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1. Community Cultural Wealth in Latinofuturism: Leveraging Speculative Fiction for STEM + Arts Asset-Based Pedagogies

   Ojeda-Ramírez, S. (June 2023, International Conference of the Learning Sciences)

   In this conceptual paper, we present our work in progress towards the theorization and operationalization of an asset-based pedagogy for STEM + Arts content infused with the aesthetic and speculative fiction movement of Latinofuturism. As Latine scholars, we aim to contribute to the education field with an alternative approach to support the Latine population who is still disproportionately underrepresented in the STEM fields. Through our review of the literature and media, we use the theoretical framework of Community Cultural Wealth, specifically its six forms of capital, to examine Latinofuturism as a genre that can connect STEM + Arts themes with Latine culture through speculative practices. We propose that asset-based pedagogies situated in Latinofuturism aesthetics provide emancipatory opportunities for Latine to dream and think beyond the current barriers of access to STEM + Arts and create a new STEM culture for and with Latine. 

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2. Latine health and development in the digital age: assets-based inclusive design as a social movement for equitable distributions of power

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3550199  

   Hernandez, J. Maya; Ahumada-Newhart, Veronica (September 2022, Interactions)

   Latine Health and Development in the Digital Age: Assets-Based Inclusive Design as a Social Movement for Equitable Distributions of Power → Inclusive design of digital platforms may increase equitable access to healthcare services and dismantle systemic barriers for Latine communities. → Ethical identification of assets in the design process can promote action through internal change or external allyship. → The ABID framework is designed to minimize technology-based amplifications of existing inequities. 

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3. Centering Culture in Program Quality: Charting the Associations between Culturally Responsive Practices and Latine Adolescents’ Basic Needs in a U.S. Math After-School Activity

   https://doi.org/10.3224/ijree.v12i2.07  

   Wycoff, Taylor Michelle; Simpkins, Sandra D; Pantano, Alessandra (April 2025, IJREE – International Journal for Research on Extended Education)

   Scholars have increasingly argued that we need to attend to adolescents’ race, ethnicity, and culture in after-school activities to ensure positive effects. Still, little is known about adolescents’ perceptions of culturally responsive practices in after-school activities (i. e., the use of diverse teaching practices, cultural engagement, and affirming diverse language preferences), including whether they are stable over time and beneficial to Latine adolescents, who are minoritized in U.S. society. Theoretically, culturally responsive practices are expected to help after-school activities meet adolescents’ three basic needs as conceptualized by self-determination theory: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Findings based on 134 Latine adolescents (53% girls, Mage =11.74 years) participating in an afterschool math enrichment activity suggest adolescents’ perceptions of culturally responsive practices in the activity were moderately stable from winter to spring. There were no significant differences in adolescents’ perceptions of culturally responsive practices based on gender or preferred language (i. e., English or Spanish), and significant positive associations emerged between adolescents’ perceptions of diverse teaching practices and their feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. This study offers insights for future theory development in the after-school field, particularly in the context of program quality, culturally responsive practices, and their implications for adolescent development and well-being. 

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4. Challenges and Strategies in Working with Latine Adolescents in a Math Enrichment Afterschool Activity

   https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584241256567  

   Soto-Lara, Stephanie; Yu, Mark_Vincent_B; Pantano, Alessandra; Simpkins, Sandra_D (June 2024, Journal of Adolescent Research)

   Afterschool staff are critical to youth’s experiences in activities and shape what youth garner from activities. This study focuses on undergraduate students’ experiences working with adolescents in an afterschool activity through a community-university partnership in an effort to understand the challenges afterschool staff face and the strategies that helped them address those challenges. Undergraduate students, who are referred to as mentors in the activity, ( n = 15; 11 female; 8 Latine, 7 non-Latine) are the staff for a math enrichment afterschool activity serving largely Latine youth. The undergraduate students were interviewed to understand (a) the challenges they encountered when working with adolescents, (b) the strategies they leveraged to respond to these challenges, and (c) the extent to which the themes varied by racial/ethnic cultural backgrounds. Undergraduate students felt they experienced challenges with promoting motivation, teaching math content, navigating group instruction, building connections with adolescents, and establishing authority or respect. To respond to these challenges, they sought help from experienced undergraduate students, attended trainings, facilitated collaborative learning, integrated real-world examples, engaged in structured non-math related conversations, and leveraged students’ sociocultural assets. Results provide key stakeholders with insights on how to design trainings to better support undergraduate students who work with diverse youth. 

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5. Creating Pathways for Equity in STEM Through Family Engagement: Highlighting the Experiences of Hispanic/Latine Youths

   Dou, R.; Cian, H. (November 2020, Connected science learning)

   null (Ed.)

   In order for children to identify with STEM fields, it is essential that they feel there is a place within STEM for individuals “like them.” Unfortunately, this identification is difficult for Hispanic/Latine youths because of lack of representation and even stereotyping that is widespread in educational institutions in the United States. Some research has been done, though, that suggests there is promise in understanding the ways that parents help children see themselves as “STEM people” in spite of these obstacles. Building on this work, we present some of our own research on the experiences of Hispanic/Latine youth in South Florida and how their parents use the resources they have (i.e., capital) to engage their children in STEM and help them develop positive self-perceptions. We find that parents use STEM capital they have, convert other capital into STEM capital, and establish family dispositions that are supportive of STEM identity development. We show how these ideas can be applied to make programming more inviting for Hispanic/Latine youths and emphasize the need to consider parental involvement in any efforts to increase children’s identification with STEM. 

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