Belonging beyond the bell: teachers' perspectives on racial minority students' extracurricular participation and sense of mattering

Belonging is essential to students' sense of mattering, yet understanding this process for racial and/or cultural minority students requires closer attention. One mechanism for enhancing mattering is strengthening school belonging through participation in extracurricular activities. Although these activities show promise, questions remain about who facilitates this process and in what ways. Using a sample of 15 teachers, we used semi-structured interviews to examine their perspectives on the types of activities offered, their roles in supporting students' involvement, and how these experiences relate to minority students' sense of mattering. Teachers reported a wide range of activities (e.g. sports, cultural clubs) and described their engagement as spanning from supportive to active participation. They emphasized that extracurriculars enhance mattering by fostering belonging and promoting long-term skills. These findings highlight the importance of varied activity offerings, sustained support for teacher involvement, and cultural perspectives on how racially and/or cultural minority students experience mattering.