Being or becoming

is a basic human need, “integral to human existence,” much like our need for food and shelter. A sense of belonging enables us “to see value in life and to cope with challenges. Belonging acknowledges our interdependence with others and the basis of relationships in defining our identity. Throughout life, relationships are crucial to a sense of belonging.” < https:// www. acecqa. gov. au › sites › default › files› belonging _ being _ and>. “Belonging is central to both being and becoming in that it shapes who we are and who we can become.” A sense of belonging “makes us feel like there is a community behind us. It can make us feel relaxed and receptive and motivated.” How does belonging matter to graduate students? “Belonging” would mean we are valued, respected, our needs attended to. As lecturers/ professors, we provide necessary cues to improve students’ skills in conducting their capstone research, not insulting them when they ask questions, which to us with doctoral degrees seem elementary. Boosting in our students a sense of belonging means, we treat them fairly. Belongingness in higher education. A study in higher education defines a sense of belonging as referring “to the students’ perceived social support on campus, a feeling or sensation of connectedness, the experience of mattering or feeling cared about, accepted, respected, valued by and important to the group (e.g., campus community) or others on campus (e.g., faculty, peers).”

As graduate students and as professionals, who may be present on campus only between weeks, they, like all other students, would love to feel they, too, are “part of a school community.” Studies have found that students with a sense of belonging to their university “will actively engage in academic and non-academic activities.”

“Being a student is about gaining knowledge and developing skills, joining a profession, finding a job. It is also about learning to take care of oneself and how to balance competing time commitments. It is about building relationships and developing a unique identity. Being a student is centered around self-development: the present and the projected future self.”

Do our “higher education administrators understand these conditions of studentship?”< https:// www.universityworldnews. com/post.php?story=201602 2321112282> How do we, as part of the academic environment, help boost a sense of belonging and help further our students’ career? How do “universities cater for students’ academic and personal development?”