Abstract

This study examined how English learners at different proficiency stages construct a sense of belonging within a non-state language school in Tehran, Iran. Drawing on a relational and ecological perspective, the study considered belonging as an experience shaped by attachment, recognition, participation, inclusion, learner competencies, opportunities for participation, and changing social and educational trajectories. Thirty adolescent and adult learners representing novice, intermediate, and advanced proficiency levels participated in separate focus group interviews. The discussions were conducted in Persian, transcribed using intelligent verbatim procedures, and analyzed through directed content analysis. The findings indicate that belonging was constructed across interconnected course-based, out-of-class, and meta-institutional spaces. Proficiency and length of membership influenced how learners participated, interacted with teachers and peers, accessed extracurricular opportunities, and positioned themselves within wider communities of English users. Novice learners primarily experienced belonging through teacher support and structured peer participation; intermediate learners increasingly developed reciprocal relationships and cross-course connections; and advanced learners described greater autonomy, recognition, mentoring roles, and engagement with broader English-speaking communities. The findings further show that curricular materials and the sociopolitical status of English shaped learners’ perceptions of cultural recognition and membership. The study argues that belonging in language education is not a stable individual attribute but a relational and ecological process that changes as learners acquire linguistic resources, accumulate institutional experience, and orient themselves toward future educational and professional communities.