Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore belonging in relation to postgraduate wellbeing in the light of renewed concerns about the mental health and wellbeing this group of learners. It attends to postgraduates’ subjective wellbeing, identifying ways in which this is intertwined with a sense of belonging. Belonging is situated in relation to the social domains of postgraduate experiences. This paper seeks to contribute in-depth understandings of postgraduate experiences, to make recommendations for practice and to identify fruitful paths for further theorisation and research.

Design/methodology/approach

Two qualitative data sets situated in UK higher education are drawn on here: firstly, longitudinal qualitative data entailing 33 narrative interviews and written reflections of doctoral researchers were collected as part of a phenomenological study of doctoral learning. Secondly, interview data from 20 postgraduates (including masters, professional doctorates and PhD researchers) were collected as part of mixed method qualitative case study research into postgraduate wellbeing. Postgraduate participants were based in the social sciences, humanities, arts and professional disciplines at a cross-section of UK higher education institutions. Data were analysed thematically with a focus on interconnections between wellbeing, learning and belonging.

Findings

A sense of belonging arose as a key contributing factor to postgraduate wellbeing. Belonging emerged as multi-faceted, interlinking with spatial, relational and cultural factors which are likely to be experienced in different ways and degrees depending on positionalities. Experiences of belonging and non-belonging are understood as produced through academic cultures and structural inequities. They also pertain to the uncertain, in-between position of postgraduate learners. For postgraduates, and doctoral researchers especially, reaching a sense of belonging to academia was a profoundly important aspect of their journeys. Conversely, lack of belonging is linked with poor mental wellbeing and engagement with studies.

Originality/value

This paper engages with the neglected social domain of wellbeing. Attending to subjective perceptions of wellbeing enabled nuanced understandings of the links between wellbeing and belonging. It identifies spatial, relational and cultural dimensions of postgraduate belonging, contributing an understanding of how feelings of non-belonging manifest, how belonging might be nurtured, and how this potentially contributes to postgraduates’ wellbeing.

中文翻译：

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“透过窗户往里看”：与心理健康和福祉相关的非归属感和归属感的研究生体验

目的

鉴于对这群学习者的心理健康和福祉的重新关注，本文的目的是探讨归属感与研究生福祉的关系。它关注研究生的主观幸福感，确定这与归属感交织在一起的方式。归属感与研究生经历的社会领域有关。本文旨在加深对研究生经历的理解，为实践提出建议，并为进一步的理论化和研究确定富有成效的途径。

设计/方法/方法

此处引用了英国高等教育中的两个定性数据集：首先，作为博士学习现象学研究的一部分，收集了包含 33 次叙事访谈和博士研究人员书面反思的纵向定性数据。其次，收集了 20 名研究生（包括硕士、专业博士和博士研究人员）的访谈数据，作为对研究生幸福感的混合方法定性案例研究的一部分。研究生参与者来自英国高等教育机构的各个领域的社会科学、人文科学、艺术和专业学科。数据进行了专题分析，重点是福祉、学习和归属感之间的相互联系。

发现

归属感是影响研究生幸福感的一个关键因素。归属感是多方面的，与空间、关系和文化因素相互联系，这些因素可能会根据不同的位置以不同的方式和程度来体验。归属感和非归属感被理解为通过学术文化和结构性不平等产生的。它们还与研究生学习者不确定的中间位置有关。对于研究生，尤其是博士研究人员来说，获得对学术界的归属感是他们旅程中极其重要的一个方面。相反，缺乏归属感与较差的心理健康和学习投入有关。

原创性/价值

本文涉及被忽视的幸福社会领域。关注幸福感的主观感知有助于对幸福感和归属感之间的联系进行细致入微的理解。它确定了研究生归属感的空间、关系和文化维度，有助于理解非归属感如何表现、归属感如何培养，以及这如何潜在地促进研究生的福祉。