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Persistencia de nuestro ingeniera/os: examining the persistence of Latina/os in engineering at a minority serving community college

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Persistencia de nuestro ingeniera/os: examining the persistence of Latina/os in engineering at a minority serving community college

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Content Running head: LATINOS IN STEM 1

PERSISTENCIA DE NUESTRO INGENIERA/OS:
EXAMINING THE PERSISTENCE OF LATINA/OS IN ENGINEERING AT A MINORITY
SERVING COMMUNITY COLLEGE

by
Julio Rene Flores

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF EDUCATION

May 2015
LATINOS IN STEM 2
Dedication
For my parents and the parents of the study’s participants, who have sacrificed so much
just so that we can pursue a college education and the American dream.
Para mis padres y los padres de los participantes de mi tesis, que han sacrificado tanto
para que podamos obtener una educación universitaria y el sueño Americano.

LATINOS IN STEM 3
Acknowledgements
This thesis would not have been made possible had it not been for the support,
encouragement, and guidance of the following individuals. Their unique and active roles made
this process rewarding.
First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge the constant support of my committee:
Dr. Kristan Venegas, Dr. Kevin Colaner, Dr. Dyrell Foster, and Dr. Patricia Tobey. Dr. Venegas,
thank you for constantly pushing the envelope. Since the day I visited your foundations course,
as a prospective student, you have cultivated my inquisitive inquiry. I do not know where I
would be without your sponsorship. Dr. Colaner, you have been there since day one. I am
passionate about the profession because of your guidance during my undergraduate career. Oh,
and how can I forget, your witty remarks! Dr. Foster, thank you for letting me demonstrate my
character, as opposed to basing it off other’s accounts. I hope to emulate your genuine
compassion as I enter the profession. Dr. Tobey, you introduced me to the anti-deficit
perspective –an analytical tool I use in my writing and every day life– thank you.
I would also like to acknowledge my family. Mom and dad, you made many sacrifices, so
that I can pursue an education. Mom, you provided your unconditional love and emotional
support. Dad, you never said no to helping me out financially. I would also like to thank my little
sister, Grethel, who has been my rock and confidant throughout my educational journey.
Lastly, I would like to thank all of my mentors. Thank you for letting me be vulnerable and share
my story. Your support of my educational endeavors has made this journey possible. Thank you:
Enrique Trujillo, Audrey Dow, Michele Siqueiros, Dr. Monique Allard, and Dr. Wendell Hall.
LATINOS IN STEM 4
Table of Contents
Dedication ........................................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 3
List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... 6
List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 7
Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 8
Chapter 1—Introduction ..................................................................................................... 9
The Opportunity Gap .................................................................................................. 10
Chapter 2—Review of Literature ...................................................................................... 15
Experiences of Underrepresented Minorities in STEM .............................................. 15
STEM Participation of Latina/os ................................................................................ 19
The Community Colleges: Pathways for Latino Students .......................................... 13
Theoretical Framework: Persistence in Higher Education ......................................... 21
Chapter 3—Methods ......................................................................................................... 37
Methodological Approach .......................................................................................... 37
Chapter 4—Data Presentation ........................................................................................... 44
Presentation of the Data .............................................................................................. 44
Chapter 5—Discussion ..................................................................................................... 66
Summary ..................................................................................................................... 66
Findings in Relation to PSC Model ............................................................................ 67
Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 81
References ......................................................................................................................... 83
Appendices
LATINOS IN STEM 5
A. Invitation Email .................................................................................................. 107
B. Interview Protocol ............................................................................................... 108
C. Institutional Review Board Consent Form ......................................................... 109

LATINOS IN STEM 6
List of Tables
Table 1: Awards conferred to Latina/os in STEM majors, 2000-01 & 2008-09 .............. 20
Table 2: Demographics of participants ............................................................................. 48
Table 3: Essential vs. useful themes ................................................................................. 65
Table 4: Maximum credits allowed by degree for federal student aid ............................. 80
LATINOS IN STEM 7
List of Figures
Figure 1. Psychosociocultural framework for racial ethnic minority college students ..... 28
LATINOS IN STEM 8

Abstract
It is estimated that Latinos will comprise 30% of the U.S. Population by 2050 (Passel & Cohn,
2008). Given these demographic predictions, Millett and Nettles (2006) suggest the Latina/os
have the potential to make great strides in engineering education (Millett & Nettles, 2006). It is
widely known that Latina/o access post-secondary education via community colleges. Yet, little
attention has been given to the experiences of Latino, engineering majors enrolled at the
community college. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological, social, and
cultural experiences that impact the success (i.e. persisting and transfer behavior) of Latina/o,
engineering students through their completion of lower-division courses at the community
college. Using a qualitative approach, the researcher sought to understand the experiences that
facilitated persistence of 8 Latina/o, engineering students at the community college. The findings
revealed that a student’s persistence was predicated on ten themes: (1) educational aspirations;
(2) motivation; (3) family support; (4) faculty support; (5) peer support; (6) extra-curricular and
co-curricular activities; (7) campus climate; (8); cultural congruity; (9) barriers to transfer; and
(10) overcoming barriers. The results of this research provide a greater understanding to
practitioners and institutions, so that they may adequately provide the necessary resources and
environments needed for the persistence of Latina/o engineering majors at the community
college.
LATINOS IN STEM 9
Chapter 1—Introduction
According to the last three Global Competitiveness Reports, the United States has
fluctuated between fifth and seventh in its economic competitiveness, falling behind countries
such as: Switzerland, Singapore, Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Netherlands (World Economic
Forum, 2011; 2012; 2013). Much of the increased global competition has been prompted by the
creation of new technologies, which is correlated to economic growth (Grossman & Helpman,
1991; Aghion & Howitt, 1992). Given that a well-prepared workforce is needed to contribute to
the development of new technologies, much of the literature has focused its attention towards the
production of more degrees within the science, technology, engineering, and mathematical
(STEM) fields. The National Science Board has proposed:
“To ensure that long-term prosperity of our Nation, we must renew our collective
excellence in education and the development of scientific talent” (National Science Board
[NSB], 2010, p.1).

Therefore, many policymakers and researchers have expressed the importance of
strengthening our education systems in order to be competitive in the global economy. Yet, at its
current rate, the United States (U.S.) may not be able to preserve its current economic
competiveness, let alone compete with other top countries (Palmer, Davis, Moore, & Hilton,
2010; NSB, 2012). For example, an NSB report found that 20% of undergraduates in China
studied a STEM related major, while only 4.4% of American undergraduates studied in the
STEM field (NSB, 2012). These numbers have thus earned the U.S. its 27
th
ranking in the
number of science and engineering degrees conferred (Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development, 2009). Moreover, it is estimated that the number of STEM jobs will increase
by 17%, compared to 9.8% of non-STEM related jobs (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2011).
This increase will create more than 1.2 million jobs, but it will mean nothing if we do not
LATINOS IN STEM 10
effectively prepare college students to fill these positions. To shift this paradigm, President
Barack Obama has created the Educate to Innovate Campaign, in order to inspire and motivate
the next generation of students in STEM fields. The campaign aims to produce at least 1 million
more additional students with STEM degrees over the next 10 years (Committee on STEM
Education [CoSTEM], 2013). However, the U.S. will need to produce 34% more than its current
production of STEM degrees to achieve this goal (President’s Council of Advisors on Science
and Technology [PCAST], 2012). Additionally, STEM remains White and male dominated
(NSF, 2012), thus programs that focus on increasing the participation of female and minority
have been of great interest. Congruent to this focus, Educate to Innovate has listed minority
involvement as one of its goals:
Better Serve Groups Historically Under-represented in STEM Fields: Increase the
number of students from groups that have been underrepresented in STEM fields that
graduate with STEM degrees in the next 10 years and improve women’s participation in
areas of STEM where they are significantly underrepresented” (CoSTEM, p.32, 2013).

