Abstract
Latina students have been enrolling in colleges at increasing rates but experience disproportionate levels of STEM major declaration and persistence, even at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). This qualitative study explored the first-year experiences of Latina students at a newly designated HSI to gain insights into how to serve them better as they begin their STEM coursework. Findings from semi-structured interviews suggest that while the Latinas in this study entered college with a strong interest and passion for STEM, they faced challenges during their first year due to the STEM program culture and lack of representation of Latinas in STEM. Students attributed their perseverance and sense of belonging to the social networks they developed with peers and TAs. Implications for other newly designated HSIs include formalizing peer networks, providing supports for TAs, and creating environments that better represent and highlight Latinas in STEM.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The datasets collected and analyzed for this study are currently not publicly available because they contain identifying information about the research participants. They can be made available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Notes
In this paper, we use the term Latinx/e to describe the broader population of people who have historic, social, and geographic roots in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. The participants in this study will be referred to as Latinas as that is how they self-identified.
References
Banda, R. M., & Flowers, A. M., III. (2017). Birds of a feather do not always flock together: A critical analysis of Latina engineers and their involvement in student organizations. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 16(4), 359–374. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192716662966
Benitez, M., & DeAro, J. (2004). Realizing student success at Hispanic-serving institutions. New Directions for Community Colleges, 127, 35–48. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.162
Braun, V., Clarke, V., & Weate, P. (2016). Using thematic analysis in sport and exercise research. In B. Smith & A. Sparkes (Eds.), International Handbook on Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise (pp. 191–205). Routledge.
Cantu, N. (2011). Paths to Discovery: Autobiographies of Chicanas with Careers in Mathematics. UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press.
Castellanos, M. (2018). Examining Latinas’ STEM career decision-making process: A psychosociocultural approach. The Journal of Higher Education, 89(4), 527–552. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2018.1435133
Chang, M. J., Sharkness, J., Hurtado, S., & Newman, C. B. (2014). What matters in college for retaining aspiring scientists and engineers from underrepresented racial groups. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51(5), 555–580. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21146
Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. Sage.
Conrad, C., & Gasman, M. (2015). Educating a diverse nation: Lessons from minority-serving institutions. Harvard University Press.
Contreras Aguirre, H. C., Gonzalez, E., & Banda, R. M. (2020). Latina college students’ experiences in STEM at Hispanic-serving institutions: Framed within Latino critical race theory. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 33(8), 810–823. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2020.1751894
Cruz, C., Rajpal, G., Lecocke, M., Martines, I., & Lurie, A. (2021). Peer coaching program development: A framework of first-year Latina/o student persistence pursuing STEM pathways at a Hispanic serving institution. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 20(4),1–20. 365–384/10.1177/1538192719867096
Dika, S. L., & D’Amico, M. M. (2016). Early experiences and integration in the persistence of first-generation college students in STEM and non-STEM majors. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 53(3), 368–383.
Espinosa, L. (2011). Pipelines and pathways: Women of color in undergraduate STEM majors and the college experiences that contribute to persistence. Harvard Educational Review, 81(2), 209–241.
Excelencia in Education. (2019). Latinos in higher education: compilation of fast facts. Retrieved August 1, 2023, from https://www.edexcelencia.org/research/publications/latinos
Flores, G. M., Bañuelos, M., & Harris, P. R. (2023). “What Are You Doing Here?”: Examining Minoritized Undergraduate Student Experiences in STEM at a Minority Serving Institution. Journal for STEM Education Research, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41979-023-00103-y
Freeman, T. M., Anderman, L. H., & Jensen, J. M. (2007). Sense of belonging in college freshmen at the classroom and campus levels. The Journal of Experimental Education, 75(3), 203–220.
Gándara, P., & The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. (2015). Fulfilling America’s future: Latinas in the U.S., 2015. UCLA: The Civil Rights Project / Proyecto Derechos Civiles. Retrieved August 1, 2023, from https://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/research/college-access/underrepresented-students.pdf
Garcia, G. A., & Koren, E. R. (2020). Connecting research, practice, and policy to define “servingness” at Hispanic serving institutions. In G. A. Garcia (Ed.), Hispanic serving institutions (HSIs) in practice: Defining “servingness at HSIs (pp. 1–20). Information Age.
