Family Influences and Latino/a Achievement and Attainment in STEM

• In Event: 207 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Section on Sociology of Education Roundtables (one-hour). Table 01. STEM: Access, Aspirations, and Attainment

Abstract

With regards to higher education achievement and attainment in the United States, whether a given group has meaningful access to valuable social and cultural capital contributes to systematic privileges for some, and disadvantages for others. Latino/a students are a group traditionally described as lacking in social and cultural capital that aids in educational success in the United States compared to other groups. However, there are still Latino/a students who are highly successful academically and who have and achieve prestigious college and career goals. In this paper we utilize a framework of resilience to examine the types and role of social capital, in the form of family support, and cultural capital available to high achieving underrepresented students, primarily Latino/a, who would typically be considered “at-risk” students in a four-year university. In addition to our focus on students in STEM (typically consisting of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields, our research builds upon the extant literature by utilizing a larger qualitative dataset than previous studies while also considering gendered patterns of support by both parents’ and students’ genders. Findings suggest that it is a combination of both academic-specific support offered through specialized academic guidance programs and family support acting in tandem to enable students to secure the careers and futures they desire.

Authors

• Kacie Lynn Rowell Pham, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Lina Mendez, University of California-Davis