In order to prepare the next generation of STEM innovators, developing our nation’s untapped
human capital will be crucial for the US to remain competitive.
The Opportunity Gap
As the demand for graduates in the STEM field continues to grow at a rapid rate,
participation of women and traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities (REM)
remains stagnant (Anderson & Kim, 2006; Starobin & Laanan, 2005). For this reason, a great
deal of STEM potential remains underdeveloped. Murphy and Cross (2003) state, “in order to
compete in the global economy, American colleges and universities must increase the
representation of students who traditionally have not enrolled in STEM academic programs and
courses to alter their enrollment patterns” (p. 1). Of particular concern is the underrepresentation
of Latino students in STEM fields (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2010). In 2010, Latinos
LATINOS IN STEM 11
comprised of 20.5% of the 18- to 24-year-old U.S. population, yet only accounted for 10.1% of
the students enrolled in science and engineering majors (NSF, 2013). When comparing to their
White counterparts, who make up 56.1% of the 18 to 24-year-old population, these students
comprised 62.7% of the science and engineering enrollments (NSF, 2013). It is estimated that
Latinos will comprise 30% of the U.S. Population by 2050 (Passel & Cohn, 2008). Given these
demographic predictions, Millett and Nettles (2006) suggest the Latina/os have the potential to
make great strides in engineering education (Millett & Nettles, 2006). Additionally, Latinos are
projected to become the largest racial/ethnic population in several states, surpassing the White
population (Lopez, 2014). Given their sheer size, Latinos serve as an ideal resource to fill the
growing number of STEM jobs (Oakes, 1990). Policymakers have noticed this opportunity and
have focused their efforts to boost the participation of Latinos and other underrepresented groups
(PCSAT, 2012).
Steps Taken By Policy Makers
Several federal and state initiatives have been enacted in order to increase the number of
underrepresented-minority (URM) college graduates, which in turn will strengthen the U.S.
economy (Obama, 2009). One of the first attempts to increase the number of URM students was
through the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA). CCRAA increased the maximum
Pell grant from $4,310 to $5,400. It also gradually reduced the subsidized Stafford loan’s interest
rate from 6.8% in 2007 to 3.4% in July 2011. Another initiative was a provision within the
Health Care and Education Reform Act. One billion dollars were directed to Hispanic Serving
Institutions (HSI) in order to improve the number of STEM bachelors conferred to Latino
students (Bensimon, Dowd, Chase, Sawatzky, Shieh, Rall, & Jones, 2012). An institution is
classified as an HSI when 25%, or more, of its full-time equivalency, undergraduate student
LATINOS IN STEM 12
enrollment is of Latina/o or Hispanic ethnicity (Laden, 2000; 2001). The classification came
about as a provision in the Higher Education Act (Bensimon et al., 2010). HSIs who have
received these federal title V funds have been designated as HSI-STEM grantees (Malcom,
Dowd, & Yu, 2010). Interestingly enough, 44% HSI-STEM grants distributed in 2010 were
awarded to California (Bensimon et al., 2010). Perhaps the shortage of college-educated workers
in California elicited the majority of grants to be distributed throughout the state. Another
important issue to note is that majority of the HSI-STEM grantees in California are community
colleges. In addition, The Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) are outreach and student services
programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education (D.O.E.) designed to identify and
provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Trio program consists of
8 different programs whose mission is to assist students from underrepresented and
disenfranchised to progress through the academic pipeline. A program of interest to the STEM
topic is the Student Support Service (SSS) program. The TRIO SSS program is a grant
distributed by the D.O.E. and awarded to institutions of higher education in order to provide
opportunities for academic development, assist students with basic college requirements, and to
motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education. TRIO SSS
projects include those tailored for the assistance of students in STEM at community colleges.
Starobin, Laanan, and Burger (2010) found that community colleges play a vital role in STEM,
given that the majority of students use community colleges as their entry point to higher
education. Moreover, Latinos are more likely to attend community colleges than are individuals
from other racial/ethnic groups (Adelman, 2005).

LATINOS IN STEM 13
Role of the Community College in the Production of STEM Degrees
The purpose of community college is twofold: (a) prepare students for transfer to four-
year institutions, and (b) technical and vocational preparation leading to employment (Hagedorn
& Dubray, 2010; Cohen & Brawer, 2008; Nuñez, Sparks, & Hernandez, 2010). REM students
usually attend these institutions because of their inexpensive tuition, flexible scheduling, and
feasibility for displaced workers (Hagedorn & Purnamasari, 2012). About 18% of all community
college students are Latino (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). When
disaggregating the Latino, undergraduate population by institution type (NCES, 2012):
• 30.3% of Latinos attend a public, 4-year institution
• 50.6% of Latinos attend a community college
• 8.3 % of Latinos attend a private, nonprofit 4-year institution
• 0.1 %f of Latinos attend a private, nonprofit 2-year institution
• 6.9 % of Latinos attend a private, for-profit 4-year institution
• 3.7% of Latinos attend a private, for-profit 2-year institution
Therefore, in order to produce the additional one million STEM degrees (PCAT, 2012), much of
the effort will rely on the nation’s Latina/o community, which due to its rapid population growth
(Passel & Cohn, 2008), play a chief role in building and strengthening the STEM workforce.
Especially, in addressing the approaching mass retirement of America’s older generation (i.e.
baby boomers) (Kelly, 2008). Additionally, this rapidly growing population calls for additional
research efforts involving retention and persistence in STEM education (Hurtado, Eagan,
Cabrera, Lin, Park & Lopez, 2008; Mesues, Palmer, Davis, & Maramba, 2011).
Research has examined the success factors of REM in STEM (e.g. Cole & Espinoza,
2008; Hurtado et al., 2007). However, most of these studies have used 4-year institutions as the
research setting. Moreover, these studies used quantitative methods to examine the success
factors, failing to provide the unique experiences acquired through qualitative research
(Charmaz, 2000). Recently, Palmer, Maramba, and Dancy (2011) examined the retention and
LATINOS IN STEM 14
persistence of students of color in STEM, using a qualitative approach. Although, Palmer et al.
(2011) did not specifically look at students in the community college, it did provide depth and
understanding of the unique experiences of students of color in STEM. Nonetheless, research for
underrepresentation of REM in STEM and the pivotal role of the community colleges did not
gain momentum until recent years (Wang, 2013). While few studies have examined the unique
experiences of Latina/os in STEM related majors at community colleges (Malcolm, 2010), most
have taken a quantitative approach. This study seeks to fill this gap. Additionally, this study
looks at a particular major within STEM –engineering. Using a qualitative approach, the
researcher seeks to understand the experiences that facilitate persistence of Latina/o students at
the community college in a STEM major, not only to provide equitable outcomes for these
students, but also ensure the viability of our economic competiveness via the STEM workforce.
Thus the purpose of this study is to examine the psychological, social, and cultural experiences
that impact the success (i.e. persisting and transferring) of Latina/o students through their
completion of lower-division courses at the community college. Therefore, this thesis is guided
by the research question: How do Latina/o students at a Hispanic-serving community college
make meaning and define their persistence, while pursuing a STEM related degree?
LATINOS IN STEM 15
Chapter 2—Review of Literature
This literature review is divided into two sections. The first section examines the existing
literature addressing the experiences of underrepresented students in STEM, the role of minority
serving institutions, the participation of Latinos in STEM, and community colleges as pathways
for success. The last section conceptualizes the framework that guides this qualitative study.
Experiences of Underrepresented Minorities in STEM
Studies have frequently found that women (e.g. Hill, Corbett, & Rose, 2010) and
underrepresented minorities (e.g. Griffith, 2010) leave STEM fields at higher rates then their
White-male counterparts. With regards to completion, things are not any better. Based on NCES
(2009) data, only 7.5% of Black students and 7.0% of Latina/o students were awarded degrees in
