A name, a smile, an introduction, the raising of a hand—all seemingly small acts that can change how we see one another and help create places where everyone feels they belong. For faculty, staff and students, this provides some research-based findings that can help us to do just that.
Every semester begins with introductions, and behind each introduction is a name. Names carry family, culture, and identity—yet too often, they’re mispronounced or overlooked. What feels like a small stumble can echo larger questions of who belongs, reminding us that in classrooms, even the smallest details shape connections.
Research shows that people with names that are easier to pronounce are more likely to be judged positively (Laham et al., 2012). They’re seen as competent, likable, trustworthy—not because of who they are, but because of how fluently their name is processed. When something feels smooth on the tongue, our brains register it as safe and familiar. When it feels more challenging, we may unconsciously attach that difficulty to the person. For a student, a mispronunciation can feel like a moment that makes their identity less visible. For an instructor, it can feel like a slip in authority. Both may want to move on quickly, but in doing so, they leave unspoken distance in place.
Connection, of course, isn’t always easy. Faculty are stretched thin and managing their own anxieties about authority and credibility. Names are hard to learn—unlike other words, they lack semantic anchors in our memory (Sandstrom, 2023). And the power dynamics of the classroom can make every mistake feel magnified. Still, the research is clear – effort matters. Trying to learn a name may be just as beneficial as remembering it perfectly, because the attempt itself communicates respect and openness.
Still, small moments carry weight. Greeting students at the door, smiling, sharing a personal story, weaving humor into a lecture, pausing to ask about a name again—these gestures matter. They signal care. Students notice, and they respond by opening up, investing, and persisting. Even something as simple as a “good morning” has been shown to lift the experience of both student and instructor. Most of this happens beneath awareness. A stumble, a stereotype, an assumption: all can reinforce old habits without anyone intending harm. But just as unconscious signals can exclude, deliberate gestures can invite. Research shows that rapport between instructors and students has tangible benefits: stronger engagement, deeper motivation, higher performance. And building rapport doesn’t require perfection (Sandstrom, 2023).
Social class adds a critical layer to all of this. Students who experience upward mobility often feel caught between worlds, their identities stretched across places with conflicting values and expectations (Kim et al., 2023). They may feel pressure to prove they belong in institutions historically designed for others. Instead of fulfillment, mobility can bring stress, dislocation, and self-doubt. The costs are real: higher anxiety, greater vulnerability to depression, and a persistent sense of being out of place. Here again, the problem isn’t ability—it’s belonging.
Whether or not someone feels like they belong can impact how they engage in class. Some students self-silence—hesitating to speak in class because of fear of judgment (Patrick et al., 2019). This can limit learning opportunities, cause teachers to think that they’re disengaged, and further erode a student’s confidence. It is critical that we make sure students know that we believe their voice matters and we want to hear from them.
Beliefs about what drives success matter, too. Research shows that young people’s views of what determines achievement—whether they see success as shaped by their own choices and abilities or as driven by luck and forces beyond their control—are linked to socioeconomic status and predict early career outcomes (Kay et al., 2017). Youth who attribute success mainly to chance tend to have lower income and slower career growth well into adulthood. Helping students see that their future can be shaped by their own decisions and talents gives them a stronger foundation to imagine and pursue opportunities. And that, too, begins with belonging.
Belonging doesn’t grow out of brilliance or perfection. It grows out of presence, humility, and the willingness to keep showing up. It grows from the privilege of gathering together in a classroom—a space many around the world would give anything to enter. And it grows from small, human gestures: the names we practice, the greetings we offer, the risks we take to be a little vulnerable.
So let this semester begin not with the pressure of flawless performance but with a shared commitment to making space for one another—to listen, to invite, and to affirm that every voice counts. What matters most is not how perfectly we get it right, but how fully we show up—so that everyone can see themselves as part of the story we create together.
This article is part of The Social Mobility Lab’s Ideas for Moving Up initiative: a year-long campaign to empower others with research findings that too often have remained in academic journals and behind paywalls, never making it to those who could use it the most. Belonging is the first of five themes we will be addressing. Each week, we’ll be highlighting specific pieces of research listed above on Instagram and LinkedIn. We hope you follow us to find more Ideas for Moving Up.
