Research Voices from the Field is a new feature that showcases cutting-edge research that breaks barriers and promotes inclusion in medicine. Each edition spotlights a research publication and includes insights directly from the authors—revealing their motivations, the significance of their findings, and why the research matters for healthcare professionals everywhere.
In this edition, Rola Ajjawi, Professor of Medical Education in the Department of Surgery and Associate Director (Research) at the UBC Centre for Health Education Scholarship, reflects on why she co-authored “Reflections on four theoretical perspectives of belonging” and how it can be relevant to medical education.
In this edition, Rola Ajjawi, Professor of Medical Education in the Department of Surgery and Associate Director (Research) at the UBC Centre for Health Education Scholarship, reflects on why she co-authored “Reflections on four theoretical perspectives of belonging” and how it can be relevant to medical education.
Read Rola Ajjawi’s bio
Rola Ajjawi PhD, BAppSc(Physio)(Hons)
Rola Ajjawi is a Professor of Medical Education in the Department of Surgery and a Scientist, as well as the Associate Director (Research) at the UBC Centre for Health Education Scholarship. She studied physiotherapy and became a clinical teacher before completing a PhD in health professions education examining how clinical reasoning is learned and communicated in practice. She is an international research expert in workplace learning, including research on clinical supervision, feedback, equity in assessment, and belonging. She was awarded a Karolinska Institutet Fellowship in 2021 in recognition of her medical education research. Rola is Chair of the International Association for Health Professions Education (AMEE) Research Committee and incoming Editor-in-Chief of Medical Education.
Kevin, Ian, and I wrote this paper because we realized that while promoting student belonging was high on institutions’ radars, not everyone shared the same understanding of what belonging means. We were also concerned that a naïve focus on belonging might encourage assimilation, leading students to mask or erase aspects of who they are and what matters to them. In other words, overemphasizing belonging could be harmful for some students.
A sense of belonging plays a vital role in students’ motivation, learning, wellbeing, and persistence. Yet, the term is used in many different ways, often without considering what we actually mean by it. In this paper, we explore four ways of thinking about belonging to offer greater clarity and inspire new ways of supporting students in today’s evolving health education environments.
The psychological view treats belonging as a basic human need met through frequent, positive interactions. The socio-ecological perspective highlights how belonging is shaped by both individuals and their environments. The political perspective focuses on power—who is included, who is excluded, and at what cost. The relational view sees belonging as fluid and continually negotiated through everyday interactions.
Together, these perspectives remind us that belonging is complex—sometimes enabling, sometimes constraining. Rather than treating it as something we can simply “build,” educators should notice how belonging is experienced, encouraged, or resisted in daily practice, and consider how we might create spaces that value difference and connection in multiple, authentic ways.
Our key take-home messages are:
- We all play a part in creating spaces where students feel seen, valued, and free to be themselves.
- Belonging means different things depending on how you look at it — it’s not one-size-fits-all.
- It’s shaped by people, places, and power, not just by students’ motivation.
- Trying to make everyone “fit in” can do more harm than good.
- Belonging often happens in small, everyday moments — a smile, a chat, recognition.
Reflections on Four Theoretical Perspectives of Belonging
Authors: Rola Ajjawi, Kevin Eva & Ian Scott
Abstract
Student belonging is associated with motivation, persistence, scholarly success and wellbeing. There is considerable variability, however, in how belonging is understood that has largely gone unacknowledged. This variability can be problematic because the perspective through which belonging is viewed gives rise to different policies and practices. As medical schools evolve through more integration of educational technology, creation of distributed campuses, and shifting student demographics, we need to rethink how such changes will influence belonging. To that end, in this Reflections paper, we seek to produce conceptual clarity by outlining four theoretical perspectives (psychological, socio-ecological, political and relational) with respect to when and how belonging is defined along with how they might inform application to medical education. We identify key authors and review papers from within each perspective, describing how belonging was defined, its boundaries, and key ideas offered. While there is considerable overlap among some perspectives, we highlight distinctions and connect them to relevant medical education literature to draw out their implications. The psychological perspective identifies belonging as a motivational need. The socio-ecological perspective recognizes belonging as a feeling that is dynamic and enabled through interactions with different aspects of the social milieu. The political perspective examines the intersection of two domains, the personal and the political, to understand who has the power to grant belonging and how that intersects with personal feelings of belonging. The relational perspective orients to everyday practices and the dynamic negotiation of relations among people. We hope this paper helps to orient the field towards multiple, nuanced and productive perspectives on belonging.
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