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A Critical Mixed-Methods Analysis of Latin* Students in Diverse Contexts (Poster 5)

Fri, April 12, 7:45 to 9:15am, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 115B

Abstract

OBJECTIVES OR PURPOSES
Institutions and societies reflect and enact systemic injustices. Therefore, it is imperative to directly study how Latin* students experience engineering through a lens that considers the structural challenges they encounter and how the contexts in which they are situated can shape their pathways to and through engineering degrees. We aim to illuminate considerations and potential avenues for meaningful intervention in these patterns.

PERSPECTIVE
Critical race theory (CRT) draws on legal frameworks (e.g., Bell, 2008) to explain how racial disparities arise through social structures facilitating the reproduction of the racial status quo (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 2016). We employ CRT, recognizing that disparities in Latin* students’ representation and success in these fields neither occur naturally nor because of innate differences in motivation or skill. Rather, the continued historical underrepresentation of Latin* students arises out of systemic, compounding differences in students’ exposure, opportunities, and support for engineering study and careers. As such, interventions aiming to reduce these disparities must attend to structural as well as individual solutions.

METHODS, TECHNIQUES, OR MODES OF INQUIRY
This study captures counterstories of Latin* engineering students in diverse contexts to contest the historical and contemporary majoritarian experiences of White cis-gender male engineers at Predominately White Institutions. Instead of viewing racially and ethnically marginalized students as culturally disadvantaged, CRT’s centrality of experiential knowledge recognizes the knowledge and unique capital that students of color bring to campus. We center the experiential knowledge of engineering-interested Latin* undergraduates at Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) because their counterstories provide critical minoritarian perspectives, which provide stakeholders with critical considerations and avenues for interventions.

DATA SOURCES, EVIDENCE, OBJECTS, OR MATERIALS
Our study was set in an HBCU with over 20% of its engineering students identifying as Latin*. HBCUs structure opportunities for racially minoritized students to build and sustain their confidence and resilience in engineering. Essentially, Latin* students can consider and value the complexities of their identities more fully when, for example, Afro-Latin*, multiracial, and marginalized non-racial/ethnic identities are acknowledged and valued.

RESULTS
Students experienced a range of social identities that shape and influence their college experiences. Furthermore, students’ perceptions of their racial and ethnic identities differed. Students had a range of intersecting social identities, including gender and religious affiliation, as well as differences in race and ethnic identity salience. Additionally, their social positions in terms of citizenship and naturalization seemed to influence their sense of belonging. Lastly, students’ socioeconomic status appeared to shape both their college experiences and their educational and career goals.

SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE
To enhance the success of Latin* students in engineering, it is important to support them structurally, not just individually. This necessitates systemic investment in and sustained efforts pertaining to (a) intersectionally diverse faculty and laboratories in which race is less salient and they can experience a nurturing environment of excellence, (b) networks of skilled mentors effective in working with minoritized populations, and (c) stable and consistent financial support that allows them to focus on their studies and view engineering graduate studies and careers as realistic, viable ambitions.

Authors