the 2008-2009 academic year, while 57.3% were awarded to White students. Furthermore, when
disaggregating this data by gender, females only accounted for 32% of awards conferred in
STEM. As stated by Camacho and Lord (2011), “the shortfall of diverse engineering students—
namely, women of all ethnic groups and underrepresented men of color—produces a gap that is
America’s greatest challenge” (p.135). Thus, students of color and females are disproportionately
underrepresented in the overall number of degrees conferred. It is through this inequity that
racial and ethnic minorities and females are categorized as underrepresented minorities (URM).
Racial and Ethnic Minorities (REM)
Anderson & Kim (2006) claim that African-American and Latina/o students do not
complete bachelor degrees at the same rate as their counterparts. Moreover, their completion
rates are even lower in STEM fields. Only 18% of African American and 22% of Latino students
completed their bachelor’s degree in STEM within five years of beginning their respective
programs, as compared to 33% of White and 42% of Asian American students (Higher
LATINOS IN STEM 16
Education Research Institute, 2010). For master’s degrees in science and engineering,
percentages are depressingly lower; with only 7% and 10% of master’s degrees awarded to
Latino and Black students respectively (NSB, 2012). Moreover, this trend continues into the
STEM workforce with only 9.1% of scientists and engineers representing Latino, Black, and
Native American minorities, as compared to 71.8% of their White counterparts (NSB, 2012).
Researchers have identified a variety of factors affecting the retention of REM students.
For REM students who pursue undergraduate studies in STEM related majors, a
combination of hostile environments (Seymour & Hewitt, 1997) internal psychological factors
(Grandy, 1998) and non-cognitive variables (Vasquez-Urias, Johnson, Wood, 2013) have been
shown to negatively impact persistence. For instance, research suggests that negative campus
climates can hinder the persistence of REMs pursuing STEM related major (Seymour & Hewitt,
1997). When considering internal psychological factors, Grandy (1998) found that academic
advisors have an effect on a student’s persistence. This is based on the findings, which claims
that a student might perceive the helping profession as better suited for enchaining society
(Grandy, 1998). Mentoring, brought upon by role models, is important for all students, but has
been found to play a vital role in the academic success of REM in the STEM fields (United
States Government Accountability Office [USGAO], 2005).
Women in STEM
Female students are much more likely to pursue degrees outside of STEM fields
(Simpson, 2001), even though they may be prepared academically and are better represented in
the postsecondary system (Cole & Espinoza, 2009). However, this is not to say that women are
not earning STEM related degrees. In 2009, women earned more than half of the degrees in
agricultural studies and biological sciences (NSB, 2012). However, the majority of bachelor’s
LATINOS IN STEM 17
degrees awarded in engineering and computer sciences (82%) were awarded to males (NSB,
2012). This reaffirms research that claims, women, regardless of race/ethnicity, were found to be
more likely to switch from engineering to another major (Seymour & Hewitt, 1997). The only
other major that follows this trend is computer science (Lord, Camacho, Layton, Long, Ohland,
& Wasburn, 2009). Thus, gender inequity within the STEM fields continues to be a challenge in
higher education.
Much like REM students, women have difficulties acquiring mentors in the STEM field.
Women reported a strong mentor was a crucial part in the academic training in sciences
(USGAO, 2005). Moreover, women had pursued advanced degrees because of the
encouragement and support of mentors (USGAO, 2005) While the number URM who initially
choose STEM fields has grown, few students succeed (Hurtado et al., 2007; Cole & Espinoza,
2009).
The Role of Minority Serving Institutions (MSI)
Several studies have forewarned that if there is no action with regards to the success of
underrepresented minorities in STEM, which includes women and racial/ethnic populations,
there will be negative implications for the country’s competitiveness in the global economy
(Perna, Lundy-Wagner, Drezner, Gasman, Yoon, Bose & Gary 2009; Museus et al., 2011;
Jackson & Laanan, 2011; Palmer, Maramba, Dancy, 2011). MSIs enroll more than 2.3 million
students or close to 14% of all students, which include Black, Native Americans, Latino, Asian
American, and Pacific Islanders American students (Palmer et al, 2013). Moreover, they have
been successful in conferring a significant amount of bachelor’s degrees to REM students
(Harmon, 2012). As a matter of fact, MSIs are responsible for producing nearly one-third of the
nation’s minority STEM graduates (Institute for Higher Education Policy [IHEP], 2009). Stage,
LATINOS IN STEM 18
Lundy-Wanger, and John (2013) found that among the nearly 10,000 bachelors degrees in STEM
conferred in the 2008-2009 academic year by MSIs, approximately 71% of them were awarded
to minority students. Furthermore, Stage et al. (2013) found that the majority of the degrees
awarded by each MSI corresponded to its respective student population. For instance (Stage et
al., 2013):
• 86% of STEM degrees conferred by HBCU’s were earned by African-Americans;
• 63% of STEM degrees conferred by TCU’s were earned by Native Americans;
• 34% of STEM degrees conferred by AANAPISIs were earned by Asian Americans
• 6% of STEM degrees conferred by HSIs were earned by Latina/os
However, results do not follow suit for HSIs; with only 6% of the STEM degrees conferred by
HSIs awarded to Latino students (Stage et al., 2013). Additionally, Perna et al. (2009), found that
the number of STEM degrees awarded to minority students, and the number of students in STEM
majors (Herrera & Hurtado, 2011), not only influences a students’ attendance to an MSI, but also
their decision to pursue a STEM degree.
Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI)
HSIs enroll approximately 1.3 Million, or 42%, of all Latino students in higher education
(Harmon, 2012; Laden, 2004). Given the large numbers of Latinos that HSIs serve, they are
positioned to provide critical pathways to STEM fields for this population (Dowd, Malcolm, and
Bensimon 2009). MSIs have grown in size due to the increase of HSIs over the last couple of
decades (Li & Carroll, 2007). According to Harmon (2012), not only are HSIs the fastest
growing MSI designations, they award more undergraduate degrees to Latino students than any
other institutions combined. Given the increased success of REM students, Minority Serving
Institutions (MSI’s) have been identified as key intermediaries in improving, and more
importantly, diversifying STEM pipeline (IHEP, 2010). In particular, HSIs award about 40% of
LATINOS IN STEM 19
undergraduate degrees and a fifth of all STEM degrees to Latina/o students (Dowd et al., 2009;
Dowd, Malcolm & Macias, 2010)
It should be noted that approximately 70% of HSIs are community colleges (Laden,
2004). Moreover, community colleges designated as HSI enroll almost half of the Latina/o
population in college (Laden, 2004). Bensimon et al. (2012) notes that there are 100 HSIs in the
United States and Puerto Rico that have been awarded HSI-STEM grants, and a majority of them
are community colleges. Furthermore, it should be noted that a large number of HSI-STEM
institutions are located in California, which may be result of the large Latina/o population.
Specifically, 43 of these institutions are located in California, and more than 75% of these
institutions are 2-year, public colleges. Thus California’s ability to promote a large number of
Latinos in STEM should be studied.
STEM Participation of Latina/os
The underrepresentation of Latinos in higher education, let alone STEM, is not a new
phenomenon. There have been longstanding calls to increase participation among Latinos in
higher education in general and in the STEM. While the participation of Latinos in STEM has
marginally increased with reforms (NCES, 2007), Latina/o students in engineering and computer
science majors have not had positive changes (Hernandez-Gantes & Fletcher, 2013). This is
interesting given that Latinos reported the same intent to major in STEM as their White
counterparts (National Science Foundation [NSF], 2009). As suggested by this NSF report, the
underrepresentation of Latino students is not necessarily attributable to a lack of interest in
STEM fields. In 2008-2009, of all the degrees conferred, 10.7% of them were from the STEM
field; of these awards only 35.9% were bachelor’s degrees in STEM (NCES, 2009). When
looking these numbers disaggregated by race ethnicity, Latinos were awarded 30,156 (7%) of the
LATINOS IN STEM 20
2008-09 STEM degrees, as compared to Blacks who received 32,488 (7.5%) and Whites who
received 248,595 or 57.3% (NCSE, 2009). Furthermore, there are marginal changes in the
number of STEM degrees awarded to Latina/o students between 2000-01 and 2008-09:
Table 1. Awards Conferred to Latina/os in STEM majors, 2000-01 & 2008-09 (NCSE, 2009)