Garcia, G. A., Núñez, A. M., & Sansone, V. A. (2019). Toward a multidimensional conceptual framework for understanding “servingness” in Hispanic-serving institutions: A synthesis of the research. Review of Educational Research, 89(5), 745–784. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319864591
Garcia, G. A., & Cuellar, M. G. (2023). Advancing “intersectional servingness” in research, practice, and policy with Hispanic-serving institutions. AERA Open, 9, https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584221148421
Gloria, A. M., & Castellanos, J. (2012). Desafíos y bendiciones: A multiperspective examination of the educational experiences and coping responses of first-generation college Latina students. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 11(1), 82–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192711430382
Gonzalez, E., Aguirre, C. C., & Myers, J. (2020). Persistence of Latinas in STEM at an R1 higher education institution in Texas. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 21(2), 151–164. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192720918369
Gonzalez, A. (2013, May 11). A life of science was in the cards. The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/jobs/lessons-from-mom-serve-a-yale-professor-well.html
Hazari, Z., Sadler, P. M., & Sonnert, G. (2013). The science identity of college students: Exploring the intersection of gender, race, and ethnicity. Journal of College Science Teaching, 42(5), 82–91. Retrieved August 1, 2023, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43631586
Hispanic Heritage Foundation and Student Research Foundation (2020). Hispanics & STEM: Hispanics are underrepresented in STEM today, but Gen Z’s interest can change the future. Retrieved August 1, 2023, from https://www.studentresearchfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Hispanics_STEM_Report_Final-1.pdf
Huber, L. P., & Cueva, B. M. (2012). Chicana/Latina testimonios on effects and responses to microaggressions. Equity & Excellence in Education, 45(3), 392–410. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2012.698193
Hurtado, S., & Carter, D. F. (1997). Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial climate on Latino college students’ sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70(4), 324–345. https://doi.org/10.2307/2673270
Johnson, D. R. (2012). Campus racial climate perceptions and overall sense of belonging among racially diverse women in STEM majors. Journal of College Student Development, 53(2), 336–346. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2012.0028
Johnson, K. M., & Lichter, D. T. (2016). Diverging demography: Hispanic and non-Hispanic contributions to US population redistribution and diversity. Population Research and Policy Review, 35, 705–725. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-016-9403-3
Locks, A. M., Hurtado, S., Bowman, N. A., & Oseguera, L. (2008). Extending notions of campus climate and diversity to students’ transition to college. The Review of Higher Education, 31(3), 257–285. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2008.0011
Master, A. H., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2020). Cultural stereotypes and sense of belonging contribute to gender gaps in STEM. International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 12(1), 152–198. Retrieved August 1, 2023, from https://ilabs.uw.edu/sites/sterotypes_belonging_model.pdf
Museus, S. D., Yi, V., & Saelua, N. (2018). How culturally engaging campus environments influence sense of belonging in college: An examination of differences between White students and students of color. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 11(4), 467–483. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000069
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (2017). Percentage of 2011–12 first time postsecondary students who had ever declared a major in an associate's or bachelor's degree program within 3 years of enrollment, by type of degree program and control of first institution: 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018434.pdf.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). (2017). Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering: 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2023, from https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2017/nsf17310/static/data/tab5-7.pdf
Ong, M., Wright, C., Espinosa, L., & Orfield, G. (2011). Inside the double bind: A synthesis of empirical research on undergraduate and graduate women of color in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Harvard Educational Review, 81(2), 172–209. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.81.2.t022245n7x4752v2
Ost, B. (2010). The role of peers and grades in determining major persistence in the sciences. Economics of Education Review, 29(6), 923–934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2010.06.011
Paschal, J., & Taggart, A. (2021). An examination of the role of first-year college-level mathematics in STEM field major persistence at a Hispanic-serving institution. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 20(3), 297–312. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192719853464
