Disparities in STEM Social Capital, Identity, and Career Interest Among Adolescents

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Four
  In Roundtable Session: STEM Stories: Black and Latinx Narratives of Challenge and Achievement (Table 5)

Abstract

Building on the literature on social capital and motivation theories, this study examines the demographic disparities in STEM social capital among adolescents and the associations among STEM social capital, identity, and career interest. It used a new multidimensional scale of STEM social capital, which includes the dimensions of instrumental, informational, emotional, and expectational, with a diverse sample of 1,664 middle/high school students from the US Southwest. Regression results indicated that historically underrepresented adolescents in STEM—including Latinx/Hispanic, Black/African American, and first-generation college bound students—reported significantly lower levels of various STEM social capital forms. Structural equation modeling with mediation analyses also showed that the relationship between STEM social capital and STEM career interest is partially mediated by STEM identity.

Authors

• Guan Saw, Claremont Graduate University
  Presenting Author

• Kahlí Hedrick-Romano, Claremont Graduate University
  Presenting Author

• Vicki Lynton, Alamo Colleges - Northwest Vista College
  Presenting Author

• Ryan Culbertson, Claremont Graduate University
  Presenting Author

• Guillermo Lopez, Claremont Graduate University
  Presenting Author

• Mingxia Zhi, University of Texas - San Antonio
  Presenting Author