All Stem
Fields
Computer
and
Information
Sciences
Engineering
and
engineering
technologies
Biological
and
biomedical
sciences
Mathematics
and statistics
Physical
sciences
Science
technologies
Overall (United States)
Number
(Percentage)
of awards:
2000-01
23,891
(100%)
7,542
(31.6%)
11,016
(46.1%)
3,249
(14.4%)
789
(3.3%)
929
(3.9%)
186
(0.8%)
Number
(Percentage)
of awards:
2008-09
[Percentage
Change]
30,516
(100%)

[27.7%]
7,492
(24.6%)

[-0.7%]
13,721
(45.0%)

[24.6%]
6,150
(20.2%)

[79.4%]
1,289
(4.2%)

[63.4%]

1,554
(5.1%)

[67.3%]
310
(1.0%)

[66.7%]
California
Number
(Percentage)
of awards:
2000-01
5,725
(100%)
1,158
(20.2%)
3,316
(57.9%)
703
(12.3%)
273
(4.8%)
241
(4.2%)
34
(0.6%)
Number
(Percentage)
of awards:
2008-09
[Percentage
Change]
6,446
(100%)

[12.6]
1,346
(20.9%)

[16.2%]
3,501
(47.3%)

[-8.0%]
1,271
(19.7%)

[80.8%]
407
(6.3%)

[49.1%]
361
(5.6%)

[49.8%]
10
(0.2%)

[-70.6%]

