What helps students feel like they truly belong in professional learning environments? This episode showcases an open-access article about the BeWIL study, a survey of healthcare students engaged in work-integrated learing (WIL) in the United States and the United Kingdom to learn about their sense of belonging.
See our full episode notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/belongingness-during-work-integrated-learning-for-healthcare-students/
What helps students feel like they truly belong in professional learning environments? This episode showcases an open-access article about the BeWIL study, a survey of healthcare students engaged in work-integrated learing (WIL) in the United States and the United Kingdom to learn about their sense of belonging. The article is part of a special section, published in Teaching & Learning Inquiry in March, featuring multi-institutional SoTL from the Center’s 2022-2024 research seminar on WIL.
O’Connor, Deborah A., Leah M. Stade, Cassidy Johnson, Simone Regnier, and Molly A. Whitlow. 2026. “Exploring Belongingness during Work-Integrated Learning for Healthcare Students in International Settings: The BeWIL Study.” Teaching & Learning Inquiry 14: 1–19. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.14.13
This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Jessie L. Moore, Director of the Center for Engaged Learning and Professor of Professional Writing & Rhetoric.
60-Second SoTL is produced by the Center for Engaged Learning at Elon University.
Music: “Cryptic” by AudioCoffee.
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Jessie L. Moore:
What helps students feel like they truly belong in professional learning environments? That’s the focus of this week’s 60-second SoTL from Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning. I’m Jessie Moore.
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In “Exploring Belongingness during Work-Integrated Learning for Healthcare Students in International Settings: The BeWIL Study,” Deborah O’Connor, Leah Stade, Cassidy Johnson, Simone Regnier, and Molly Whitlow examine how healthcare students experience belonging during work-integrated learning—or WIL—placements across institutions in the United States and United Kingdom. Their article appears in Teaching & Learning Inquiry, an open access journal, and it’s part of a special section on work-integrated learning, featuring research from the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning’s 2022-2024 research seminar.
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WIL experiences—like clinical placements—are central to professional learning, giving students opportunities to apply knowledge in real-world contexts. But beyond skill development, these environments also shape students’ sense of identity and belonging within their professions.
To explore these components of placements, the researchers used a validated survey instrument—the Belongingness Scale–Clinical Placement Experience—which measures three key dimensions:
They surveyed 79 healthcare students from three universities in the United States and the United Kingdom, with participants representing multiple healthcare professions and degree levels. The researchers analyzed both overall belongingness scores and differences across contexts and student characteristics.
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Overall, students reported moderate to high levels of belongingness, suggesting that WIL can support students’ professional identity development. Students frequently engaged in behaviors that foster belonging—like helping others and seeking support—and reported feeling respected by colleagues.
But the findings also highlight important nuances.
Students’ sense of connectedness—their interpersonal relationships—were consistently lower than other dimensions. In other words, even when students felt competent and respected, they didn’t always feel fully integrated into the social fabric of the workplace.
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The study also found that longer placements—six weeks or more—were associated with stronger belongingness, likely because students had more time to build relationships and establish their roles.
Differences also emerged across contexts and identities. For example, belongingness varied by age group and gender in some settings, and cultural or institutional factors appeared to shape how students experienced inclusion and support.
These findings reinforce that belongingness isn’t automatic—it’s shaped by structures, relationships, and intentional practices.
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So what can educators and partners do?
The authors suggest focusing on all three dimensions of belongingness:
Importantly, responsibility for belongingness is shared—among students, educators, and workplace partners.
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Ultimately, this study reminds us that belonging in healthcare placements is central to learning, identity development, and even long-term professional retention. As we design work-integrated learning experiences, we might ask not just what students are doing—but whether they feel like they truly belong while doing it.
To learn more about this study, visit our show notes for a link to the open access article.
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Jessie L. Moore:
Join us for our next episode of 60-second SoTL from Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning for another snapshot of recent scholarship of teaching and learning. Learn more about the Center at www.CenterForEngagedLearning.org.
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