A socio‐ecological perspective on sense of belonging among racially/ethnically minoritized college students: Implications for equity‐minded practice and policy

Abstract

In this chapter, I offer a socio‐ecological perspective on sense of belonging, which is designed to aid institutional actors in facilitating equitable opportunities for racially and ethnically minoritized students to fulfill their belonging needs. Though important, individual, and relational‐level interventions alone run the risk of pathologizing racially and ethnically minoritized students (REM), prioritizing student‐level changes over changes in institutional structures and policies. A socio‐ecological perspective, however, broadens the aperture to account for organizational phenomena that conspire in the othering of institutionally marginalized groups. I delineate three ecological levels for equity‐minded leaders to consider in their efforts to promote student belonging: individual, interpersonal, and institutional.