Applying a Pedagogy as Servingness for First-Year Learning Experience Communities and Belongingness Practice

This chapter investigates the role of first-year learning experience (FYLE) programs in facilitating Latin* students’ successful higher education transitions. The authors forward a framework of “servingness as pedagogy” and illuminate how FYLE professors function as cultural navigators, guiding students in making sense of their new academic environment and fostering a sense of belonging. The research highlights the interconnected instructional, institutional, and societal factors influencing students’ experiences by drawing on inclusive pedagogies, structural organizational theory, and policy studies. The chapter offers practical strategies for collaborations and contributes to the growing body of knowledge on Latin* student success by providing actionable recommendations for policy and practice to create more inclusive campus climates.