Impact of Sense of Belonging on Forgiveness and Gratitude among Muslim Students Mediating Role of Collectivism and Moderating Role of Religiosity

Abstract

This study examined the relationship of a sense of belongingness with forgiveness and gratitude among Muslim students and the mediating role of a collectivistic orientation. We also studied the moderating role of religiosity/spirituality between a sense of belonging and collectivism. Using publicly available data, quantitative responses about values collected from students in secondary schools and higher education institutions (n = 13,023) of 15 countries with majority Muslim populations were analyzed using SPSS and SmartPLS. The findings reveal that a sense of belonging is positively linked with forgiveness and gratitude, and that collectivism mediates both relationships. However, the moderating role of religiosity between sense of belonging and collectivism is not in accord with our prediction. Policy implications and future direction are discussed.