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Higher education is a social environment in which students must form new relationships. Research shows that around one third of students in European countries feel lonely or socially excluded (e.g. Goldrick et al., 2023; Sivertsen & Johansen, 2022). Compared to peers who experience belongingness, they are more likely to report anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem, sadness, shame, anger, and reduced motivation to complete their studies. Although direct human interaction is essential for developing a sense of belonging, students increasingly rely on digital resources because of their convenience and flexibility. While such resources may support academic performance, they can reduce opportunities for human interaction and weaken students’ sense of belongingness.
To identify factors promoting belongingness, our research project follows 254 teacher students (aged 18-33, Mage=20.38, SDage=2.04; 71.6% female, 27.9% male, 0.5% other) over their first two years of study. It examines how loneliness, belongingness, and social networks develop over time. This paper investigates how loneliness and belongingness relate to how intensively students consult peers, faculty, and other (digital) information sources when they have questions about academic content. Longitudinal data are collected in September 2025, April 2026, and April 2027 using electronic surveys measuring loneliness (Cronbach’s α=.815; Sivertsen & Johansen, 2022), belongingness to peers (Cronbach’s α=.841; adapted from Slaten et al., 2018), number and frequency of peer contacts, and how often students consult peers, faculty, and different digital resources when seeking academic information.
We hypothesise that students who:
H1) frequently contact peers for general purposes report more belongingness and less loneliness
H2) frequently consult peers academically report more belongingness and less loneliness
H3) frequently consult the learning platform, Google, or generative artificial intelligence (AI) experience more loneliness and less belongingness
Preliminary bivariate correlation analyses based on the first data collection provide initial insights into these relationships. By June 2026, data from two time points will be available, allowing for causal inferences.
Regarding background variables, preliminary results indicate that older students reported less contact with peers in general (β=—.301, p<.001) and in academic matters (β=—.227, p=.001). They contacted library services more often (β=.146, p=.041) and consulted Google less frequently (β=—.164, p=.021). Male students reported less contact with peers (β=—.189, p=.029), but more contact with faculty (β=.204, p=.002) and library services (β=.155, p=.002) in academic contexts.
Students reporting a higher number of peer contacts also reported more frequent peer contact (β=.340, p<.001), less loneliness (β=—.230, p<.001), greater belongingness to peers (β=—.347, p<.001), and more academic contact with peers (β=.260, p<.001) and faculty (β=.186, p=.001). Those who reported frequent peer contact experienced less loneliness (β=—.207, p=.015), greater belongingness (β=.370, p<.001), and more frequent academic consultation with peers (β=.208, p=.015).
Loneliness and belongingness to peers were negatively related (β=—.463, p<.001). More academic contact with peers was associated with less loneliness (β=—.317, p<.001) and greater belongingness (β=.441, p<.001). Academic contact with faculty was positively related to belongingness to peers (β=.141, p=.034), academic peer contact (β=.171, p=.010), and consulting library services (β=.327, p<.001). Contrary to our hypothesis, students who consulted generative AI for academic purposes also reported higher belongingness to peers (β=.156, p=.019).
Overall, these preliminary findings suggest that older and male students may be at greater risk of reduced peer contact, lower belongingness, and increased loneliness. Peer contact appears crucial for fostering belongingness and reducing loneliness. Faculty may play a connecting role by linking students to peers and library services, which offer human interaction through in-person support. The use of generative artificial intelligence does not seem to undermine belongingness in this dataset, and longitudinal data will provide more insights into this relationship by the time of the conference.
