Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine Latino community college student persistence and academic performance as it relates to students who study in STEM fields. The main focus of this research was to determine whether using a learning-coach intervention model in engineering courses would improve student persistence and academic performance. This quantitative research used institutional data consisting of 364 participant cases to examine whether teaching methodologies that employed the use of learning coaches as a regular component of engineering curriculum would improve student semester-to-semester persistence and overall grade point averages. The findings revealed that for those engineering courses that included a coaching intervention as part of the curriculum, participating students achieved better persistence and better academic performance when compared to students who participated in courses that did not include a coaching intervention. Statistical analyses revealed that when students participate in courses that include a coaching intervention, those students will achieve statistically significant better persistence rates and higher overall grade point averages. The results of this research provide a greater understanding to educators and policymakers so that they may adequately address the issue of declining persistence rates and poor academic performance for Latino community college students who study in STEM fields. Based on the results of this study, recommendations are made for changes to practice that would encourage the incorporation of coaching intervention models throughout STEM course curriculum so that improvements in overall student success in STEM studies can be achieved.
This book is an essential resource that Latino/a students and families need to make the best decisions about entering and succeeding in a STEM career. It can also serve to aid faculty, counselors, and advisors to assist students at every step of entering and completing a STEM career. As a fast-growing, major segment of the U.S. population, the next generation of Latinos and Latinas could be key to future American advances in science and technology. With the appropriate encouragement for Latinos/as to enter science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers, they can become the creative innovators who will produce technological advances we all need and can enjoy—from faster tech devices to more energy efficient transportation to cures for diseases and medical conditions. This book presents a compelling case that the nation's Hispanic population must be better represented in STEM careers and that the future of America's technological advances may well depend on the Latino/a population. It focuses on the importance of STEM education for Latinos/as and provides a comprehensive array of the most current information students and families need to make informed decisions about entering and succeeding in a STEM career. Students, families, and educators will fully understand why STEM is so important for Latinos/as, how to plan for a career in STEM, how to pay for and succeed in college, and how to choose a career in STEM. The book also includes compelling testimonials of Latino/a students who have completed a STEM major that offer proof that Latinos/as can overcome life challenges to succeed in STEM fields.
Over the past decade, an extensive amount of scholarship and media attention have been devoted to understanding the unique educational experiences and challenges of STEM students, however, few studies have explored the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender, especially in terms of science identity development. Given the significant growth of the Latina/o community, understanding Latina STEM college experiences, specifically, will be critical to enhancing educational experiences for the Latina/o STEM community. Existing literature suggests that developing a strong science identity during college may improve persistence for women of color in STEM. This research study uses qualitative methods to gain an in-depth understanding of how Latina college students at a public tier-one, predominantly white, research university make develop and meaning of and develop their science identities. The study found that Latinas develop their STEM identities primarily around aspects of building competence, recognition from self and outside sources, and performance of STEM behaviors. Their STEM identity development was influenced in terms of intersectionality, primarily by their gender and racial identities. This study is uniquely positioned to advance new knowledge regarding Latina students' persistence in STEM fields, which may inform local, state, and federal STEM policies.
This timely volume challenges the ongoing underrepresentation of Latina women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and highlights resilience as a critical communal response to increasing their representation in degree programs and academic posts. An Asset-Based Approach to Advancing Latina Students in STEM documents the racialized and gendered experiences of Latinas studying and researching in STEM in US colleges, and centers resilience as a critical mechanism in combating deficit narratives. Adopting an asset-based approach, chapters illustrate how Latinas draw on their cultural background as a source of individual and communal strength, and indicate how this cultural wealth must be nurtured and used to inform leadership and policy to motivate, encourage, and support Latinas on the pathway to graduate degrees and successful STEM careers. By highlighting strategies to increase personal resilience and institutional retention of Latina women, the text offers key insights to bolstering diversity in STEM. This text will primarily appeal to academics, scholars, educators, and researchers in the fields of STEM education. It will also benefit those working in broader areas of higher education and multicultural education, as well as those interested in the advancement of minorities inside and outside of academia. Elsa M. Gonzalez is Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the University of Houston, USA. Frank Fernandez is Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the University of Mississippi, USA. Miranda Wilson earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Houston, USA.
Hispanics are poised to change the U.S. demographic landscape and account for one-third of the national population in the next forty years (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). Yet, presently Hispanic students are the most underrepresented ethnic group in higher education with the lowest college completion rates the country (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015b). Furthermore, Hispanic women are reported to attain only 3% of all STEM bachelor's degrees nationally (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015a). The purpose of this study was to examine student engagement as a factor that predicts academic performance and intention to persist in STEM for Hispanic college students and in particular, Hispanic women. Data collected at a public, four-year, Hispanic Serving Institution was analyzed using Hierarchical Linear Regression. Results revealed a significant, but negative relationship between academic performance and the amount of time spent engaged with mentors, for both male and female Hispanic students. There was low variability found for intention to persist, with 85% of Hispanic women indicating intention to graduate from college with a degree in STEM. Study results are interpreted in the context of Hispanic Serving Institutions where Hispanics students are the majority.
