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Students’ perceptions of a sense of belonging in Language Centre courses – What role do teachers play?

  • Minna Intke-Hernandez ORCID logo EMAIL logo und Katja Peltola ORCID logo
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 15. Oktober 2025
Language Learning in Higher Education
Aus der Zeitschrift Language Learning in Higher Education Band 15 Heft 2

Abstract

This study explores the evolving nature of students’ sense of belonging in Finnish higher education, particularly as learning environments shift between in-person, online, and hybrid modes. While much research has focused on belonging in Higher Education, the experiences of Language Centre students remain underexplored. The aim of this study is to understand how belonging is experienced by these students and how teachers can foster it within diverse learning contexts. Through qualitative interviews with 11 Language Centre students, the study finds that belonging is a multifaceted and dynamic process. Students experience belonging not only through direct participation in the course community but also through connections to broader language communities. Belonging often emerges from brief, purpose-driven interactions centred around shared learning goals. Teachers play a pivotal role in fostering belonging by offering cognitive, social, and emotional support, and by organising inclusive spaces that encourage meaningful interaction. The findings have important pedagogical implications. Educators are encouraged to adopt intentional strategies that promote collaboration, communication, and knowledge-sharing, particularly in hybrid and online settings. This study challenges the traditional view that belonging relies solely on deep emotional connections, emphasising that it can also arise from momentary interactions centred around shared purposes.

Keywords: sense of belonging; Language Centres; Higher Education
Corresponding author: Minna Intke-Hernandez, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, E-mail:

  1. Consent: All participants were given detailed information regarding the study’s purpose, procedures, potential risks, and their right to withdraw at any time without consequences. Each participant gave their consent before the interview was conducted.

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Received: 2024-12-16
Accepted: 2025-08-05
Published Online: 2025-10-15
Published in Print: 2025-10-27

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Artikel in diesem Heft

  1. 10.1515/cercles-2025-frontmatter2
  2. Introduction
  3. Language learning across cultures and continents: exploring best practices of dialogue, collaboration and innovation
  4. Research Articles
  5. Students’ perceptions of a sense of belonging in Language Centre courses – What role do teachers play?
  6. Use of ePortfolios in EAP classes to facilitate self-efficacy through the improvement of creative, organizational, reflective, revision and technological skills
  7. Boosting learner autonomy through a learner diary: a case study in an intermediate Korean language class
  8. Examining the (in)accuracies and challenges when rating students’ L2 listening notes
  9. The relationship between English Medium Instruction and motivation: a systematised review
  10. Generative AI in teaching academic writing: guiding students to make informed and ethical choices
  11. Developing writing skills and feedback in foreign language education with chatGPT: a multilingual perspective
  12. Activity Reports
  13. Fostering sustainability literacy and action through language education: perspectives and practices across regions
  14. Receptive communication skills to support inclusive learning in the multilingual classroom: a workshop for university teaching staff
  15. The challenge of LSP in languages other than English: adapting a language-neutral framework for Japanese
  16. Promoting autonomous learning amongst Chinese learners of Japanese – introducing flipped learning and learner portfolios
https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2024-0122
Schlagwörter für diesen Artikel
sense of belonging; Language Centres; Higher Education

Artikel in diesem Heft

  1. 10.1515/cercles-2025-frontmatter2
  2. Introduction
  3. Language learning across cultures and continents: exploring best practices of dialogue, collaboration and innovation
  4. Research Articles
  5. Students’ perceptions of a sense of belonging in Language Centre courses – What role do teachers play?
  6. Use of ePortfolios in EAP classes to facilitate self-efficacy through the improvement of creative, organizational, reflective, revision and technological skills
  7. Boosting learner autonomy through a learner diary: a case study in an intermediate Korean language class
  8. Examining the (in)accuracies and challenges when rating students’ L2 listening notes
  9. The relationship between English Medium Instruction and motivation: a systematised review
  10. Generative AI in teaching academic writing: guiding students to make informed and ethical choices
  11. Developing writing skills and feedback in foreign language education with chatGPT: a multilingual perspective
  12. Activity Reports
  13. Fostering sustainability literacy and action through language education: perspectives and practices across regions
  14. Receptive communication skills to support inclusive learning in the multilingual classroom: a workshop for university teaching staff
  15. The challenge of LSP in languages other than English: adapting a language-neutral framework for Japanese
  16. Promoting autonomous learning amongst Chinese learners of Japanese – introducing flipped learning and learner portfolios
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