A sense of belonging is important as it incorporates feelings of being valued, included and accepted at university. Research suggests that higher education students who have a greater sense of belonging tend to have higher motivation, more academic self-confidence, higher levels of academic engagement and higher achievement. This article presents findings from a questionnaire (n = 578) that was developed to explore the relationships between university students’ sense of belonging and student retention. The current study found a significant difference in the level of belonging between first-generation students and students whose parents had both completed university. Additionally, students who frequently considered leaving university without completing their degree (i.e. dropping out) had a significantly lower sense of belonging than students who did not. Finally, university students with a higher sense of belonging reported higher motivation and enjoyment in their studies whereas students who reported lower levels of belonging reported lower levels of motivation and enjoyment. This study highlights that university students’ sense of belonging is of high importance to higher education institutions as it increases students’ academic motivation and enjoyment in their studies, which can impact on student achievement and reduces the likelihood of students considering leaving university before completing their studies, thus contributing to student retention.

This article reports on original research investigating the pivotal role that teachers play in student engagement, using a tri-dimensional framework. This framework identifies how teachers’ pedagogical choices impact student engagement in ways that influence students’ external behaviours, internal emotions and internal cognitions. A questionnaire was developed to explore secondary teachers’ (n = 223) perceptions of pedagogies that support students’ behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement in the classroom. Findings revealed that female participants placed higher importance on pedagogies that support students’ cognitive and behavioural engagement, and participants with leadership roles placed higher importance on pedagogies that support students’ cognitive and emotional engagement. Also emerging from the research was a negative correlation between the importance teachers placed on pedagogies that support cognitive and behavioural engagement and their school’s ICSEA value (the measure of socio-educational advantage in Australian schools). Overall, results support the tri-dimensional framework of student engagement utilised in this study and provide a robust framework for future research to further explore teachers’ pedagogical choices and how these choices impact student engagement.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between academic misconduct and the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI) among university students. In the current study, we tested the hypotheses that students with pre-existing misconduct intentions and behaviors were: (1) more inclined to use Gen-AI for assessments; (2) more likely to have already used Gen-AI for assessments; and (3) less likely to view Gen-AI as cheating. Accordingly, we surveyed 442 undergraduates using two subscales of the academic misconduct scale to assess intentions and behaviors related to academic misconduct. Questions also addressed their intent and current use of Gen-AI for university assessments and perceptions of Gen-AI as cheating. Findings showed that students with past misconduct intentions or behaviors were 270% and 138% more likely, respectively, to consider using Gen-AI. However, past misconduct behaviors showed a non-significant 66% increase in current Gen-AI usage. Moreover, students with misconduct intentions were 50% less likely to view Gen-AI as cheating, while prior misconduct showed a non-significant 38% increase in this perception. The results emphasize the need for universities to guide students towards ethical Gen-AI use, especially considering it is being used by those predisposed to academic dishonesty.