Contemporary Dynamics of Student Experience and Belonging in Higher Education

Book excerpt: This timely and rigorous edited collection discusses complex processes related to student experience and belonging in contemporary higher education worldwide. It brings together a variety of recent research that explores contemporary undergraduate student experience in and of higher education. Drawing on the case studies from the UK, the USA, Israel and China and a variety of university settings, the chapters problematise the complex processes of developing a sense of belonging in contemporary universities that are increasingly diverse in terms of student population but also heavily marketised. Further, they draw attention to the effects of marketisation on the changing interpersonal relationships in student experience. Above all, the themes covered in this issue promote an understanding of student experience and belonging as a dynamic, relational and non-linear process, intersecting with pre-existing social inequalities as well as market dynamics that forcefully continue to reshape the sector and university practices. This book provides a timely and academically rigorous account of contemporary student experience and belonging in the global context of higher education. Contemporary Dynamics of Student Experience and Belonging in Higher Education will be a key resource for scholars, practitioners and researchers of higher education, education policy and leadership, educational studies and research, and anyone interested in understanding and supporting students. It was originally published as a special issue of Critical Studies in Education.