Using An Asset Based Approach To Identify Sources Of Persistence For Latinas In Selecting Stem Undergraduate Degrees

Latinas are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professions compared to their White colleagues, which may be due to researchers' and practitioners' unawareness of this group's unique assets (i.e., "capital"). Yosso's (2005) "Community Cultural Wealth (CCW)" Model served as a foundation for asset-based thinking, as the study's purpose was to identify and enhance assets that encouraged STEM success for Latinas in high school. The research question sought to determine the extent to which the personal, school and/or community-based supports encouraged STEM persistence in high school and the eventual selection of STEM undergraduate majors by Latina high school students. Using grounded theory methodology with a critical ethnographic lens, seven participants were interviewed based on their self-identification as Latina, English proficiency, and enrollment in a STEM-related undergraduate major at a public university. The participants' familial, navigational, aspirational, and resistance capital emerged as the most significant of those in Yosso's (2005) "CCW" Model as evidenced by a pattern of responses generated via data analysis techniques. The following school-based supports may be beneficial for Latinas' success in high school STEM coursework: (1) Equity-Focused Professional Development for School Staff, (2) STEM Curriculum Shifts towards Equity-Focused Pedagogy, and (3) Creating Opportunities for Latina Mothers to Have a "Seat at the Table". The findings of this study can help to amplify Latinas' assets via equitable teaching practices in K-12 settings to promote academic success and gender/ethnic representation in STEM careers.