Establishing Culturally Responsive Pedagogical Practices via 'Storytelling'. Feature on Research and Leadership. Vol. 5, No. 3

American predominantly white institutions (PWIs) of higher education have become unsafe and inequitable spaces for students of color nationwide, especially for those holding multiple intersecting social identities that are underrepresented. In a 2019 report examining uncivil hate and bias incidents on college campuses, 67.65% of respondents reported experiencing occurrences that were racially motivated (e.g., finding nooses and Nazi symbols on campus and bias-based bullying) (Jones & Baker, 2019). Additionally, 54.41% of respondents reported experiencing hate speech that offended them based on race, sexual identity, religion, disability, and other traits (Jones & Baker, 2019). These unsafe and troublesome environments have impacted the psychological and physiological well-being of students of color, along with their ability to persist toward graduation (Gorski, 2019; Hurtado, 1992). This brief discusses the critical need for leaders within higher education to adopt "storytelling" as a culturally responsive pedagogical practice to promote student success. Classrooms have become places where students holding multiple minoritized social identities feel invisible, excluded, and lack trust toward faculty (Parmegiani, 2014; Combs, Penn, Cassisi, Michael, Wood, Wanner, & Adams, 2006). Research has shown that storytelling is a useful practice to promote learning, relationships with faculty, a sense of belonging, independence, and a space for self-reflection (Cleverley-Thompson, 2018; Pour-Khorshid, 2018; Parmegiani, 2014; Camainotti & Gray, 2012; Anderson, 2004). Introduced in this brief are various studies that validate these claims, which conclude with recommended strategies for best practices.