A qualitative analysis of the impact of drowning prevention programs on belonging among international students

Australia has a reputation as a comparatively safe place for international students to study, yet this group is identified as facing increased drowning risk. This qualitative study explored how drowning prevention programs (Learn to Swim and Beach Ocean Safe) at a coastal university in Sydney, Australia, impacted international students’ sense of belonging. Via one-on-one interviews with 18 international students, thematic analysis of interview transcripts compared student experiences and insights against Allen et al’s four interrelated components from which belonging emerges: competencies for belonging (skills and abilities); opportunities to belong (enablers, removal/reduction of barriers); motivations to belong (inner drive); and perceptions of belonging (cognitions, attributions, and feedback mechanisms – positive or negative experiences when connecting). We found students’ experiences were overwhelmingly positive, fostering increased self-rated skills and confidence. This facilitated social and broader community interaction, minimising previously held feelings of being an outsider when visiting aquatic locations. Additional benefits included friendship facilitation and mental and physical health benefits. These findings highlight the opportunity for universities to provide international students with swimming and water safety skills to both reduce drowning risk and foster student belonging. These dual benefits warrant consideration by tertiary education institutions and implementation and expansion of drowning prevention and water safety programs using evidence-based curriculum, teaching practices and evaluation.