Fostering a sense of belonging and a personal connection is seen as fundamental by many educational researchers, regardless of the learning environment. Online learning certainly provides flexible learning opportunities but comes with notable issues. For online learners, nurturing a sense of belonging may present a way of improving their experiences and attainment, as well as reducing attrition rates. Research specifically exploring sense of belonging and online learning is limited. This article addresses that gap and reports on a small-scale exploratory study using qualitative data-collection and analysis methods to investigate the importance, or not, of sense of belonging for postgraduates’ online education by exploring the origins and nature of their lived experience of online learning and their sense of belonging therein. Our initial findings emphasise its importance for them as online learners and have identified three significant themes: interaction/engagement, the culture of the learning, and support. These early findings highlight the importance of these three themes in promoting a sense of belonging and in ensuring that there are opportunities for meaningful group and peer interactions; they will be of interest to all engaged in online education.

A sense of belonging (SoB) is a valued concept in campus-based learning, being firmly linked with improved student attainment, increased learners’ satisfaction and reduced attrition rates. Some researchers even assert that learners are unable to fulfil the goals of higher education without acquiring a SoB.  This article recognises that SoB can help promote and consolidate learning and seeks to specify how tutors may nurture online learners’ SoB. An adapted version of the Community Inquiry Framework (CoIF) is used to frame specific suggestions for action. This revision of the well-known Framework focuses upon the overlapping intersections of the three Presences, entitled Influences: ‘Trusting’, ‘Meaning-making’ and ‘Deepening understanding’. For each Influence, guidance illustrated by examples is offered, leading to particular suggestions that concentrate upon the promotion of a sense of belonging as an important aspect of the online tutor’s facilitative activities.

The principles advocated in the widely acclaimed keynote texts on reflection have nominally been followed for over 30 years in educational programmes and schemes for professional development. This article was prompted by the impression that practice and theorising reported in publications about journal writing does not consistently endorse the advice in the seminal literature, and is potentially confusing for those who seek advice and direction. In particular, some writers tolerate or encourage narrative reporting without significant reflection thereon; many articles only feature aspects of the reflective cycle, and metacognitive forward planning that aims to validate the emerging generalisation is often neglected. Noteworthy matters are identified for attention and suggestions made for an approach that today’s journal writers and their mentors may find useful to employ, in order to better focus reflections and validate their generalisations.

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This article presents the case for the use of the ‘think-aloud protocol’ by teachers who engage in action-research as a source of constructive information about their students’ cognitive learning processes. This method calls upon learners to talk their thoughts out aloud, during engagement in some learning activity regarding which the researching teachers seek insight to inform them to plan enhancement of the learning and teaching process. The case for ‘think-aloud’ reporting of particular learning activities is supported by a review of relevant literature. Accounts of diverse experiences in various discipline areas using modified versions of think-aloud protocols in action-researching are presented, with reports of their transformative outcomes. Reasoned reservations regarding the reliability of uncorroborated sources of retrospective data about students’ learning are advanced. Refined methodologies are outlined together with general guidelines, for those minded to explore their value in their own contexts.