Creating a Sense of Belonging utilizing Indigenous theory’s four R’s: Respect, Responsibility, Relevance and Reciprocity.

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 4:15 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Sovereignty, Refusal, and Relational Pedagogies: Indigenous Frameworks of Accountability, Love, and Responsibility in Education

Abstract

Native American students remain significantly underrepresented in higher education, with degree attainment and enrollment rates well below national averages. This qualitative study explores how a lack of belonging impacts Native student success. Drawing on Tribal Critical Race Theory, Indigenous frameworks (the Four R’s), and Intersectionality, my small-scale study utilizes narrative interviews with Native American faculty and Native American student responses from a survey. The findings highlight the urgent need for culturally relevant curricula, Indigenous-led programs, and supportive campus environments. The study underscores that a sense of belonging is not peripheral but essential to Native student achievement. Institutional change, beginning with leadership, must place Indigenous voices at the center to foster equity, visibility, and educational justice in California’s higher education systems.

Author

• Adolfo Velasquez, San Francisco State University