0002-6955-0727), Colleen Ryan (0000-0002-1126-3901), Lorraine Paras (0000-0002-5368-5651), Natalie Johnson (0000-0001-6676-5266), Razia Z Zariff (0000-0002-2581-644X), Helen Stallman (0000-0001-7830-0781) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 2511-2534 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Australian Educational Researcher (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0311-6999 • E-ISSN: 2210-5328 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s13384-025-00822-8 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 54 |
University students experience academic demands in addition to everyday stressors, which can impact their well-being and potentially affect academic performance. University sense of belonging, a key social determinant of health and well-being, may directly and indirectly influence academic outcomes. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses to investigate whether a sense of belonging at university impacts student well-being and academic outcomes. The results revealed a significant small-to-medium positive association between university sense of belonging and academic outcomes (r = 0.20), and a significant medium-to-large positive association with well-being outcomes (r = 0.40). Additionally, the number-needed-to-treat analyses suggest that a population-based intervention to improve university sense of belonging could have a significant impact on academic and well-being outcomes. However, high heterogeneity was observed, and most studies had a high risk of bias. Future research should explore moderating factors (e.g., student type) that contribute to this heterogeneity and focus on establishing causality in these relationships
The contribution of the Philips 66 brainstorming technique to nursing students’ academic engagement and belonging-related outcomes
Students' sense of belonging as a predictor of self-perceived academic performance and employability
Examining undergraduate students’ mental health after the Covid-19 pandemic
University Professors’ Emotional Competencies and Students’ Academic Well-Being
Trends in college students’ mental health diagnoses and utilization of services, 2009–2015
College Students’ Sense of Belonging and Mental Health Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic
Factors that influence mental health of university and college students in the UK
A sense of belonging at university
Sense of belonging
Mental Health and Well-Being of University Students
Academic and Psychological Functioning in Late Adolescence
A Review of Psychological Distress Among University Students
Trim and Fill
The PRISMA 2020 statement
Conducting Meta-Analyses in R with the metafor Package
Impact of Employees' Workplace Environment on Employees' Performance
Differentiated experiences of financial precarity and lived precariousness among international students in Australia
A New Pathway to University Retention? Identity Fusion With University Predicts Retention Independently of Grades
Increases in Depressive Symptoms, Suicide-Related Outcomes, and Suicide Rates Among U.S. Adolescents After 2010 and Links to Increased New Media Screen Time
Mental Health and Related Factors Among Undergraduate Students During Sars-CoV-2 Pandemic
Coronavirus Anxiety and Psychological Adjustment in College Students
The role of accommodation environments in student mental health and wellbeing
Safety and belonging as explanations for mental health disparities among sexual minority college students
Belonging and adjustment for LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ students during the social transition to university
Classism in the university setting
Envisioning college success
General Belongingness, Workplace Belongingness, and Depressive Symptoms
Validation of the Four-Dimensional Connectedness Scale in a Multisample Volunteer Study
Psychological distress in university students
Health theory of coping
University students’ mental health and emotional wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown
College Students’ Sense of Belonging
Sense of belonging in higher education students
The need to belong
Framing student engagement in higher education
Connecting with others
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |