Embracing the Complexity of Situated Belonging: Possibilities and Responsibilities for Intervention Design

Evidence suggesting that the social-belonging intervention (Walton & Brady, 2020) can improvebelonging and academic success for minoritized college students has captured the attention of researchersand practitioners alike. However, findings across studies are mixed and very little is known about the specific mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of the intervention in contexts as complex as institutions of higher education. In this paper, we review recent studies of the social-belonging intervention, highlighting limitations and areas of concern related to design aspects and theoretical and contextual underpinnings across the studies. Then using a critical reflection approach, we describe the development, implementation, and findings of participatory, mixed-methods social-belonging intervention case study. We illustrate how partnering with students as key stakeholders can influence research designs and inquiry approaches in meaningful ways. We also detail how the pairing of mixed methodologies (i.e., quantitative, qualitative) and methods (e.g., drawings, campus maps, campus resource use) can reveal important contextualized aspects of student belonging. Ending the discussion with possibilities and responsibilities for belonging intervention research, we join scholars across the field in arguing for situated approaches that challenge the status-quo.