School to STEM Industry Pipeline: Racialized Perceptions of a Computer Science Intervention, A Mixed-Methods Study

• In Event: 4307 - Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methodologies

Abstract

Technology companies continue to be criticized about their non-diverse workforce, especially in Silicon Valley. Computer scientists in Silicon Valley are 56% white and 35% Asian, with only 4% Latinos, 2% Black and less than 1% Native American. Technology giants have argued they are working to increase diversity, but sometimes there are not enough qualified applicants from underrepresented backgrounds. Google has begun tackling this problem by sponsoring various programs intended to bring and retain underrepresented students. I want to understand the perceptions of Latino, Black, and Native American high school students regarding a Google intervention program given their family background, race, and cultural capital. This insight will help intervention programs, students, and schools understand how familial and cultural context influences whether students link computer science interest with careers. This convergent mixed methods study explores not only how children from different racial backgrounds (Black, Latino, and Native American) interact with the Google modules, but also the connections that they make between this program and familial expectations. Previous research has examined STEM trajectories among white and Asian students and their underrepresented counterparts. It has overwhelmingly found that white and Asian students are more likely to enter and stay in STEM fields because of early, consistent exposure to scientific concepts. These studies often group underrepresented students together and make general claims about which resources, such as increased representation, might increase diversity. However, fewer studies have addressed what specific underrepresented groups need in STEM and even less have compared the different needs between racial groups. Because job growth in STEM industries is expected to increase exponentially, diversifying is a priority. To diversify, we need to understand culturally competent ways to cater STEM interventions to underrepresented students. However, relatively little is known about the unique cultural resources underrepresented racial groups need.

Author

• Noemi Linares Ramirez, University of California-Irvine