ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the independent meaning and significance of these three concepts, namely engagement, involvement, sense of belonging, and provides some clarity to the distinctive elements and interrelationships among them. A substantial evidence base supports the notion that student engagement matters in higher education. Involvement, a frequency-based behavioral measure, encompasses the energy expended on and time invested in goal-oriented tasks. In general, sense of belonging characterizes a person’s perceived belief of indispensability within a system. Students who are confident that they belong academically are able to engage more fully in teaching and learning, which links belonging to engagement. For instance, such students are open to critical feedback. For instance, an academic advisor can nurture a students’ sense of belonging in their major by providing accurate, timely information about degree requirements, decoding unwritten rules, and anticipating a student’s problems and pitfalls using predictive analytics and other tools.
