STEM Aspirations Among Burundian Refugee Families: A Qualitative Analysis of Gender, Race, and Ethnic Heritage

• In Event: (Un)Masking Intersectional Experiences and Concerns in K–12 STEM Education

Abstract

In this qualitative study, authors answered the research question: how do gender, race, and ethnic heritage shape the STEM education aspirations of Burundian refugee youth and families? Using social cognitive career theory as our theoretical framework, we interviewed eight students and their families over a span of eight months to better understand: their thoughts, feelings, and understandings about STEM and STEM careers; families’ STEM capital and identity; and a university-community organization program’s impact on families’ career aspirations. After conducting qualitative coding, we arrived at three themes: (1) the salience of cultural heritage, (2) participant distancing from race and gender, and (3) community motivation for STEM pursuits. We discuss these implications for scholarship and practice in the service of refugee students.

Authors

• Meseret F. Hailu, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Saida Mohamed, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Nalini Chhetri
  Presenting Author

• Eugene Judson, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Mohammed Ibrahim, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author