'More group work would be nice': exploring peer interaction and belonging in the first-year experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse migrant and refugee students

A critical factor influencing culturally and linguistically diverse migrant and refugee (CALDMR) students’ educational outcomes is how they experience belonging through peer and educator interactions. To better understand their first-year experiences of belonging, this study analysed 788 responses in the National Student Experience Survey 2020–2022 from first-year CALDMR students studying at a large Australian university. Mixed methods were used with quantitative analysis of closed-ended survey items and qualitative text and thematic analysis of comments relating to peer interaction and sense of belonging. CALDMR students reported lower frequencies of interactions with peers than domestic students with English as first language, yet they highly valued these interactions and believed that educators had a key role in facilitating them. Therefore, this study offers new insights and recommendations on enhancing CALDMR students’ sense of belonging through educator and peer interactions.