How Organizational Contexts Contribute to Career Crystallization: The Case of Latine STEM Students at HSIs

• In Event: Toward effective and equitable career-based learning: Multidisciplinary perspectives on the college-to-career transition

Abstract

Study Purpose

Career crystallization, meaning students’ development of commitment to a clear career path, is a recognized outcome of work-based learning (WBL) experiences, fostered through professional exposure, reflective learning, and mentorship (Anderson et al., 2024; Hora et al., 2017). Although research on Latine STEM identity development highlights the importance of culture and the importance of gendered and racialized norms on career outcomes (Rodriguez et al., 2022), WBL research largely overlooks how cultural and institutional factors shape career crystallization processes (Hora et al., 2021).

This study bridges research on HSIs, organizational change, and Latine computing identity development to examine how WBL experiences within Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) contribute to Latine students’ career crystallization. We address this gap by examining how faculty, staff, and administrators design WBL opportunities and how students experience them through a case study of Latine students’ WBL experiences in six HSI’s computing departments. We ask: (1) How do WBL experiences contribute to career crystallization for Latine computing students at HSIs? (2) How are these outcomes shaped by micro, meso, and macro systems?

Conceptual Framework

Guided by Rodriguez et al.’s (2020) computing identity development framework, we analyze career crystallization as a multi-level phenomenon. We examine individual (micro) student experiences, organizational (meso) WBL structures, and systemic (macro) norms and ideologies, focusing on how these levels interact to shape career identity development and trajectories.

Methods

Using a multiple case study design (Yin, 2018), we conducted six site visits to regionally diverse HSIs in 2024, focusing on computer science departments. Data sources included interviews with 71 students, course and club observations, ethnographic fieldnotes, and document analysis. Interviews explored WBL implementation, organizational practices, and student identity development. Data was coded using a hybrid approach (Miles et al., 2019), emphasizing micro-, meso-, and macro-level influences on identity development and career crystallization.

Preliminary Findings

At the micro level, students emphasized meaningful work as critical to professional identity development, with many expressing a desire to “give back” to their communities through computing careers. Mentorship, particularly from informal peer networks, supported their professional growth and helped navigate industry placements where students often felt isolated and disconnected.

At the meso level, organizational practices significantly shaped outcomes. Campus-based WBL experiences embodying HSI servingness supported integration of social and professional identities, while industry placements often lacked culturally responsive structures, exacerbating identity fragmentation.

At the macro level, students encountered racialized and gendered professional norms that undermined belonging and career confidence. Racialized and gendered norms and industry’s emphasis on depersonalized, meritocratic cultures highlight broader structural barriers to identity integration and long-term retention in the field.

Significance

This study offers new insights into how organizational and systemic contexts shape WBL experiences for Latine computing students. At the micro-level, students identified various types of support, yet they often encountered exclusionary norms at the meso- and macro-levels that may hinder commitment to a computing career. These findings suggest that effective WBL design must move beyond skill development to support social identity integration through reflexive learning (Jung, 2022) and culturally responsive program design (Hora et al., 2017).

Authors

• Lauren M. Shook, University of Texas - El Paso

• Edwin J. Perez, University of Texas - El Paso

• Anne-Marie Nunez, University of Texas - El Paso