This study of Hispanic student pathways focused on successful community college transfer students in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) disciplines to discover significant personal and academic factors influencing their pathway. The impetus for this study is the persistence of achievement gaps in STEM disciplines for Hispanic students, the largest and fastest growing population in the U.S. Eighty-percent (80%) of Hispanic students start public higher education at community colleges, but few graduate, particularly in STEM fields. Achievement gaps in STEM have economic ramifications not only for the Hispanic population, but also the economy and competitiveness of the U.S. and California. The theoretical framework for this study included Tinto's Persistence/Interactionalist Student Departure Model, Bourdieu's Theory of Cultural Capital and Padilla's Latino Student Success Model, which was further informed through the literature review. This study used a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data was collected by electronic survey to Sacramento State transfer students majoring in STEM. Survey responses were analyzed by Pearson correlation and a summary of open-ended responses was provided. Two focus groups were held to collect qualitative data using a semi-structured interview protocol. Open-coding was used to discover themes from student responses and discover convergence and differences with quantitative data. Family was the most significant contributing factor to student success in this study, providing emotional support and a push or permission to continue to pursue an education. Socio-economic status played a significant role in students' educational pathway in this study. Despite a paucity of Hispanic role models and mentors in STEM for underrepresented students, findings suggest that some students are able to find surrogate role models through teachers and community college professors despite racial/ethnic differences. Students in this study generally had positive feelings on the role of community college in their success, particularly community college faculty. The concept of "transition time" was an unexpected finding in this study. Community colleges allowed students to adjust to being independent and discover their pathway. Additional time needed to transition and mature, for some students, may be tied to culture and the closeness of family in Hispanic communities. Recommendations in this study include maintaining access through financial aid, increasing communication to parents, and increasing training by development of the Hispanic Transfer Student Typologies model.
This qualitative research study investigated the first-generation Latino male experience persisting in a STEM major at a four-year public university. STEM is an acronym for science technology engineering and math. The current literature on Latino male students in STEM majors is limited, and most of the literature on persistence in STEM majors is related to studies on the female narrative or an integrative group such as minorities, ethnic groups or underrepresented students. In 2016, Latinos became 17 percent of the total United States population (Phillips, 2016). Enrollment trends in Latino students entering a STEM major in college are perceived to be the outcome from the growing Latino population in the United States. This study aimed to analyze the Latino male student experience. The literature review for this study included research on first-generation students and their experience derived from the lack of cultural capital, the development of their social integration in higher education, and the development of their academic integration in higher education. The literature review also included research on Latino students persisting in a STEM major with a focus on academic confidence, pre-college preparation and attrition. The literature review also covered research on the Social Cognitive Career Theory, a theoretical framework that expanded on self-efficacy, college major choice and career choice (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994). Statement of the Problem: U.S. National government educational research has indicated that there is a low percentage of Latino college students earning certificates and degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); furthermore, there is a need to explore how first-generation Latino males persist in STEM majors and what barriers may potentially lead to attrition at a public four-year university. Specific questions addressed were: 1. What leads a first-generation Latino male student to persist in their STEM major at a public four-year university? 2. What potential barriers does a first-generation Latino male student overcome to persist in their STEM major at a public four-year university? Methodology: This qualitative research study investigated the first-generation Latino male student experience persisting in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics major through a narrative inquiry. The qualitative research study was conducted with semi-structured individual interviews of six students who met the purposive sample criteria. This research study was designed to explore the experience of Latino male college students and their persistence in STEM majors through the theoretical framework of Social Cognitive Career Theory. Conclusions and Recommendations: This qualitative research study resulted in a list of eight strategies for persistence for first-generation Latino males in STEM. These strategies are (a) study groups, (b) institutional programs, (c) student organizations, (d) tutoring services, (e) peer mentoring, (f) support groups, (g) family expectations, and (h) fitness facility. The most significant strategies for persistence in STEM involved social integration, academic integration and career interests. This qualitative research study resulted in a list of seven major barriers of first-generation Latino males in STEM. These barriers were: (a) lack of Latino faculty in STEM, (b) seeking help, (c) asking questions, (d) family responsibilities, (e) course availability, (f) lack of self-efficacy, and (g) working off-campus. The most significant barriers in STEM involved cultural capital, self-efficacy, and expectations of Latino masculinity. Consideration for future research on persistence of first-generation Latino male students at a public four-year university may include more in-depth evaluation of pre-college preparation, the transfer student experience, and Latinx students in STEM.
Despite the increasing numbers of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and their importance in serving students who have historically been underserved in higher education, limited research has addressed the meaning of the growth of these institutions and its implications for higher education. Hispanic-Serving Institutions fills a critical gap in understanding the organizational behavior of institutions that serve large numbers of low-income, first-generation, and Latina/o students. Leading scholars on HSIs contribute chapters to this volume, exploring a wide array of topics, data sources, conceptual frameworks, and methodologies to examine HSIs’ institutional environments and organizational behavior. This cutting-edge volume explores how institutions can better serve their students and illustrates HSIs’ changing organizational dynamics, potentials, and contributions to American higher education.
Drawing on both extensive demographic data and compelling case studies, this book reveals the depths of the educational crisis looming for Latino students, the nation's largest and most rapidly growing minority group.
In order for the United States to maintain the global leadership and competitiveness in science and technology that are critical to achieving national goals, we must invest in research, encourage innovation, and grow a strong and talented science and technology workforce. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation explores the role of diversity in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce and its value in keeping America innovative and competitive. According to the book, the U.S. labor market is projected to grow faster in science and engineering than in any other sector in the coming years, making minority participation in STEM education at all levels a national priority. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation analyzes the rate of change and the challenges the nation currently faces in developing a strong and diverse workforce. Although minorities are the fastest growing segment of the population, they are underrepresented in the fields of science and engineering. Historically, there has been a strong connection between increasing educational attainment in the United States and the growth in and global leadership of the economy. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation suggests that the federal government, industry, and post-secondary institutions work collaboratively with K-12 schools and school systems to increase minority access to and demand for post-secondary STEM education and technical training. The book also identifies best practices and offers a comprehensive road map for increasing involvement of underrepresented minorities and improving the quality of their education. It offers recommendations that focus on academic and social support, institutional roles, teacher preparation, affordability and program development.
