The Role of Asset-Based Pedagogy in Promoting Belonging and Ethnic-Racial Identity among Latine Students

Abstract

To contribute to a more nuanced understanding of student belonging among Latine youth that explicitly considers race and racism, this review was centered on scholarship focused on asset-based pedagogy to examine how it contributes to Latine students’ school belonging and ethnic-racial identity. In this review, 22 studies documenting Latine students’ experiences of asset-based pedagogies across K-12 settings consistently demonstrated enhanced belonging and/or ethnic-racial identity. The review also identified evidence that asset-based pedagogies create educational contexts that promote Latine youths’ school belonging and ethnic-racial identity across developmental periods and that teacher support is important. The framework that guided the present review provides a heuristic for future research to further contribute to a robust understanding of the factors and contexts that foster student belonging for minoritized youth.