Despite the encouraging growth for Latina/os, when compared to the percentages of the growing
Latino population and proportion of the general population, Latinos are lagging STEM degree
attainment (Chapa & De La Rosa, 2006; Museus et al., 2011). These numbers are in agreement
with Johnson (2007), who suggests that the STEM educational gap between Latina/os continues
to widen, especially in engineering. Furthermore, Young (2005) found that Latinos who declared
a degree in science or engineering, nearly 50% of them did not earn a degree in either area.
Studies found that the persistence of REM students in STEM related majors was
attributable to student’s strong pre-college factors (Crisp, Nora, and Taggart, 2009), family
support (Anaya & Cole, 2001), and the campus environment (Hurtado & Ponjuan, 2005).
LATINOS IN STEM 21
Furthermore, the first two years of college are the most critical to the retention of STEM majors
and regardless of where a student attends college, whether it be a four-year or two-year, the
coursework is relatively the same (PCAST, 2012). Interestingly enough, Tsapogas (2004) found
that more than 40% of students who earned a bachelors or masters in science or engineering used
a 2-year institution (i.e. community college) at some point. Over the last dew decades,
community colleges have facilitated the increase of minority representations in the STEM field
(Olson & Labov, 2012) Furthermore, research indicates that the representation of Latina/o
students in postsecondary education is concentrated at the community colleges
The Community Colleges: Pathways for Latino Students
With more than 12 million students throughout the country (American Association of
Community Colleges [AACC], 2014), community colleges have provided access to groups that
have been traditionally underrepresented in and underserved by four-year colleges and
universities (Dowd, 2007). While there are over 1,000 community colleges across the country,
which enroll nearly 35% of the college population, the California Community College system
enrolls 23% of community college students (Nunez, et al., 2011). Community colleges appeal to
Latino students for several reasons, including their proximity to homes, affordability, flexible
schedules, welcoming environments, and open access policies (Cohen & Brawer (2008); Laden,
(2001); Nunez et al., (2011). Additionally, Laden (2001) found that community colleges also
tend to offer academic and student support programs that address the needs of students from
underrepresented and nontraditional backgrounds (Laden, 2001). Despite their accessibility,
researchers have argued that attending a 2-year institution rather than a 4-year institution
decreases the chance of attaining a baccalaureate degree (Baker & Vélez, 1996), yet REM make
up a large population of the community colleges.
LATINOS IN STEM 22
Latinos represent the largest REM group within the community colleges (AACC, 2014).
While that number is only 19%, compared to Black (14%) and Asian (6%), 56% of
undergraduate Latinos were community college students (AACC, 2014). Yet only a small
percentage of Latinos transfer and graduate from a four-year college within an eight-year
timeframe (Bailey, Jenkins, & Leinbach, 2005; AACC, 2014). Despite the low success rate,
Latinos in the community college need to be tapped into to improve the STEM pipeline, given
the sheer size of the community college system and the number of Latino students (Tsapogas,
2004; Starobin & Lanaan, 2005). Working on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the
community college transfer pathway for STEM students can have numerous returns for both the
nation’s workforce and for the lives of those interested in pursuing careers in these fields.
Prior research has identified high school math and science success as reasons for students
pursuit of a STEM related major (Crisp, Nora & Taggart, 2009; Simpson, 2001). Therefore in
promoting interest of underrepresented minorities in STEM, an improvement in high school
math and science is warranted. Yet, interest alone is not enough. Using data from the Education
Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) and the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal
Study (BPS:04/09), Wang (2013) found that 15.72% of community college going Latinos had
intentions of pursing a STEM, yet only 14.6% enrolled in a STEM related major upon entering.
This is an issue given that Chapa & De La Rosa (2006) asserts that community colleges play a
vital role in advancing the number of Latina/o students in engineering. Nonetheless, more
research is needed in understanding a community’s college ability to do such.
Transfer Function
One of the many missions of the community college is to promote the successful transfer
of students to a four-year institution (Crisp & Nora, 2010). While the original mission of the
LATINOS IN STEM 23
community college was to serve as a platform for developmental instruction (Doughtery, 1987),
there has been an increased emphasis in the transfer function (Hoachlander, Sikora, & Horn,
2003). Hoachlander et al. (2003) found that 90% of students who start at community colleges
aspire to either obtain a credential (e.g. certificate or associates degree) or transfer. For Latinos,
85% believe that the community college is the stepping-stone before obtaining a bachelor’s
degree (Rendon & Nora, 1997). However, less than a quarter of Latinos earn a bachelor’s degree
or transfer to a 4-year institution (Fry, 2004). In California, Shulock and Moore (2007) argue that
only 25% of students either complete a credential or transfer to a four-year institution. This
number is similar to the total percentage of Latina/o (24.10%) students who transferred to a CSU
or UC campus (California Postsecondary Education Commission [CPEC], 2010). In comparison
to their White counterparts, the 2010 transfer cohort accounted for 34% of White students
(CPEC, 2010). This is consistent with findings of Alexander et al. (2007), which found that
Latina/o community college students were less likely to complete a credential, transfer, and
acquire a bachelor’s degree. Several studies have cited Latina/o students’ academic preparation
as a barrier to transfer (i.e. Bahr, 2010;2012).
Academic Preparation
Along side the low transfer rates and high attrition rates for Latina/o students is the high
number of students who enroll in remedial coursework (Crisp & Nora, 2010). A report out of
Complete College (2012), a non-profit organization that focuses on closing the achievement gap
amongst underrepresented minorities, found that 51.7% of overall students at 2-year colleges
enrolled in remedial courses. When disaggregating the number of students enrolled in remedial
courses by race/ethnicity, 58.3% of Latina/o students enrolled in remedial courses compared to
46.8% of White students (Complete College, 2012). For California, it is reported that more than
LATINOS IN STEM 24
50% of community college students require remediation in mathematics (Fain, 2013). Among the
students enrolled in remedial courses, Black, Latino and low-income students are more likely to
not complete their remedial sequences, thus causing a “dead end” (Complete College, 2012). It
has been suggested that this is primarily due to students feeling stigmatized by placing into
remedial courses (Hagedorn & Dubray, 2010). Additionally, Attewell, Lavin, Domina, and
Levey (2006) found that 58% percent of recent high school graduates who entered community
colleges and were required to take at least one remedial course, 28% went on to earn any degree
or certificate within 8.5 years. This raises several concerns. The first, and most obvious, is that
students who require remediation are not completing their degrees (Bahr, 2012). Bahr (2012)
claims that students who begin at the lower end of the remedial sequence are much less likely to
attain college-level competency. These students are also at risk of leaving college without degree
or certificate (Bahr, 2012). Furthermore, there are costs associated both to the student and the
institution. A California statewide report released, by the nonprofit Campaign for College
Opportunity (2014), shows that enrollment in pre-college level courses extends time in
community college by more than a year and adds 20 extra credits. Not only do remedial courses
add on time, but also costly. Both variables of time and money raise equity implications for
Latino students (Dowd, 2011), given that they are not readily able to afford either cost, and enter
institutions underprepared because of inadequate preparation in high school (Dowd, 2011; 2007).
While the need for developmental courses in community colleges is generally high, it
remains highest in mathematics (Bahr, 2010; Dowd, 2011). Hagedorn and Dubray (2010) found
that one of the greatest barriers is completing the sequence towards college-level mathematics.
Nationally, 50% of students require remediation in mathematics, and about half of Black and
Latino community college students earned remedial credits in this subject (Bahr, 2010; 2012). In
LATINOS IN STEM 25
the same vein, Bailey, Jeong, and Cho (2009) found that 59% of entering students were referred
to remedial mathematics, and 33% were referred to remedial English. This is a problem given
that a majority of STEM degrees, including engineering, require students to complete Calculus,
as part of their lower-division courses. Melguizo et al. (2008) found that over a third of students
who had declared a STEM major placed into the lowest level remedial course. Despite the over
representation of Latina/os in developmental courses, Crisp and Nora (2010) found that
enrollment in a developmental course can increase a student’s success. In addition, these students
increased their chances of transferring and earning a degree (Crisp & Nora, 2010). It is important
to note that little is known with regards to the persistence of Latinos students who are required to
take developmental courses (Crisp & Nora, 2010).
Latinos accounted for 16% of the U.S. population in 2010, yet they comprised only
12.9% of the college student population (NCSE, 2010), and earned only 8% of all certificates
and degrees awarded in the STEM fields between 2009 and 2010. If approaching these numbers
from an anti-deficit perspective, one would question the factors contributing to those who are
successful. However, research paints Latinos from a deficit perspective (Valencia, 2002), which
inadvertently blames Latino students for their shortfalls, as opposed to looking at factors such as
university climate (Hurtado, 1992; Hurtado & Cater, 1997), or faculty-student interactions
(Anaya & Cole, 2001). Moreover, studies have shown that Latino students’ social support and
self-beliefs influence their persistence, at the four-year institution (Bordes-Edgar, Arredondo,
Robinson Kurpius, & Rund, 2011), and community college (Zell, 2010). Given that these factors
are non-cognitive, research should identify how these variables assist with a student’s persistence
in order to redefine the success of Latinos from an anti-deficit perspective. For Latinos,
specifically, it is important to contextualize their persistence by looking at the psychological,
LATINOS IN STEM 26
social, and cultural factors (Gloria & Rodriguez, 2000). Yet, additional knowledge regarding the
experiences of Latino students in STEM related majors, who attend community colleges, is
needed. Particularly with the non-cognitive variables (psychological, social, and cultural), which
may affect their persistence towards degree attainment. We know all too well the factors
responsible for the attrition of Latino students at the community college (Tovar, 2015), yet few
studies examine the factors responsible for the success of students who do in fact persist. Thus
the researcher approaches this study from an anti-deficit lens. Furthermore, if we want to retain
Latino students in STEM at community colleges, particularly those in engineering, we must first
understand their experiences. The researcher extends this work by increasing the variety of
institutions that students attend, using qualitative methods, and by focusing on diversity among
STEM aspirants and their achievement.
Theoretical Framework: Persistence in Higher Education
One of the most widely accepted models with regards to student persistence has been
Tinto’s (1975) model of student departure. The model, which has had several revisions (Tinto,
1987; 1993), focuses on a student’s integration into the academic and social systems, which is
prompted through the stages of separation, transition, and incorporation (Tinto, 1993). Tinto
(1993) found that the positive interactions between the student and their peers, and/or faculty,
increased the student’s effort through their undergraduate career. However, this theory is not
without its limitations. For instance, the variables of academic integration and social integration
were often times complicated with background variables such as socioeconomic status, gender,
race and ethnicity. Tierney (1992) argues that Tinto’s model assumes that college students
undergo a passage that is not correlated to the cultural reality for students of color. For Tierney
(1992), “rituals of transition have never been conceptualized as movements from one culture to
LATINOS IN STEM 27
another” (p. 611). Although Tinto (1993) made adjustments to reflect Tierney’s critique (Metz,
2004), Rendon, Jalomo, and Nora (2000) asserted that Tinto’s model only viewed persistence
through a person-centered approach. By this approach, a student is expected to assimilate into the
campus environment through the adherence of informal system polices and the values and norms
held by their peers and faculty (Pascarella & Terrenzini, 1991). For instance, American
institutions of higher education, mainly predominantly White institutions, are embedded with
Western values (e.g., independent, individualistic, and self-focused). These values can
complicate things for students of color by conflicting with their ethnic identities and creating
barriers, especially those with collectivist orientations (Guiffrida, Kiyama, Waterman, &
Museus, 2012). In particular, Latina/o students experience incongruence with their cultural
values (e.g. collectivistic viewpoint) and those of the educational setting (Castillo, Conoley, &
Bossart, 2004; Gloria & Robinson Kurpius, 1996). Latina/o students find themselves balancing
their cultural values with those of the environment. Thus research in the last decade has focused
on the unique experiences of Latina/os and other racial/ethnic minorities.
Gloria and Rodriguez (2000) were aware of the literature’s deficit in understanding the college
experiences of Latino undergraduates and therefore investigated this untapped student
population. As a result, Gloria and Rodriguez (2000) proposed the psychosocialcultural (PSC)
model to guide academic advisors in supporting Latino students. However, the model has also
been used as to conceptualize the non-cognitive factors that assist in a student’s persistence
(Castellanos & Gloria, 2007). One of the basic premises of the model is to understand student
perceptions from multiple dimensions. Gloria and Rodriguez (2000) described the PSC model as
an “integrated conceptual and contextual understanding of psychological, social, and cultural
factors” (p.146). Thus each factor makes up three separate, yet interdependent dimensions. As a
LATINOS IN STEM 28
result, researchers gain a “holistic perspective of a student’s non-cognitive processes” (Delgado-
Guerrero & Gloria, 2013). In the following sections, a summary of the PSC dimensions is
provided.

