The First-generation Latino Male College Student Experience Persisting in a STEM Major at a Four-year Public University
The First-generation Latino Male College Student Experience Persisting in a STEM Major at a Four-year Public University

Author: Sergio Armando Lagunas

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13:

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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.

The Latino Education Crisis
The Latino Education Crisis

Author: Patricia C. Gandara

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 0674047052

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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.

Ensuring the Success of Latino Males in Higher Education
Ensuring the Success of Latino Males in Higher Education

Author: Victor B. Sáenz

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-07-03

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1000977277

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Latino males are effectively vanishing from the American higher education pipeline. Even as the number of Latinas/os attending college has actually increased steadily over the last few decades, the proportional representation of Latino males continues to slide relative to their Latina female counterparts. The question of why Latino males are losing ground in accessing higher education—relative to their peers—is an important and complex one, and it lies at the heart of this book. There are several broad themes highlighted, catalogued along with the four dimensions of policy, theory, research, and practice. The contributors to this book present new research on factors that inhibit or promote Latino success in both four-year institutions and community colleges in order to inform both policy and practice. They explore the social-cultural factors, peer dynamics, and labor force demands that may be perpetuating the growing gender gap, and consider what lessons can be learned from research on the success of Latinas. This book also closely examines key practices that enable first generation Latino male undergraduates to succeed which may seem counterintuitive to institutional expectations and preconceived notions of student behavior. Using narrative data, the book also explores the role of family in persistence; outlines how Latino men conceptualize fulfilling expectations, negotiate the emasculization of the educational process, and how they confront racialization in the pursuit of a higher education; uncovers attitudes to help-seeking that are detrimental to their success: and analyzes how those who succeed and progress in college apply their social capital – whether aspirational, navigational, social, linguistic, familial, or resistant.While uncovering the lack of awareness at all levels of our colleges and universities about the depth and severity of the challenges facing Latino males, this book provides the foundation for rethinking policy; challenges leaders to institutionalize male-focused programs and services; and presents data to inform needed changes in practice for outreach and retention.

The Missing Piece of the Puzzle
The Missing Piece of the Puzzle

Author: Pedro Atilano-Molina Portillo

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13:

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This study aimed to take asset-based approach and identify Latino male students who were persisting in college, and to identify what strategies made them successful. This qualitative study consulted Tinto's revised student departure model, Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital, as well as Yosso's theory of community cultural wealth. A phenomenological design was utilized to identify the shared experience of first-generation Latino male college students who had persisted in college and maintained a 3.0 grade point average. Findings revealed that Latino students entered college with goals to provide better opportunities for the next generation. They encountered unfamiliarity, culture shock, and marginalization, all obstacles centered not on academic preparedness, but on unfamiliarity with the environment. They used their linguistic, navigational, and aspirational capital to navigate their two worlds. Their cultural upbringing stressed a strong commitment to family and community, i.e. familismo. They found community among in-group peers and college staff. This support network provided what Laura Rendon refers to as validating experiences. Once familismo was obtained they gained a sense of belonging and grew their cultural capital to become familiar with the college going culture. The learned the rules of the game which enabled students to focus on their goal of earning a college degree.

Latin* Students in Engineering
Latin* Students in Engineering

Author: Lara Perez-Felkner

Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Published: 2024-07-12

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 1978838697

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The growing population of engineering students who identify as Latin* are underrepresented in the field of engineering. Latin* refers to an individual of Latin American origin or descent, without restricting to a specific gender. The asterisk (*) includes related identity terms such as Latina/é/o/u/x.There is, however, a rising need to train U.S. students in engineering skills to meet the demands of our increasingly technological workforce. Structurally excluding Latin* students hinders their economic and educational opportunities in engineering. Latin* Students in Engineering examines the state of Latin* engineering education at present as well as considerations for policy and practice regarding engineering education aimed at enhancing opportunity and better serving Latin* students. The essays in this volume first consider, theoretically and empirically, the experiences of Latin* students in engineering education and then expand beyond the student level to focus on institutional and social structures that challenge Latin* students' success and retention. Finally, it illuminates emergent work and considers future research, policy, and practice.

An Asset-Based Approach to Advancing Latina Students in STEM
An Asset-Based Approach to Advancing Latina Students in STEM

Author: Elsa M. Gonzalez

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-11-18

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 1000259579

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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.

