Sense of belonging is a fundamental human need that influences well-being, success, and retention in educational and professional settings, making accurate measurement essential. This talk examines the complexities of measuring belonging through two studies. The first is a randomized controlled trial involving first-year college students from underrepresented groups (N = 1,178), where multi-group structural equation modeling assessed the impact of a social belonging intervention on academic outcomes. While some positive effects were found, results varied, suggesting differential impacts on first-generation and racial/ethnic minority students. The second study is a systematic review (52 studies) assessing the conceptual precision, theoretical grounding, and psychometric rigor of sense of belonging measures used with physicians. Findings revealed significant variability in how belonging is conceptualized and measured. Both studies highlight the importance of attending to item-level details for developing more accurate assessments, offering key insights for research and practice in educational and healthcare settings.

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