Figure 1. Psychosociocultural Framework for Racial Ethnic Minority College Students
(Castellanos & Gloria, 2007)

Psychological Dimension
The psychological dimension of the PSC framework encompasses student persistence
constructs that pertain to self-beliefs, educational self-efficacy, & motivation (Gloria, 1993;
Castellanos, & Gloria, 2007; Gloria & Rodriquez, 2000). In this thesis, the researcher will
examine self-beliefs and self-efficacy.
Self-beliefs. The cluster of self-belief includes a student’s self-esteem and confidence
(Delgado-Guerrero & Gloria, 2013; Rayle, Robinson Kurpius, & Arredando, 2007). “It is well
established that Latina/os students’ self-beliefs, in particular their confidence in their abilities to
Social
Persistence
Cultural
Psychological
LATINOS IN STEM 29
succeed educationally, influence their experiences in higher education” (Delgado-Guerrero &
Gloria, 2013, p.363). For instance, Gloria (1993) surveyed 403 undergraduate Chicana/os and
found that the self-beliefs cluster predicted their persistence behavior. Therefore, negative self-
beliefs can lead to increased attrition rates for Latina/os (Gloria & Robinson Kurpius, 1996).
Conversely, Gloria, Castellanos, Lopez, and Rosales (2005) found that increased self-esteem and
confidence were safeguards to attrition rates. Self-esteem is the perception/attitude of the self and
its relation to personal beliefs of being “capable, significant, successful, and worthy”
(Coppersmith, 1967, p.4). Valentine (2001) found that a Latino student’s self-esteem was
positively associated with the student’s adjustment of the college culture. This is noteworthy,
given that Latino students find it difficult to assimilate into the Eurocentric value of the
university, while upholding their cultural values (Valentine, 2001). Thus having higher self-
esteem may assist with the student’s assimilation into the environment. Moreover, social support
and organizational leaders (e.g. mentors) can increase self-esteem and in return increase their
perception to do well (Gloria et al., 2005).
Self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is an individual’s beliefs and ability to successfully complete
a task (Bandura, 1977). Additionally, it requires that the individual determine how much time
and effort is required in the event of unforeseen circumstances or past experiences (Lent, Brown,
& Larkin, 1984). This concept was developed by Bandura (1977) in order to explain and predict
behavior change. Lent, Brown and Larkin (1984) expanded on Bandura’s concept and posited
that one’s self-efficacy expectations were related to persistence and success. Lent et al. (1984)
tested the hypothesis and found that a student’s high degree of self-efficacy was related to higher
grades. Moreover, students with higher self-efficacy had higher persistence compared to those
with low self-efficacy (Lent et al., 1984). Additionally, Wright, Jenkins-Guarnieri, and Murdock
LATINOS IN STEM 30
(2013) studied the role of self-efficacy and persistence using a sample of 401 undergraduate
students. Using multiple-regression analysis, Wright et al. (2013), found that “college self-
efficacy plays an active role in persistence and academic performance” (p.303). For Latina/o
students, Torres & Solberg (2001) found that self-efficacy of Latina/o students was directly
associated to their persistence intentions. Additionally, self-efficacy was directly associated to
social & faculty integration (Torres & Solberg, 2001).
Social Dimension
Social support, the second dimension of PSC, focuses on the resources acquired via
relationships (Delgado-Guerrero & Gloria, 2013). Research has found that this dimension
significantly influences the persistence of Latina/o students. For instance, Baker (2013) studied
the social support of Black and Latino students using a mixed-methods approach. Baker (2013)
found that peer and faculty support influenced a student’s persistence, but overall “the type of
on-campus personal support that is most important for the academic success of African
American and Latino college students is that which they receive from faculty” (p.646). While the
social dimension consists of constructs such as networks, connections, role models and mentors,
this thesis will examine the constructs of peer, faculty, and family support.
Family support. Family is consistently identified as a central component in navigating
educational environments and maintaining cultural congruity, which affect persistence decisions
for Latina/os (Castellanos & Gloria, 2007; Gloria, Castellanos, Lopez, & Rosales, 2005). For
example, Gloria et al. (2005) found that “family shapes students’ personal, cultural and
community values that affect students’ perceptions and navigation of the university
environment” (p.216). This attachment is referred to as familism (Marin & VanOss Marin,
1991). Research has demonstrated that familism has both positive and negative implications on a
LATINOS IN STEM 31
student’s schooling. For instance, Esparza and Sanchez (2008) found that familism is linked to
better academic behaviors (e.g. studying, completing homework, and class attendance).
However, Desmond and Turley (2009) found that familism might be inhibiting a student’s
decision to attend a selective college, based on socioeconomic status. Still, the most cited
shortfall in familism is parents generally have no knowledge about American higher education
environments, given their migration statuses (Perez & McDonough, 2008). Regardless of these
difficulties, family support is identified as an important factor in a Latina/os student’s persistence
(Gloria et al., 2005). However, family alone is not enough to offset the difficulties Latina/o
student’s faced assimilating to campus environment.
Peer support. Before stepping onto college campus, Latino students receive their support
from their immediate and extended family members (Cheng & Starks, 2002). Given their
familism value, it is important that student’s find supportive relationships to assist in their
persistence (Barajas & Pierce, 2001; Nora, 2001). Research has found that support from family
and peers assisted in the psychological adjustment of Latina/o students (Rodriguez, Mira, Myers,
Morris, and Cardoza, 2003). Yet, support from peers was slightly stronger than family support
(Rodriguez et al., 2003). Having a venue of social support like a fraternity or sorority, whose
sole missions are to support and graduate its members (Association for the Study of Higher
Education [ASHE], 2014), can increase a Latina/o student’s persistence. For instance, Delgado-
Guerro and Gloria (2011) examined the social support of 115 Latinas in Latina-based sororities
and found that the participants believed that their respective sororities influenced their
persistence decisions in college. Interestingly enough, when disaggregating by lower-division
and upper-division students, Delgado-Guerro and Gloria (2011) found that perceived social
report was higher amongst lower-division students than upper-division students. This may be a
LATINOS IN STEM 32
result of an upper-division student’s increased self-confidence due to their tenure (Nunez, 2009).
While fraternities and sororities generally do not exist at the community college, ethnic and
major based student organizations do exist. Through these social support groups, community
college students can also find a sense of belonging within the educational environment. Students
who get involved in extra-curricular activities experience institutional attachment and supportive
peer groups (Nathan, 2005). Border-Edgar et al. (2011) posited, “if universities want to retain
students, particularly Latina/os, outcome oriented goals regarding the social support system must
be established” (p.366).
Role models/mentors. Research has found that social support from peers and mentors
predicted persistence decisions (Gloria, 1991; Gloria et al., 2005). Castellanos and Gloria (2007)
define a mentorship as “an instrumental educational process that promotes and accelerates
student success” (p. 389). The importance of mentoring has been supported by several studies
(Anaya & Cole, 2001; Torres, 2009-2010; Hu & Ma, 2010). For instance, in a longitudinal study
to determine the academic and nonacademic factors related to persistence, Bordes-Edgar et al.
(2011) found that “the key social support variable was mentoring, with those who graduated
perceiving that they received more mentoring than those who dropped out” (p.364). A role model
or mentor can be a staff or faculty member who has navigated the educational process of
obtaining a degree. In particular, mentoring from faculty via research programs can assist with
retention rates of students of color (Glenn, Esters, & Retallick, 2012; Cole & Espinoza, 2008;
Ishiyama, 2007). For Latina/os students, Santos and Reigadas (2002) reported that students who
had mentoring relationships with faculty members experienced increased self-efficacy, academic
goal definition, and persistence. While the benefits of a mentorship are exceptional, faculties face
a plethora of obstacles (e.g. limited funding, availability, and research obligations) in extending
LATINOS IN STEM 33
these unique opportunities to STEM students (Eagan, Sharkness, Hurtado, Mosqueda, & Chang,
2010). Interestingly enough, Eagan et al. (2010) found that faculty at HBCUs were significantly
more likely to engage students in research opportunities, than faculty at PWI’s or HSI’s. This is
consistent with the work of other researchers who have found that HBCU’s have more
collaborative-learning environments than other institutions (Nelson Laird, Bridges, Morelon-
Quainoo, Williams, & Holmes, 2007). Additionally, the likelihood of faculty-student
collaboration was significantly higher for faculty at selective-institutions (Eagan et al., 2010).
Eagan at al. (2010) suggests that this may be a result of selectivity and faculty perceptions that
students were better equipped.
Cultural Dimension
The cultural dimension of the PSC framework encompasses constructs specific to the
educational environment. Research has operationalized this construct through factors “cultural
congruence, perceptions of barriers and campus cultural inclusivity” (Thompson, Johnson-
Jennings, & Nitzarim, 2013, p.220). In this thesis, the researcher examines the campus
environment and cultural incongruity.
Environment. While support from family and peers is important, Latino students also
require and value the support of the university environment. How Latina/o students perceive the
campus environment, whether positive or negative, impacts their academics (Milem, Clayton,
Pederson, Hurtado & Allen, 1998) and their sense of belonging (Hurtado, 1997). In particular,
REM students struggle with adjusting to the norms of the campus environment and their beliefs
(Menges & Exum, 1983; Jones, Castellanos, & Cole, 2002). This imbalance, or incongruence,
decreases a Latina/o student’s likelihood of persistence (Hurtado, 1994). Additionally, REM
students typically report unwelcoming or unsupportive environments (Duffy, 2007). This creates
LATINOS IN STEM 34
obstacles for Latina/o students, given that their perception of the environment has consistently
been important in predicting their college persistence attitudes (e.g., Gloria, 1997; Gloria et al.,
2005; Gloria & Robinson-Kurpius, 1996). For Latinoa/s, campus environments were perceived
to be discriminatory, alienating, hostile, unwelcoming, and inequitable (Fry, 2004; Hurtado,
Carter, & Spuler, 1996). Fry (2004) identified discrimination as a major reason in Latina/o
students’ attrition. Student’s perceptions of the environment are often a result of their ethnic
identity (Castillo, Conoley, Choi-Pearson, Archuleta & associates, 2006). Ethnic identity is
defined as “a complex psychological construct that is an integral part of an individual’s self-
concept influencing the perceptions, cognitions, affect and behaviors of an individual” (Castillo
et al., 2006, p. 268). Castillo et al. (2006) found that a student’s perception of the environment
mediates the relationship between ethnic identity and persistence attitudes. Students with a high
sense of ethnic identity perceived the campus environment more negative than their counter
parts. Results also highlighted that institutions should be intentional in evaluating the campus
environment. Castellanos and Gloria (2007) assert that learning environments that are “consistent
with the cultural values of Latino students” will be more likely to increase their persistence
(p.385). Crisp and Nora (2010) posit that HSIs’ ability to create more “culturally-sensitive”
environments can increase the sense of belonging for Latina/o students, which impacts their
success (i.e. academic achievement).
Cultural incongruity. If students experience barriers assimilating into the campus
culture (i.e. culture shock) due to their cultural values, it is said that the student is facing cultural
incongruity (Gloria & Robinson Kurpius, 1996). Therefore, Latina/o students must balance their
cultural beliefs with that of university values, which are mirrored to that of White, male, middle-
class paradigm (Menges & Exum, 1983; Jones, Castellanos, & Cole, 2002). However, given the
LATINOS IN STEM 35
differences in the two sets of values, Latina/o students often find themselves experiencing
cultural incongruity (Gloria & Robinson Kurpius, 1996). Conversely, Latina/o college students
who report feeling satisfied with their social support, also report higher cultural congruity within
the academic environment (Constantine et al., 2002). If Latina/o students can bridge the two, it
can increase the persistence decisions of Latina/o students (Gloria & Robinson Kurpius, 1996).
Additionally, cultural congruity increases a student’s positive perceptions of the university
environment, and thus acts as a catalyst for academic success (Gloria & Segura-Herrera, 2004;
Rayle, Robinson Kurpius, & Arredando, 2007; Delgado-Guerrero & Gloria, 2013).
The PSC approach has been applied to college student personnel working with Latina/o
students (Gloria & Castellanos, 2006) and used as conceptual framework to examine the
persistence Latina/o students and other racial/ethnic students (Gloria, Robinson Kurpius,
Hamilton, & Wilson, 1999; Gloria, Castellanos, & Orozco, 2005; Gloria & Ho, 2003; Gloria,
Castellanos, Scull & Villegas, 2009; Delgado-Guerra & Gloria, 2013). Results from empirical
studies have indicated “each dimension both uniquely and collectively accounts for academic
persistence decisions for students” (Castellanos & Gloria, 2007). Studies have also utilized the
PSC perspective to address the unique experiences of Latinoa/os in engineering majors. For
instance, Espinoza (2013) examines the experiences of eight undergraduate, Latina/o seniors in
engineering at a tier-one research, private university. Findings showed that the social and cultural
dimensions assisted with their persistence. Moreover, there was a strong need for validation for
student’s on behalf of faculty (Espinoza, 2013). According to Espinoza (2013) “validation occurs
when student’s perceive they are worthy of a professor’s respect and attention” (p.81). Overall,
Espinoza (2013) highlights that the needs of these students are not being met by the existing
organizational behaviors in higher education. However, this study focused on Latina/os at a 4-
LATINOS IN STEM 36
year institution, as opposed to Latina/os at a community college. Toward this end, this thesis uses
the PSC model (Gloria & Rodriguez, 2000) to examine the experiences of community college
Latino students who have applied for transfer to a four-year institution. Addressing the
importance of context with the PSC framework, the guiding question is: How do Latina/o
students at a Hispanic-serving community college make meaning and define their persistence,
while pursuing a STEM related degree? The researcher is particularly interested in those who
have applied for transfer, given that these students have intentions to complete an undergraduate
degree in a STEM related field. Furthermore, this thesis will take a qualitative approach in
understanding their persistence factors. The purpose of a qualitative research design is to be able
to capture the voices of this population, and the meaning they made of their persistence. Through
this process, the perceptions of Latino in their own voice can provide critical understanding for
faculty and administration at community colleges.

