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Hypothesis

Engagement by Design: Belongingness, Cultural Value Orientations, and Pathways into Emerging Technologies

1
Queens College and the Graduate Center, The City University of New York, Queens, NY 11367, USA
2
Queens College, The City University of New York, Queens, NY 11367, USA
3
LaGuardia Community College, The City University of New York, Long Island City, NY 11101, USA
4
Borough of Manhattan Community College, The City University of New York, New York, NY 10007, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(10), 1358; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15101358 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 6 September 2025 / Revised: 26 September 2025 / Accepted: 2 October 2025 / Published: 5 October 2025

Abstract

This theoretical article examines how belongingness, defined as the sense that one’s participation is legitimate and valued, interacts with cultural value orientations to help explain persistent disparities in U.S. technology engagement, including emerging technologies, across racial and ethnic groups. While structural barriers (e.g., racism, poverty, linguistic bias, etc.) remain essential to understanding such inequity, we argue that engagement patterns in technology also reflect how different cultural communities may define and experience belongingness in relation to digital domains. Drawing on Triandis and Gelfand’s (1998) framework, and focusing specifically on educational contexts, we propose the Belongingness through Cultural Value Alignment (BCVA) model, whereby belongingness serves as a catalyst between cultural value orientations and technology engagement, with vertical collectivism deriving belongingness primarily through structured skill development and validation while horizontal collectivism focusing instead on belonging based on community integration. When technological environments value practices that are consistent with vertical collectivist norms, individuals from horizontal collectivist cultures may experience cultural misalignment not from disinterest in technology or exclusionary efforts but, instead, because dominant engagement modes conflict with their familiar frameworks for fostering a sense of belonging. By examining how cultural value orientations mediate the sense of belonging in contexts involving modern technologies, the proposed perspective offers a novel framework for understanding why access alone may have proven insufficient to address technological participation gaps, and suggests directions for creating technology spaces where individuals from a wider range of communities can experience the authentic sense of belonging.
Keywords: belonging; belongingness; collectivism; cultural value orientations; culturally responsive computing; digital inclusion; educational equity; horizontal collectivism; STEM equity; technology achievement gaps; technology engagement; vertical collectivism belonging; belongingness; collectivism; cultural value orientations; culturally responsive computing; digital inclusion; educational equity; horizontal collectivism; STEM equity; technology achievement gaps; technology engagement; vertical collectivism

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Akiba, D.; Perrone, M.; Almendral, C.; Garte, R. Engagement by Design: Belongingness, Cultural Value Orientations, and Pathways into Emerging Technologies. Behav. Sci. 2025, 15, 1358. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15101358

AMA Style

Akiba D, Perrone M, Almendral C, Garte R. Engagement by Design: Belongingness, Cultural Value Orientations, and Pathways into Emerging Technologies. Behavioral Sciences. 2025; 15(10):1358. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15101358

Chicago/Turabian Style

Akiba, Daisuke, Michael Perrone, Caterina Almendral, and Rebecca Garte. 2025. "Engagement by Design: Belongingness, Cultural Value Orientations, and Pathways into Emerging Technologies" Behavioral Sciences 15, no. 10: 1358. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15101358

APA Style

Akiba, D., Perrone, M., Almendral, C., & Garte, R. (2025). Engagement by Design: Belongingness, Cultural Value Orientations, and Pathways into Emerging Technologies. Behavioral Sciences, 15(10), 1358. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15101358

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