In a rapidly evolving higher education landscape where lectures are increasingly delivered online through distance learning, the focus of student success is progressively shifting to the holistic concept of “thriving”—a state of optimal intellectual, social, and psychological functioning rather than mere achievement of good grades. This study examined how the psychological threads of spirituality, institutional integrity and a sense of belonging weave together to allow distance learning students of a private Christian higher education institution in South Africa, to thrive. Specifically, it tested whether a sense of belonging mediates the relationship between spirituality and student thriving. After obtaining institutional ethical clearance, a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data in 2026 among undergraduates (N = 366) using a structured, validated questionnaire. Structural equation modelling in Mplus 9.0 and Hayes’ PROCESS macro 5.0 was used for data analysis. The measurement and structural models were acceptable (CFI and TLI > 0.9). Spirituality, sense of belonging and institutional integrity were statistically significant predictors of thriving and together explained 67% of the variance in student thriving. More specifically, standardised regression analysis showed that spirituality made the largest unique contribution to the model (standardized beta coefficient = 0.34, p<0.001), followed by a sense of belonging (beta = 0.32, p<0.001) and institutional integrity (beta = 0.15, p = 0.01). Furthermore, mediation analysis showed that a sense of belonging facilitated the influence of spirituality on thriving. Overall, the mediation model explained 38% of the total variance in thriving, to which the two variables contributed proportionally as follows: spirituality 24% and a sense of belonging an additional 14%. The results suggest that students’ internal spiritual beliefs drive them to seek deeper connections, reinforcing their subjective experience of thriving. This research highlights the need for a nuanced approach to student thriving. It adds unique value to the limited literature on online learning in faith-based higher education and provides practical guidance for academics and student support services to intentionally create “student-ready” environments that cultivate both spiritual growth and human connection in virtual classrooms.
More Than Mere Survival: Exploring the Interplay Among Spirituality, Institutional Integrity, Sense of Belonging and Student’s Thriving in a Virtual Learning Environment.