Underrealized STEM Capital: Consequences of College STEM Students' Perceptions of Their Immigrant Mothers' STEM Affiliation

• In Event: Drawing Upon Chicana Feminist and Multigenerational Knowledge of Latinas/xs to Claim Authentic Academic Experiences and Identities

Abstract

Children’s self-perception in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is influenced by the STEM-related capital, or tangible and intangible resources, the home. A special case of career-related STEM capital arises in situations where immigrant parents held STEM careers but were unable to continue in that career in the United States. In this research, we study how four college STEM students interacted with their migrant mothers who formerly held STEM careers. Interviews with these students suggested that they were often unable to fully realize their mothers’ STEM-related capital. This lack of realization was consequential in the types of STEM-related interactions they sought to have with their mothers. Implications for research in STEM capital, dominant Discourses of STEM, and intersectionality are mentioned.

Authors

• Heidi Cian, Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance

• Remy Dou, Florida International University