Culture and school belonging: Towards a global research agenda

Abstract

School belonging has become a central focus in educational psychology. The present topical collection, curated by Christopher S. Rozek and Carlton J. Fong, advances this scholarly conversation by bringing together contributions that broaden conceptualizations of school belonging, foreground the role of broader social contexts, and encourage more intersectional approaches to understanding students’ experiences. However, despite these advancements, the sample of school belonging literature remains geographically concentrated, with much of the evidence base derived from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) contexts. This commentary argues that culture should be moved from the margins to the center of research on school belonging. It first highlights the dominance of WEIRD perspectives that continue to shape the questions researchers ask, the samples they study, and the conclusions they most often draw. This commentary argues for a more context-sensitive and globally inclusive science that takes both cross-cultural similarities and differences seriously. It further clarifies that a cultural perspective should not displace race, gender, social class, or other identity-based factors, but rather deepen our intersectional understanding of how belonging is experienced within and across cultural contexts. The commentary concludes by outlining recommendations for more culturally responsive school belonging research, including broader cross-cultural sampling, stronger methodologies, explicit multilevel theorizing, and greater use of qualitative and mixed methods. School belonging is a critical issue for students worldwide, and we hope that research can also incorporate voices from around the globe.