Post-Pandemic Engagement: A Correlational Study on the Role of Belonging

This study examined the mediating role of school belonging in the relationship between teacher support and student engagement among student teachers in a post-pandemic context. A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was employed, gathering quantitative survey data on teacher support, school belonging, and student engagement from 76 student teachers, followed by qualitative semi-structured interviews with a purposive subsample (n = 15). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and thematic analysis. The SEM results demonstrated that school belonging completely mediated the relationship between teacher support and student engagement, with belonging emerging as the most significant direct predictor of engagement. Thematic analysis enriched these findings, revealing three key themes: (1) teacher support is most effective when it is relational and transformative; (2) belonging is a critical yet unevenly distributed resource impacting engagement; and (3) post-pandemic engagement requires deliberate pedagogical strategies that restore community. These findings indicate that teacher support enhances student engagement primarily by fostering a sense of belonging. The study highlights the critical need for inclusive, supportive learning communities to build academic resilience in the evolving post-pandemic educational landscape, with key implications for relational teaching, equity, and adaptive pedagogies in teacher education.