The Impact of Ethnic Studies Curricula on Chicana/o High School Student Engagement (Poster 63)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Eight
  In Poster Session: 2023 AERA Undergraduate Fellows Research Poster Fair

Abstract

"Over three quarters of California high school students identify as a non-white minority which makes the student populations highly diverse in culture and history. Due to the historical lack of minority representation in academic settings, California high schools are now mandated to teach one year of an ethnic studies course by 2025. Less is known on the effects of ethnic studies courses because of its recent mandate; thus this study aims to fill the gap by focusing on an ethnic studies high school curriculum and its impact on student engagement.
This study, conducted over the course of two months, utilizes ethnographic methods and grounded theory to examine high school students’ engagement in an Ethnic Studies class. Participant-observations and field notes were collected from a local Santa Barbara high school Ethnic studies classroom with a predominant Latinx student population. Findings demonstrate that ethnic studies course curricula challenges the dominant white perspective by restoring a curriculum that highlights cultural relevance with topics that involve a student’s social life and individuality with praise for classroom work, cultivating a sense of belonging and increasing student engagement.


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Author

• Nataly A. Rincon Garcia, University of California - Santa Barbara
  Presenting Author