Chicana Researcher Reflections: Unveiling First-Generation Latine/a/o Students’ Journey to Graduate School Through Pláticas

• In Event: Rupturing the White Gaze: Centering Chicana/Latina Feminista Methodologies and Epistemologies in Qualitative Research

Abstract

Objectives
Understanding the Latine/a/o pathway to graduate school through a Chicana Feminist lens allows for a deeper understanding of the racialized, gendered, and cultural challenges first-generation Latine/a/o (FGL) students face when pursuing graduate studies. Previous scholars have utilized pláticas in education research to bridge the academic and personal for Latine/a/o students pursuing graduate education (Fierros & Bernal, 2016; Flores & Garcia, 2009; Garcia & Mireles-Rios, 2020; Gonzalez et al., 2001). This study expands upon this work by applying pláticas as a methodology to explore FGL students’ journey to graduate school. Moreover, employing critical theories and methods grounded in Chicana feminist epistemologies (CFE) emphasizes an intersectional approach to students’ lived experiences and ensures cultural knowledge is presented through an asset-based lens. Drawing from an empirical study examining FGL undergraduate students’ pathways to graduate school, I demonstrate the benefit of embedding CFE through critical theories and pláticas as a necessary component for emerging Chicana researchers to traverse academic spaces, counter deficit notions of what research looks like, and (re)define who research is for. Furthermore, I offer insight into the methodological nuances of pláticas in a research design of a collaboration with five first-generation Latine/a/o undergraduate students as we discussed how identity, family, and past personal and educational experiences influenced their journey to graduate school.

Theoretical Framework and Methods
This study uses pláticas as a methodology (Fierros & Delgado Bernal, 2016) to make sense of personal and academic tensions, explore how critical theories and methods build community, confidence, and strength in emerging scholars, and disrupt hegemonic research practices. I engaged with the knowledge of oral traditions and confianza and translated this into resistant capital, challenging previous assumptions of subjectivity in research. Using Valle and Mendoza’s (1978) three-part pláticas and educational journey mapping (Annamma, 2017) as storytelling tools, I encouraged reciprocal exchanges of social interaction between myself and co-constructors. Additionally, I employed educational journey mapping as part of the pláticas, reflecting a commitment to humanizing research by privileging student voices through purposeful and methodologically rigorous practices. This allowed for a multidimensional exploration of intersectional and theoretically grounded student experiences, spanning physical and methodological boundaries.

Findings and Significance of Study
The findings highlight how pláticas serve as a methodological tool to guide my theorization during the stages of the research design. First, by demonstrating the twofold purpose confianza served in the pláticas; to develop and sustain relationships with co-constructors and to gain confidence as an emerging researcher. Next, I underscore the importance of researcher positionality and cultural intuition as guiding aspects of reflexivity. Finally, I illustrate how sharing identities and experiences through pláticas granted me insider status and helped facilitate a physical and digital space for healing, solidarity, and empowerment between myself and the co-constructors. By employing these mutually reinforcing Chicana feminist frameworks, I deepen our understanding of students’ intersectional lived experiences, encourage researchers to utilize culturally relevant tools for research design and empower emerging Chicana scholars to embrace a CFE perspective in their work.

Author

• Amanda Carrasco, University of California - Los Angeles