Pittman, L. D., & Richmond, A. (2008). University belonging, friendship quality, and psychological adjustment during the transition to college. The Journal of Experimental Education, 76(4), 343–362. https://doi.org/10.3200/JEXE.76.4.343-362
Rainey, K., Dancy, M., Mickelson, R., Stearns, E., & Moller, S. (2018). Race and gender differences in how sense of belonging influences decisions to major in STEM. International Journal of STEM Education, 5, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-018-0115-6
Rask, K. (2010). Attrition in STEM fields at a liberal arts college: The importance of grades and pre-collegiate preferences. Economics of Education Review, 29(6), 892–900. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2010.06.013
Rincón, B. E., & Lane, T. B. (2017). Latin@s in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at the intersections. Equity & Excellence in Education, 50(2), 182–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2017.1301838
Rodriguez, S. L., & Blaney, J. M. (2021). “We’re the unicorns in STEM”: Understanding how academic and social experiences influence sense of belonging for Latina undergraduate students. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 14(3), 441. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000176
Rodriguez, S., Cunningham, K., & Jordan, A. (2019). STEM identity development for Latinas: The role of self-and outside recognition. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 18(3), 254–272. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192717739958
Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage.
Saldaña, J., & Omasta, M. (2016). Qualitative research: Analyzing life. Sage.
Sanabria, T., & Penner, A. (2017). Weeded out? Gendered responses to failing calculus. Social Sciences, 6(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6020047
Sax, L. J., & Newhouse, K. N. (2018). Disciplinary field specificity and variation in the STEM gender gap. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2018(179), 45–71. https://doi.org/10.1002/ir.20275
Serrano, U. (2022). ‘Finding home’: Campus racial microclimates and academic homeplaces at a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Race Ethnicity and Education, 25(6), 815–834. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2020.1718086
Seymour, E., & Hewitt, N. M. (1997). Talking about leaving: Why undergraduates leave the sciences. Westview Press.
Sorge, C., Newsom, H. E., & Hagerty, J. J. (2000). Fun is not enough: Attitudes of Hispanic middle school students toward science and scientists. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 22(3), 332–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986300223004
Stevenson, A. D., Gallard Martínez, A. J., Brkich, K. L., Flores, B. B., Claeys, L., & Pitts, W. (2019). Latinas’ heritage language as a source of resiliency: Impact on academic achievement in STEM fields. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 14, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-016-9789-6
Stinebrickner, T. R., & Stinebrickner, R. (2011). Math or science? Using longitudinal expectations data to examine the process of choosing a college major. (NBER Working Paper No. 16869). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/papers/w16869
Strayhorn, T. L. (2008). Sentido de pertenencia: A hierarchical analysis predicting sense of belonging among Latino college students. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 7(4), 301–320. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192708320474
Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). College students' sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315297293
Sy, S. R., & Romero, J. (2008). Family responsibilities among Latina college students from immigrant families. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 7(3), 212–227. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192708316208
Thompson, M. E. (2021). Grade expectations: The role of first-year grades in predicting the pursuit of STEM majors for first-and continuing-generation students. The Journal of Higher Education, 92(6), 961–985. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2021.1907169
Villa, E. Q., Wandermurem, L., Hampton, E. M., & Esquinca, A. (2016). Engineering education through the Latina lens. Journal of Education and Learning, 5(4), 113–125. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v5n4p113
Whalen, D. F., & Shelley, M. C. (2010). Academic success for STEM and non-STEM majors. Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and research, 11(1), 45–60. Retrieved August 1, 2023, from https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1407304111
Wieman, C. E. (2014). Large-scale comparison of science teaching methods sends clear message. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8319–8320. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1407304111
Funding
The research leading to these results received funding from the National Science Foundation under Grant Agreement No. 2122762.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Placa, N., Nick, C. & Lee, J. “I Don’t Back Away from a Fight”: Examining First Year Undergraduate Latinas’ Perseverance in STEM. Journal for STEM Educ Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41979-024-00120-5
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41979-024-00120-5