LATINOS IN STEM 37
Chapter 3—Methods
The purpose of this study is to examine the factors related to a student’s persistence.
Additionally, this study seeks to understand how Latina/o students make meaning of their
persistence through the PSC perspective. The following research question guides this thesis:
1. How do Latina/o students at a Hispanic-serving community college make meaning
and define their persistence, while pursuing a STEM related degree?

In this chapter, the researcher will present the methodological approach and philosophical
assumptions that represent the underpinnings of the study. The researcher will then describe the
sample population, research site, data collection procedures and data analysis procedures. Lastly,
the biases and ethical considerations will be discussed.
Methodological Approach
Creswell (2005) states “qualitative research provides data through the collection of
stories, reporting individual experiences, and discussing the meaning of those experiences for the
individual” (p. 476). This is appropriate given that the personal experiences are of interest. An
interpretive-constructivist approach was used to gain a deep understanding of how students
Latina/o students define make meaning of their persistence. An interpretive-constructivist
approach to this study allowed the researcher to actively engage with the participants and
construct knowledge based on how they made meaning of their persistence. The primary method
for data collection was a series of in-depth interviews that were conducted after the application
deadline for transfer. Using in-depth interview methods, the researcher sought to explore the
psychological, social, and cultural dimensions of Latina/o student in STEM at a community
college. “In-depth interviewing requires that the researcher be interested in making meaning with
another, bridging borders of experience that brings insider information to the outside so that
those who have not lived the experience can better understand” (Mears, 2009, p. 20). Moreover,
LATINOS IN STEM 38
in-depth interviewing requires that the role of the researcher is using “the self as an instrument”
(Eisner, 1998, p.49).
Participants
Prior to contacting participants, approvals from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of
the researcher’s institution and research site were obtained. Upon receiving approvals, the
researcher contacted the gatekeeper to initiate interviews with prospective participants. For in-
depth research, the goal is generate a small, purposeful sample of people who are knowledgeable
in the research topic (Patton, 1990). Maxwell (2005) provides several rationales for purposeful
sampling, but the rationale for this study is mainly to achieve representation of the phenomenon
being studied (i.e. persistence). A total of 9 students were invited to participate in the study, but
only 8 participated in the interviews. Participants were members of the institution’s STEM
Student Support Services (pseudonym). WCCC’s STEM-student support program is designed to
assist students wishing to transfer to a four-year college or university in a Science, Technology,
Engineering, Math (STEM) or affiliated health major (Pre-nursing). The selection of participants
was garnered via the STEM Student Support Services’ educational advisor. This was an ideal
gatekeeper given that advisor had access to students who had declared a STEM related major and
had applied for transfer. An email invitation will be sent on behalf of the researcher through the
coordinator’s list serve. The invitation addressed the following: research purpose, qualifications,
confidentiality clause, and interview procedures (Appendix A). In order to encourage
participation in the study, participants were compensated. Padget (1998) suggests that the
amounts should be reasonable to avoid ethical issues. Therefore, the researcher provided a $10
gift card to each participant who completed an interview and member check. Additionally, each
participant received a thank you note after completing his or her last interview.
LATINOS IN STEM 39
Site
The setting for this study was a large, Hispanic-Serving community college, in California.
Pseudonyms will be used to protect the identity of the institution. Each semester, WCCC
provides comprehensive academic, career and technical programs for nearly 20,000 students,
many of whom seek an associate degree, transfer to a four-year university, or want to earn a
certificate. According to the Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment at
WCCC, in 2013 the self-identified demographics were as follows:
• 3.2% of students identified as African-American
• 8.5% of students identified as Asian American or Pacific Islander
• 70.4% of students identified as Latina/o
• 16.3% of students identified as White
• 3.2% of students identified as Other
Latinos represent the largest ethnic group on campus comprising 70.4% of the student
population. It is important to note that 57% of WCCC’s students indicated transfer as an
educational goal.
Data Collection Procedures
For this qualitative study, the researcher employed an interpretive-constructivist approach
to gain a deep understanding of how Latina/o students at a Hispanic-serving community college
make meaning of their persistence. The interpretive-constructivist approach assumes that while
individuals may have different observations, it is plausible that all of them are valid and that each
person is simply viewing the same phenomena from a different standpoint (Taylor & Bogdan,
1998). Furthermore, Schwandt (2000) states that while individuals make their own observations,
they are all referenced “against a backdrop of shared understandings, practices, language, and so
forth” (p. 197). Understanding the experiences and opinions that make up these lenses is part of
understanding the data (Rubin & Rubin, 2005). Thus the goal of this approach is to interpret the
LATINOS IN STEM 40
meanings people make of their worlds by focusing on the participants’ perspectives of the
phenomena (Creswell, 2009). As mentioned in the participant section, purposeful sampling will
be used to select participants who were representative of the research topic.
A total of 8 students participated in the interviews between January and February 2015.
An interview guide was used, which allowed the researcher to make the most of the interviews
and ensure that critical topics of the PSC model were addressed. The interview guide (Appendix
B) consisted of a series of open-ended questions that address the different dimensions of the PSC
model: psychological (p), social (s), and cultural (c). By choosing to select questions that fit
within each respective dimension, the researcher ensured that the necessary information to
answer the research question is collected.
Interviews ranged between 50-85 minutes (total of one per participant). Interviews were
conducted online using a webcam and were recorded with a digital audio recorder. Participants
were given three options for participating in the interview: Skype, FaceTime, and
GoogleHangouts. To guide these interviews, the researcher utilized the responsive interview
model by Rubin and Rubin (2005). The responsive interview model suggests that interviews be
conversations with a purpose (Rubin & Rubin, 2005). Adhering to this model not only relieved a
participant’s anxiety (Rubin & Rubin, 2005), but also allowed the participant to do the majority
of the talking, as opposed to relying on the researcher (Charmaz, 2006). Additionally, the model
challenged the researcher to probe and expand a participant’s responses (Rubin & Rubin, 2005).
Even though interviews were meant to be more of a conversation, the interview guide ensured
the research question was answered. While it is important that the questions are used as a guide,
they did not limit the responses of participants (Rubin & Rubin, 2004). There were two follow-
LATINOS IN STEM 41
up interviews conducted over the phone. These follow-up interviews were also recorded with a
digital audio recorder.
Data Analysis Procedures
All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed to discover students’
perceptions regarding academic persistence (Charmaz, 2006; Creswell, 2007).
In order to prepare for the data coding, Rubin & Rubin’s (2013) two-phase for coding was
utilized. The first phase was preparing the transcripts (i.e. conceptual framework), which consists
of refining and elaborating concepts, themes, and events (Rubin & Rubin, 2005). The next phase
was code interviews to identify similarities between the participant’s conceptualization of the
phenomenon and the conceptual framework (i.e. PSC model). Analysis emphasized systematic
coding as opposed to confirming initial speculations (Rubin & Rubin, 2005). With that said, the
constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis as described by Lincoln and Guba
(1985) and Glaser and Strauss (1967) was used to analyze the data in this study. This constant
comparative method is a strategy that combines inductive category coding with simultaneous
comparison of all observed incidents.
Triangulation & Validity
The researcher utilized several strategies to strengthen the study’s internal validity
including triangulation and member checks (Creswell, 2009; Merriam, 2002). Padget (1998)
states that there are five forms of triangulation: theory, methodological, observer, data, and
interdisciplinary. The researcher conducted interviews with multiple participants, so that several
perspectives were observed. Moreover, the researcher provided data in the literature review that
conceptualizes the experiences of participants. Lastly, Lincoln & Guba (1985) referred to
member checking as the most essential method for establishing credibility. Member checking is
LATINOS IN STEM 42
the collaboration between participants in developing themes in the data analysis process
(Merriam, 2002). Participants were contacted via e-mail and invited to review the transcriptions
of their interviews for accuracy and provide any comments that they deemed necessary. Through
this process the researcher is asking participants to review transcriptions, so their experiences are
accurately recorded and interpreted. No edits were requested. Participants were informed that
their gift cards would be mailed to them.
Biases
Given that the researcher identifies as a Latino, there may be some perceived biases.
Furthermore, the researcher has navigated the college experience and acknowledges difficulties
in adjusting to the campus environment. Additionally, the researcher attended an HSI-
community college before transferring to an HSI-STEM institution. However, the researcher was
not a STEM major, thus the researcher’s experiences will be different from the participants.
Ethical Considerations
The researcher protected the rights and safeguarded the well being of all participants.
First and foremost, participant consent was obtained by having participants review the consent
form (Appendix C). The researcher provided a copy of the consent form to the each participant.
Before conducting the interview, the researcher went over the consent form (Appendix C) with
participants, and asked participants if they had any questions or concerns. None of the
participants indicated an issue. The researcher also informed the participants that they had the
right to end the interview at their discretion. Additionally, the researched informed participants
that if they experienced any emotional distress, the researcher would refer them to the
appropriate parties for assistance or intervention. None of the participants sought assistance or
intervention as a direct result of their participation. Participants selected pseudonyms to protect
LATINOS IN STEM 43
their identities. As noted in the triangulation and validity section, participants were allowed to
review the data prior to publication. Moreover, all information gathered was placed in a secure
file on the researcher’s computer, which was password protected.
LATINOS IN STEM 44
Chapter 4—Data Presentation
As conceptualized by the interpretive-constructivist approach, the researcher actively
engaged with the participants and constructed knowledge based on how they made meaning of
their persistence. The interpretive-constructivist approach assumes that while individuals may
have different observations, it is plausible that all of them are valid and that each person is
simply viewing the same phenomena from a different standpoint (Taylor & Bogdan, 1998). This
chapter presents data that indicates how participants interpreted and made sense of their
persistence as Latina/os in an engineering major at a community college. The chapter begins
with a review of the participants (see Table 2) and then discusses the ten prominent themes. The
themes are guided by the psychosociocultural (PSC) model (Gloria & Rodriguez, 2000) and are
derived from the data. The psychological dimension educational aspirations and motivation are
presented; within the social dimension faculty support, peer support, and involvement in extra-
curricular activities are presented; within the cultural dimension campus climate and cultural
congruity are presented. There were two themes and one subtheme that was derived from the
data that the researcher believed did not necessarily adhere to the PSC model. Those themes are
as follows: barriers in transfer, with the sub-theme of financial barriers, and the final theme of
overcoming barriers.
Presentation of the Data
A Review of the Participants
Rodrigo, Luis, Domingo, Cecilia, Julio, Ezra, Juan, and Fernando (pseudonyms selected
by the participants) have all applied for transfer for the fall of 2015. Participants were members
of the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program at WCCC. The majority of the participants
had only attended West Coast Community College (WCCC, pseudonym), with the exception of
LATINOS IN STEM 45
Ezra, Julio, and Cecilia. Cecilia was the only participant that had attended more than two
different community colleges. Fernando was the only participant that attended a four-year
institution immediately after high school. Participants spent three to four years prior at WCCC
before applying for transfer. All but one student indicated being involved in the Society of
Sciences, a student organization. According to statistics provided by the institution, in the spring
of 2015, there were 156 students in the SSS program. Of those students, nearly 80 percent (123)
of the students identified as Latina/o. Of the Latino students in the SSS program, 13 had applied
for transfer during the time of this study. As such, I interviewed 60% (n=8) of the total
population who were transfer applicants.
Fernando. Fernando was enrolled at WCCC four years before applying for transfer. Prior
to high school, he attended a public, four-year, research university in the northern part of
California. Fernando spent a year and a half at the four-year institution, before transferring to
WCCC. Upon his arrival in spring of 2011, Fernando took courses in psychology because he was
considering a major in this discipline. However, feeling that he was not challenged within this
discipline and wanting to take more math course, he decided to take courses in engineering.
Additionally, Fernando had heard that he had greater job prospects as an engineer. Fernando
identified as Mexican-American and was majoring in mechanical engineering. While Fernando is
a first-generation college student, his brother attended a public, four-year, research university
and earned a bachelor’s degree.
Cecilia. Cecilia was enrolled at WCCC four years before applying for transfer. She was
the only female participant in this study. Her parents did not attend high school. Cecilia admits
that at the beginning of her postsecondary education, she did not do well in her coursework
because she worked. She identified as Mexican and has declared a major in mechanical
LATINOS IN STEM 46
engineering. At the time of interview, she indicated that she was three or four general education
courses from completing the requirements for transfer, but indicated that she was scheduled to
transfer to a four-year institution. While Cecilia completed the majority of her course work at
WCCC, she also attended two other community colleges. Cecilia identifies as a first-generation
college student. At the conclusion of the interview, Cecilia indicated that she worked because a
relative had been deported, so she and her family were saving up to bring her relative back.
Ezra. Ezra was enrolled at WCCC four years before applying for transfer. Prior to
attending WCCC, he attended another local community college. He indicated that he did not do
well at this institution and after a few years ended up transferring to WCCC. Ezra identifies as a
low-income student and receives services from the Extended Opportunity Program and Services
(EOP&S). His parents did not complete high school. Ezra currently lives with his mother, sister,
and recently his grandfather. Ezra identifies as both Honduran and Honduran-American. He has
declared an electrical engineering major.
Juan. Juan was enrolled at WCCC three years before applying for transfer. At the time of
his interview, he indicated that he was two to three courses from transferring. Juan identified as
Mexican and has declared a major in electrical engineering. His mother and father have some
college experience, but never completed their degrees. Juan was a recipient of a scholarship that
assisted him with school expenses. Juan also mentioned that when he first began college, he was
also working 30 hours a week at a fast food restaurant.
Rodrigo. Rodrigo was enrolled at WCCC 3 years before applying for transfer. He
attended a local high school within the WCCC district. Rodrigo is currently one course away
from completing his transfer requirements. He identifies as Brazilian and has declared a
mechanical engineering major with an emphasis in petroleum. Rodrigo identified as a low-
LATINOS IN STEM 47
income student and received services from EOP&S. His mother never attended high school; he
has never met his father. Rodrigo did not hold a job while in school, but did indicate that he had
chores at home. His immediate family lives in Brazil, so his only relative in the US is his uncle,
whom he lives with. Rodrigo identifies as an undocumented student.
Julio. Julio was enrolled at WCCC four years before applying for transfer. Prior to
coming to WCCC, he attended another community college. He indicated that he only took one
course, and he did not like the environment of the campus. Julio identified as Mexican and has
declared a major in mechanical engineering. His mom completed high school, while his father’s
educational experience was below high school. Julio indicated that this parents work in labor-
intensive occupations. Julio identifies as an undocumented student.
Luis. Luis was enrolled at WCCC four years before applying for transfer. He identified
as Mexican-American and has declared a major in mechanical engineering. At the time of
interviews, Luis indicated that he had already been admitted to one of his prospective transfer
institutions. However, Luis did not regard this institution as his top choice. Luis indicated that his
father had some college education, but never completed his degree. Luis shared that his father
was very insistent that he and his sister receive a college degree. Luis’s sister graduated from a
four-year institution with a psychology degree, and currently works with children who have
autism. Luis opted out of applying to public, four-year, research universities because he believed
them to be too expensive, and was concerned that his financial aid would not cover the costs. He
believes that he did not get financial aid in his final year because he was making more money at
his job. Luis worked 40 hours a week at a large retail store at the time of the interview.
Domingo. Domingo had originally enrolled at WCCC because he had intentions on
becoming a firefighter. However, his interest in math and science prompted him to pursue a
LATINOS IN STEM 48
degree in engineering. Domingo has been at WCCC for four year. He identifies as Mexican-
American and has declared an electrical engineering major. Domingo was adopted by his
grandparents, but he refers to them as his parents. Both his mother and father never obtained a
high school education. Domingo maintained a part-time job and worked 20 hours per week. He
identifies as a low-income student and receives services from EOP&S.

