Working for Social Justice: A Review of Students as Leaders in Pedagogical Partner Programs

Students as Partners (SaP) programs have centered student voices since their inception. Student–faculty pedagogical partnerships are grounded in the notion that students have the expertise to contribute to faculty in preparing for, reflecting on, and revising teaching and learning practices in ways...

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Main Authors: Melissa Scheve, Malia Piper
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/3/155
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author Melissa Scheve
Malia Piper
author_facet Melissa Scheve
Malia Piper
author_sort Melissa Scheve
collection DOAJ
description Students as Partners (SaP) programs have centered student voices since their inception. Student–faculty pedagogical partnerships are grounded in the notion that students have the expertise to contribute to faculty in preparing for, reflecting on, and revising teaching and learning practices in ways that are inclusive and responsive to all learners. This expertise is based in part on their lived experiences—both as students and as members of the student populations that SaP programs were intentionally created to help empower (e.g., first generation, low-income, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of Color) and others marginalized in higher education). These students, in dialogue with faculty, help to expose equity issues across classrooms. As SaP programs have proliferated in colleges and universities across the globe, the student partners’ role as social justice advocates in these programs have expanded too. This review explores the pedagogical partnership literature over the past 20 years, to establish the ways in which undergraduate students and post-bacs have flourished in leadership roles in SaP programs: (a) acting as leaders for social equity on campus, (b) serving as peer mentors to new student partners in existing programs, (c) co-creating new programs, and (d) publishing in the literature. This review reveals opportunities for new directions with peer mentorship in SaP programs through the role of lead student mentors who can help to scale up SaP programs, support the emotional labor involved in partnership work, and create pathways to future social justice leadership opportunities.
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spelling doaj-art-068cf7705f0c4dfa8285ac47481bce482025-08-20T01:48:46ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602025-03-0114315510.3390/socsci14030155Working for Social Justice: A Review of Students as Leaders in Pedagogical Partner ProgramsMelissa Scheve0Malia Piper1Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USAPoorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USAStudents as Partners (SaP) programs have centered student voices since their inception. Student–faculty pedagogical partnerships are grounded in the notion that students have the expertise to contribute to faculty in preparing for, reflecting on, and revising teaching and learning practices in ways that are inclusive and responsive to all learners. This expertise is based in part on their lived experiences—both as students and as members of the student populations that SaP programs were intentionally created to help empower (e.g., first generation, low-income, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of Color) and others marginalized in higher education). These students, in dialogue with faculty, help to expose equity issues across classrooms. As SaP programs have proliferated in colleges and universities across the globe, the student partners’ role as social justice advocates in these programs have expanded too. This review explores the pedagogical partnership literature over the past 20 years, to establish the ways in which undergraduate students and post-bacs have flourished in leadership roles in SaP programs: (a) acting as leaders for social equity on campus, (b) serving as peer mentors to new student partners in existing programs, (c) co-creating new programs, and (d) publishing in the literature. This review reveals opportunities for new directions with peer mentorship in SaP programs through the role of lead student mentors who can help to scale up SaP programs, support the emotional labor involved in partnership work, and create pathways to future social justice leadership opportunities.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/3/155peer mentorshippedagogical partnershipleadershipsocial justicestudents as partners
spellingShingle Melissa Scheve
Malia Piper
Working for Social Justice: A Review of Students as Leaders in Pedagogical Partner Programs
Social Sciences
peer mentorship
pedagogical partnership
leadership
social justice
students as partners
title Working for Social Justice: A Review of Students as Leaders in Pedagogical Partner Programs
title_full Working for Social Justice: A Review of Students as Leaders in Pedagogical Partner Programs
title_fullStr Working for Social Justice: A Review of Students as Leaders in Pedagogical Partner Programs
title_full_unstemmed Working for Social Justice: A Review of Students as Leaders in Pedagogical Partner Programs
title_short Working for Social Justice: A Review of Students as Leaders in Pedagogical Partner Programs
title_sort working for social justice a review of students as leaders in pedagogical partner programs
topic peer mentorship
pedagogical partnership
leadership
social justice
students as partners
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/3/155
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