Voicing Names and Naming Voices: Pedagogy and Persistence in an Asian American Studies Classroom

Noting that many Asian immigrant and refugee students may not be socially or academically integrated in college, Peter Nien-chu Kiang underlines the critical role that culturally responsive approaches can play in supporting students’ persistence in their college careers. Describing one such approach, an assignment that engages students in an exploration of their names, Peter demonstrates that when content and pedagogy affirm connections to reference points that matter in students’ lives, classrooms provide a space in which students can experience academic as well as social integration.