Comunidad: The Role of Collectivism on Latinx STEM Identity

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 1:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Cultivating Success: Community, Identity, and Learning as Scholars of Color (Table 33)

Abstract

The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program focuses on mentoring, undergraduate research experiences, and improved teaching methods. Despite LSAMP activities that promote validating science experiences, some students do not connect to a science identity. We conclude that science identity may require a collectivist perspective on science identity, specifically focusing on communal versus individual perspectives and needs. The guiding research question was, how does collectivism influence the STEM identity development of Latinx students? This study demonstrates that Latinx students have multi-directional and collectivist influences on their science identity, whether looking for mentors who take a personal and proactive interest in their success or sense-making about how their family expects them to contribute to their community.

Authors

• Norma Lopez, Loyola University Chicago

• Cynthia Chaidez, Loyola University Chicago

• Daniel Francisco Matamoros, Midtown Achievement Center for Boys

• Dre Parker, Loyola University Chicago

• Demetri L. Morgan, University of Michigan