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Building upon previous National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research, and research related to STEM persistence and counter-life herstories, this study is part of a larger, longitudinal, mixed-methods sequential, explanatory, NSF CAREER project that examines the influence of community cultural wealth (CCW) on the persistence of Black and Hispanic females in computing majors as they matriculate from middle school into high school, into undergraduate education and into graduate school or the computing workforce. In this preliminary study, Dr. Shetay Ashford-Hanserd, CAREER Principal Investigator (PI) is accompanied by Postdoctoral Scholar, Dr. Lillianna Carrera, to illuminate Black and Hispanic women’s educational trajectories and lived experiences that have influenced their persistence in undergraduate computing education at a Hispanic Serving Institution in Texas. Data collection instruments include the reliable ACCEYSS STEM+C majors survey instrument and counter-life herstories interview protocol. To provide an anti-deficit understanding of how Black and Hispanic women access their strengths to survive and resist forms of oppression, the CCW model is utilized as a theoretical framework. The CAREER PI modified the CCW model to include spiritual capital because it serves as a critical source of fortitude and resilience in the Black and Hispanic communities. Research findings will highlight how CCW influences Black and Hispanic women’s persistence in computing education in response to our collective need to better support this population in their attainment and representation in STEM+C disciplines.
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Drawing on Internal Strengths and Creating Spaces for Growth: How Black Science Majors Navigate the Racial Climate at a Predominantly White Institution to Succeed
To support Black students in earning undergraduate science degrees, faculty need to understand the mechanisms that Black students use to succeed. Following an anti-deficit achievement approach, we used the community cultural wealth framework to investigate the strengths that Black undergraduates bring to their science majors. Community cultural wealth consists of capital or “knowledge, skills, abilities, and contacts” that students of color can use in their education. Through participatory action research, we studied academically successful Black science majors in the final year of their undergraduate degrees at a research-intensive predominantly white institution (PWI; n = 34). We collected data using a demographic survey and two semistructured interviews. Three themes emerged from content and thematic analysis. First, Black science majors use their capital to navigate the racial climate at a PWI. Second, Black students use internal strengths as capital to succeed in their science majors at a PWI. Third, Black science majors create virtual and physical spaces where they can share their capital and thrive at a PWI. We use our results to offer suggestions for researchers and instructors who want to take action to support the success of Black science majors.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1831153
- PAR ID:
- 10350968
- Editor(s):
- Brame, Cynthia
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- CBE—Life Sciences Education
- Volume:
- 21
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1931-7913
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Building upon previous National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research, and research related to STEM persistence and counter-life herstories, this study is part of a larger, longitudinal, mixed-methods sequential, explanatory, NSF CAREER project that examines the influence of community cultural wealth (CCW) on the persistence of Black and Hispanic females in computing majors as they matriculate from middle school into high school, into undergraduate education and into graduate school or the computing workforce. In this preliminary study, Dr. Shetay Ashford-Hanserd, CAREER Principal Investigator (PI) is accompanied by Postdoctoral Scholar, Dr. Lillianna Carrera, to illuminate Black and Hispanic women’s educational trajectories and lived experiences that have influenced their persistence in undergraduate computing education at a Hispanic Serving Institution in Texas. Data collection instruments include the reliable ACCEYSS STEM+C majors survey instrument and counter-life herstories interview protocol. To provide an anti-deficit understanding of how Black and Hispanic women access their strengths to survive and resist forms of oppression, the CCW model is utilized as a theoretical framework. The CAREER PI modified the CCW model to include spiritual capital because it serves as a critical source of fortitude and resilience in the Black and Hispanic communities. Research findings will highlight how CCW influences Black and Hispanic women’s persistence in computing education in response to our collective need to better support this population in their attainment and representation in STEM+C disciplines.more » « less
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Our transformative mixed-methods project, funded by the Division of Engineering Education and Centers, responds to calls for more cross-institutional qualitative and longitudinal studies of minorities in engineering education. We seek to identify the factors that promote persistence and graduation as well as attrition for Black students in Electrical Engineering (EE), Computer Engineering (CpE), and Mechanical Engineering (ME). Our work combines quantitative exploration and qualitative interviews to better understand the nuanced and complex nature of retention and attrition in these fields. We are investigating the following overarching research questions: 1. Why do Black men and women choose and persist in, or leave, EE, CpE, and ME? 2. What are the academic trajectories of Black men and women in EE, CpE, and ME? 3. In what ways do these pathways vary by gender or institution? 4. What institutional policies and practices promote greater retention of Black engineering students? In this paper, we report on the results from 79 in-depth interviews with students at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and a Historically Black University (HBCU [or HBU]). We describe emergent findings during Year 3 of our project, with a focus on four papers-in-progress: • Paper # 1: Our project utilized several innovative strategies for collecting narratives from our 79 interviewees. In particular, we developed a card-sorting activity to learn more about students’ reasons for choosing their engineering major. We have explored a variety of ways to analyze the data that illustrate the value of this type of data collection strategy and which will be of value to other researchers interested in decision making where there is a potentially complex set of factors, such as those found in deciding on a major. • Paper # 2: We summarized student responses to a pre-interview climate survey about three domains – Teaching and Learning, Faculty and Peer Interactions, and Belonging and Commitment. We investigated two questions: Are there differences between persisters and switchers? And, are there differences by study major? Results indicate substantial differences between persisters and switchers and some differences between ME and ECE students. • Paper # 3: Preliminary analysis of interviews of 10 HBCU Black students and 10 PWI Black students revealed that students enact several different types of community cultural wealth, particularly family, navigational, aspirational, social and resistant capital. Early results suggest that the HBCU students enacted a different form of family capital that resided in their “HBCU family” and the opportunities that their college-based networks afforded them to succeed in the major. PWI students described various forms of navigational capital and assets that were enacted in order to succeed at their study institutions. Our paper concludes with implications for university policies and practices aimed toward underrepresented students.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.21-02-0049
