Investigating How Asset-Based Pedagogy Shapes University Student Belongingness and Experiences of Racial Microaggressions

• In Event: Messages, Pedagogies, and Identities: Building Belonging for Diverse Learners

Abstract

We examined how the revised Asset-Based Pedagogy (ABP) instrument (López, 2017) predicted university students’ (N=141) sense of belonging (SOB) and racial/ethnic microaggression (REM) experiences. Participants were 87% women, 7% gender non-conforming; 26% Latinx-identifying, and 26% Black, Indigenous, or students of color. Qualtrics survey measures included ABP subscales (student-reported instructor pedagogy); REM (Franklin et al., 2014), and SOB (adapted; Goodenow et al., 1993). Regressions (R4.4.2), including demographic covariates, revealed language (b=0.19, p<0.01), critical awareness (b=0.26, p<0.01), high expectations (b=0.13, p<0.05), and cultural funds of knowledge (b=0.20, p<0.01) ABP subscales positively predicted SOB. Critical awareness (b=-0.23, p<0.05) negatively predicted REM. Findings highlight how culturally-responsive pedagogy cultivates SOB and reduces REM in university students, contributing to well-being and retention, especially for those historically-marginalized.

Authors

• Katherine C. Cheng, University of Arizona

• Nathaniel Jerry Gallegos, University of Arizona

• Alicia Jane Peras, University of Arizona

• Thomas Chong, University of Arizona