Academic Achievement of First-Generation Mexican American Males in a Community College
Academic Achievement of First-Generation Mexican American Males in a Community College

Author: Carlos C. Peña

Publisher: Universal-Publishers

Published: 2012-12

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13: 1612339522

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The purpose of this study was to examine the complexities of successful attainment and achievement of 10 Mexican American males in a rural Southwest community college. This study strives to offer insights concerning the questions: (a) what behavioral patterns of current family, peers, and conditions in school have influenced the educational decisions of these Mexican American males? and (b) what social conditions motivate these Mexican American males to seek and achieve higher education despite adversity? This qualitative research was also aimed at establishing and understanding how a selected number of Mexican American males have achieved academic success. The researcher chose 10 men with either an associate of arts or an associate of science degrees for an in-depth interview and used a semi-structured interview guide in an effort to prompt oral discourse. The interviewer posed questions concerning academic conditions, family impact, college environment, and financial issues. The responses to the questions led to similar themes involved in these students' course completion and graduation. The researcher used a theoretical framework using Bandura's Social Learning Theory (1977) in which he suggests that not only environmental factors, but motivational factors along with self-regulatory mechanisms affect an individual's behavior. This research illustrated the conditions that facilitated reaching the participant's educational goal and mission, which was to complete a two-year degree at the community college. The inquiry examined the behavioral patterns that have been an influence on the educational decisions of these Mexican American males, and what social conditions have motivated them to seek and achieve higher education despite adversity.

How First-generation Latino Commuter Undergraduates Persist to Degree Completion
How First-generation Latino Commuter Undergraduates Persist to Degree Completion

Author: Connie Dominguez

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781267073952

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"In recent years, Latinos have experienced the highest rate of increase in college enrollment among major ethnic groups. However, because they also tend to be first-generation college students, live at home, and work, they are least likely to persist to bachelor degree completion. Using a semi-structured interview, this qualitative descriptive study explored factors that fostered persistence of 20 first-generation, Latino commuter-university, bachelor degree graduates who faced those challenges. Findings revealed that such students encounter obstacles that hinder college persistence almost immediately upon entry. Having no one to explain in advance how college "works," they cannot adequately anticipate the academic demands and responsibilities, nor do they understand how to navigate the administrative system. They are also constantly overwhelmed at having to juggle not only work and schoolwork, but also traditional Latino family obligations required of them by parents who also do not understand what being a college student entails. Other factors, however, helped them overcome these challenges: support from parents, financial aid programs, and on-campus relationships. The most important parental support was permission for the student to use work earnings for college expenses. Financial aid programs were essential to supplement these earnings and whatever modest financial support parents might provide. On-campus relationships were a critical aspect of Latino students' support system. Staff provided essential personal academic advising. Faculty--especially Latino faculty--offered caring personal attention and role models. Equally important were relationships with other Latino students, which provided needed information and cultural affinity. Seeing others "like me" succeed helped these students believe they, too, could persist and graduate. Educators and administrators at commuter universities can positively affect Latino college persistence by increasing students' knowledge about and access to financial aid, offering programs that prepare Latino students and their parents for the multiple demands of being a college student, and establishing structures designed to increase Latino students' social and academic integration. Given current demographic shifts, improving Latino college graduation rates are not only a question of equity and social justice, but may be an important factor in the future overall health of the United States economy" -- Abstract, p. 1-2.

An Asset-Based Approach to Advancing Latina Students in STEM
An Asset-Based Approach to Advancing Latina Students in STEM

Author: Elsa M. Gonzalez

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-11-18

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 1000259536

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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.

Crossing Borders
Crossing Borders

Author: Sarah Grace Clinton

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 61

ISBN-13:

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The purpose of the study is to explore the perceptions of postsecondary persistence among first-generation college students of Latino, Hispanic, Chicano, Mexican-American or of other Latino origin (self-identified) who attended community college as part of their undergraduate collegiate experience. In particular, where they encountered support in attending college and who or what influenced them to pursue higher education at the university level. Along with this support, I explore how cultural and social capital mediated their persistence in transferring from a community college to a four-year university. Pierre Bourdieu's theories of cultural and social capital were used as the overarching theoretical framework as scholars have argued that first generation college attendees are at risk for successful completion because they lack familial knowledge of the college experience. The research design invoked the qualitative methodology of one on one interviews that were then analyzed for trends as well as unique phenomena. I interviewed six subjects willing to share personal information (kept confidential by pseudonym), on topics such as: personal and familial ethnic and scholastic history; messages, ideas and examples received in the home regarding education, work and money; relationships with community college personnel and potential transfer agents; as well as perceptions for the overall reasons for their academic persistence. The intended benefits of this study include an increased understanding of Latino students' sources of support, successes, and their methods of overcoming obstacles. As the Latino population grows in the United States, there is a need to understand how we might better serve this population and augment their rates of baccalaureate attainment. This research may aid students and educators interested in the unique, everyday experiences of successful Latino undergraduates in the postsecondary pipeline.