Sense of belonging among students in international and bilingual schools in Vietnam

This study examined students' sense of belonging in international and bilingual secondary schools in Vietnam by investigating the relative associations of teacher support, peer support, inclusive climate, language identity alignment, and extracurricular engagement. Survey data were collected from 985 students enroled in six schools across Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The findings indicated that psychosocial conditions were more strongly associated with students' sense of belonging than demographic and structural characteristics. Teacher support, peer support, inclusive climate, and extracurricular engagement demonstrated significant positive associations with students' sense of belonging, whereas language identity alignment showed no independent association after other psychosocial conditions were considered. Sense of belonging also remained comparable across programme tracks and nationality groups. This study highlights the importance of everyday relational and institutional experiences for students' sense of belonging and offers practical guidance for developing more inclusive international and bilingual secondary school environments.