Heidi Weston and Peter Felten discuss how mattering matters on episode 413 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.

Quotes from the episode

Belonging is tied to a lot of things that we value and that students value.
-Peter Felten

Mattering is not about if you fit or not, it is about being valued.
-Peter Felten

Different students trust faculty differently than others.
-Peter Felten

Resources Mentioned

• Asher, S. R., & Weeks, M. S. (2013). Loneliness and belongingness in the college years
• Cole, D., Newman, C. B., & Hypolite, L. I. (2020). Sense of belonging and mattering among two cohorts of first-year students participating in a comprehensive college transition program
• Cook-Sather, Alison; Allard, Samantha; Marcovici, Elena; and Reynolds, Bill (2021) Fostering Agentic Engagement: Working toward Empowerment and Equity through Pedagogical Partnership
• Elliott, Gregory, Suzanne Kao, and Ann-Marie Grant. Mattering: Empirical validation of a social-psychological concept
• Flett, G., Khan, A., & Su, C. (2019). Mattering and psychological well-being in college and university students: Review and recommendations for campus-based initiatives
• Gravett, K., & Ajjawi, R. (2021). Belonging as situated practice. Studies in Higher Education
• Meehan, C., & Howells, K. (2019). In search of the feeling of ‘belonging’in higher education: undergraduate students transition into higher education
• Reeve, J. (2013). How students create motivationally supportive learning environments for themselves: The concept of agentic engagement
• Reeve, J., & Shin, S. H. (2020). How teachers can support students’ agentic engagement
• Reeve, J., & Tseng, C. M. (2011). Agency as a fourth aspect of students’ engagement during learning activities
• Schlossberg, N. K. (1989). Marginality and mattering: Key issues in building community
• Strayhorn, T.L. (2012). Exploring the Impact of Facebook and Myspace Use on First-Year Students’ Sense of Belonging and Persistence Decisions
• Erin Whitteck (taking improv classes)