More than Academics: Family and Neighborhood Context and Mexican-Origin Children’s Achievement in STEM

• In Event: 3-218 - Context matters for STEM outcomes: Factors that help or hinder underrepresented students in K-college education

Integrative Statement

Mexican-origin children are underserved across the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational pathway and ultimately underrepresented in prestigious STEM careers (NRC, 2011). Educational disparities between Mexican-origin children and their peers may start early and expand over time (Crosnoe, Lopez-Gonzalez, & Muller, 2004). Yet despite challenges (e.g., low parental education), Mexican-origin children harbor strengths (e.g., high parental aspirations) that may provide tools for STEM success. Understanding when and how these challenges and strengths contribute to Mexican-origin children’s STEM educational achievement may be a step toward their equitable participation in STEM. Thus, the goal of this study is to examine Mexican-origin children’s math and science achievement trajectories and the family and neighborhood assets that can support or hinder achievement.

This study uses data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort: 1998/ 1999, drawing from a nationally representative sample ~21,490 students followed through eighth grade. These data include interviews from multiple reporters, direct child assessments, and neighborhood and school characteristics. The analytic sample focuses on ~ 9,600 children, (n = 810, Mexican-origin, n = 340 Mexican non-immigrant), with panel data (see Table 1 for additional sample descriptives), and models their math and science achievement scores, via standardized T-scores, from kindergarten through 8th grade.

Longitudinal growth curves estimated the achievement trajectories in math and science for Mexican-origin children and diverse peers. Next, the contribution of families’ human (i.e., parental education), financial (i.e., income-to-needs), and social capital (e.g., parental aspirations) and neighborhood characteristics (e.g., community advantage) were regressed on children’s math and science achievement trajectories to examine how these factors shaped the change in achievement. Multi-group models examined racial-ethnic group differences.

Preliminary analyses, using quadratic models, show decreases in children’s math achievement trajectories (r = -0.84, SE = 0.01, p <.001). Similarly, among Mexican immigrant youth, math achievement declines (r = -.91, SE = 0.02, p<.001), and families’ human, financial, and social capital, and community advantage were not significantly related to their math trajectories. Among Mexican non-immigrant youth, initial scores were not associated with math achievement trajectories. Parent home-based involvement and community advantage were associated with higher math achievement (B = 0.185, SE = 0.084, p = .028; B = 0.149, SE = 0.065, p = .023), respectively; whereas higher parental expectations were associated with lower math achievement (B = -0.105, SE = 0.004, p = .018).

For science, using linear models, higher early achievement declines among the full sample (r = -0.139, SE = 0.020, p<.001), but was non-significant among both Mexican-immigrant and non-immigrant children. Among Mexican immigrants, a greater Hispanic neighborhood composition was associated with high science achievement in middle school (B = 0.279, SE = 0.098, p = .004). Among Mexican non-immigrant children, higher parental aspirations were associated with lower subsequent science achievement (B = -0.399, SE = 0.150, p = .008).

These results provide partial evidence of how context differently shapes STEM opportunities among marginalized groups, specifically, Mexican-origin children. Additional quantitative analyses will consider how family and neighborhood characteristics compare to achievement gains at points within the K-8 trajectory.

Authors

• Natalya Zaika, Tufts University
  Presenting Author

• Tama Leventhal, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University
  Non-Presenting Author