Latinas Resistance Behaviors in Engineering Programs at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs): An Intersectional View

拉丁裔学生在工程项目上的经历可能是独一无二的，因为他们在科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)之旅中面临着多层挑战和资产：成为一名女性，成为一名拉丁裔，成为一名西班牙语和英语双语使用者。拉丁美洲人在工程方面的机会和成就方面的差距是STEM空间中根深蒂固的历史压迫、种族主义和性别歧视结构的结果，这些结构使性别歧视和种族主义永久化。然而，关于拉丁裔如何在不同的STEM教育环境中抵制不平等以及他们如何取得成功的细微差别的经验的研究有限。目前关于拉丁语STEM教育的文献的另一个主要缺点是，它们大多是从赤字的角度来看待的。该项目旨在调查拉丁裔如何在不同的工程文化和校园气候下选择从事各种抵抗行为，以及这些不同的文化和校园气候如何影响他们的抵抗。这个项目使用反赤字的观点来解释和理解可能影响拉丁裔在工程项目中的抵抗力和坚持性的经验和资产。这项研究的结果可用于制定包容性政策和咨询战略，以扩大拉美裔美国人的参与，并提高他们在以白人为主的机构(PWI)和西班牙裔服务机构(HSI)的STEM中的持久性。在LatCrit阻力理论、交叉性理论和文化财富模型(CWM)的指导下，本项目的目标是调查拉美裔学生如何在不同的工程文化和校园气候下选择从事各种抵抗行为，以及这些不同的STEM文化和校园气候如何影响他们的抵抗。具体的研究问题包括：(1)拉美裔在本科工程项目中如何参与不同的抵抗行为？(2)以白人为主的机构(PWI)和拉美裔服务机构(HSI)的不同工程文化和校园气候如何影响拉美裔在工程项目中的抵抗行为？拉丁裔学生的跨界别身份和文化财富如何影响他们在不同工程文化和校园环境中的抵抗行为？使用解释性现象学设计，该项目将对拉美裔学生进行个别访谈，并对来自加利福尼亚州、佛罗里达州和德克萨斯州的三个PWI和三个HSI的教职员工和管理人员进行定性调查。预期的发现包括关于PWI和HSIS工程项目中拉丁裔抵抗行为的更多细微差别的信息。通过与参与机构以及更广泛的STEM和Latinx社区分享调查结果报告，这项研究将提供必要的信息，以促进拉丁美洲人在工程项目中的准入和坚持不懈。PWI和HSI可以利用这项研究的结果来制定保留和招生政策和做法，以扩大参与并促进未被充分代表的少数族裔学生的公平和包容，这些学生主修工程并进入STEM职业生涯。该项目由NSF的EDU核心研究(ECR)计划支持。ECR计划强调基础STEM教育研究，以产生该领域的基础知识。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。

Latinas’ experiences in engineering programs can be unique due to the multiple layers of challenges and assets in their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) journey: being a woman, being Latinx, being a bilingual speaker of Spanish and English. The disparities in Latinas’ engineering access and attainment are the result of historically oppressive racist and sexist structures embedded in STEM space that perpetuate sexism and racism. However, there is limited research on the nuanced experiences of how Latinas resist inequities in different STEM educational settings and how they succeed. Another major shortcoming of the current literature on Latinx STEM education is that they are mostly viewed from a deficit perspective. This project aims to investigate how Latinas choose to engage in various resistance behaviors in different engineering cultures and campus climates and how these different cultures and campus climates influence their resistance. This project uses an anti-deficit view to interpret and make meaning of the experiences and assets that may have impacted Latinas’ resistance and persistence in engineering programs. Findings from this study can be used to develop inclusive policies and counseling strategies to broaden the participation of Latinas and increase theirpersistence in STEM at both Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Guided by a combination of LatCrit theory of resistance, intersectionality, and Cultural Wealth Model (CWM), the goal of this project is to investigate how Latinas choose to engage in various resistance behaviors in different engineering cultures and campus climates and how these different STEM cultures and campus climates influence their resistance. Specific research questions include: (1) How do Latinas engage in different resistance behaviors in undergraduate engineering programs? (2) How do different engineering cultures and campus climates at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) influence Latinas’ resistance behaviors in engineering programs? and (3) How do Latinas’ intersectional identities and their cultural wealth influence their resistance behaviors in different engineering cultures and campus climates? Using an interpretive phenomenological design, this project will conduct individual interviews with Latina students and qualitative surveys with faculty members and administrators from three PWIs and three HSIs in California, Florida, and Texas. Expected findings include more nuanced information about Latinas’ resistance behaviors in engineering programs at PWIs and HSIs. Through sharing finding reports with participating institutions and broader STEM and Latinx communities, this study will provide needed information to promote Latinas’ access and persistence in engineering programs. PWIs and HSIs could utilize the findings from this study to develop retention and recruitment policies and practices to broaden the participation and promote equity and inclusion for underrepresented minority students majoring in engineering and entering STEM careers.This project is supported by NSF's EDUCore Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.