Table 2. Demographics of Participants

Student Major Ethnicit
y
Mother’s
Education
Father’s
Educatio
n
# of years
enrolled at
institution
#of
hours
worked
in fall’14
#of units
completed
in fall’14
Rodrigo
Mechanical
Engineering
Brazilian Below High
School
Unknown 3 12
Luis
Mechanical
Engineering
Mexican-
American
High School Some
College
4 24 12
Domingo
Electrical
Engineering
Mexican-
American
Below High
School
Below
High
School
4 20 12
Cecilia
Mechanical
Engineering
Mexican Below High
School
Below
High
School
4 11 13
Julio
Mechanical
Engineering
Mexican High School Below
High
School
4 38 10
Ezra
Electrical
Engineering
Honduran,
Honduran
-American
Below High
School
Below
High
School
4 17.5 13
Juan
Electrical
Engineering
Mexican Some
College
Some
College
3 11 13
Fernando
Civil
Engineering
Mexican-
American
Below High
School
High
School
4 16 9
Note. Table generated from self-reported information

Impact of Psychological Experiences
Educational aspirations. Exceling and a genuine interest in mathematics are attributable
to the selection of an engineering major, according to participants. Fernando, Cecilia, Ezra, Juan,
Rodrigo, and Julio indicated that their interest began in high school. For these students, a typical
response consisted of a liking in a particular subject within the mathematics discipline (e.g.
LATINOS IN STEM 49
geometry, algebra, and trigonometry). For instance, Cecilia explained, “It was high school, when
I was like a freshman. I was good at Geometry.” Two participants indicated their interest in
mathematics at earlier or later stages. For Luis, interests started much sooner than high school.
He indicated, “I would say more like 8
th
grade, when I found out that I excelled in mathematics.”
Domingo indicated his interests in mathematics upon arriving to WCCC, he stated, “I never
knew what engineering was until I got to WCCC…I was always intrigued by math and science,
but never knew what engineering was.” While mathematics was generally a response as to why
students pursued an engineering major, Domingo and Julio indicated that their interest in
engineering was a result of their admiration of the sciences. Domingo, Cecilia, Ezra, and Julio
indicated doing research of their own in order to identify what an engineering degree could
afford them. Domingo stated, “One day I got home and I ‘googled’ the world of engineering… I
knew exactly what I wanted to do at that very moment.” Two students, Julio and Domingo,
indicated that their curiosity and inquiry for how things worked was another factor for their
interest in engineering. Julio stated:
“I think it was also when the Iron Man movie came out. I was really fascinated by it and I
asked myself, “How can we create that?” So that led me to robotics, which then led me to
engineering, and so I wanted to find out what they do, you know as a mechanical
engineer. It started off as a project, but then it became my own thing.”

Additionally, Domingo indicated:
“I’ve always questioned the things around me like, ‘why is it that I could just flick a
switch up and the lights would turn on in my room?’ and those are things that have
tantalized my mind like forever.”

The majority of participants indicated that their pursuit of an engineering major was self-
discovered. Luis and Rodrigo attribute other individuals as an additional factor in their pursuit of
an engineering major. In Rodrigo’s case, he explained, “[My teacher] noticed my potential,
because I was doing very well in class and I liked the challenge. I just started liking it.” For Luis,
LATINOS IN STEM 50
he explained, “I would say my dad influenced me. He’s not considered a mechanical engineer
himself; he does the exact same thing, just without the title.”
All participants indicated that their current educational goal were to transfer to a four-
year institution. Additionally, all participants indicated degree attainment as an educational goal.
Participants fell into two different categories: (1) those who had interest in pursuing a graduate
degree and (2) those who believed a bachelor’s degree would suffice. Luis was a lone member of
the latter category. He believed that once he got his bachelor’s degree, he would pursue a career.
Cecilia, Ezra, Rodrigo, and Julio expressed an interest in pursuing a master’s degree. Cecilia
indicated that while her goal is to get her bachelor’s degree, once she got “closer to the end”, she
would decide if a master’s degree is necessary. Cecilia mentioned that starting a family was more
important than going to grad school, but she did acknowledge that a master’s degree could
potentially bring more income for her family. For Ezra, there was more urgency for getting into
the workforce. Ezra explains:
“[I want to] gain some experience and [I’m] hoping one of the companies that I work for,
maybe pay for grad school. I would definitely love to finish grad school and get a
master’s degree in any of the engineering fields or major.”

Fernando, Domingo, and Juan felt that a doctoral degree would be the ideal educational goal.
Fernando and Juan, explained going through a sequence: first masters, then their doctorate. On
the contrary, Domingo bypasses the masters and believes the doctorate is followed immediately
after the bachelor’s degree. Domingo explains his thought process as follows:
“I wouldn’t mind being a doctor of engineering and then from there who knows...I really
don’t have a limit right now. I can’t really tell you cuz once I complete something I’m
gonna have another goal…and from there I’m gonna have another goal and another goal.
So I’m just never gonna stop. I never wanna stop.”

Regardless of the category that individuals fell into, all participants indicated getting workforce
experience immediately after obtaining their bachelor’s degree.
LATINOS IN STEM 51
Motivation. For many participants, motivation fell into two categories: not conforming
to the status quo and supporting one’s current and future family.
Not conforming to the status quo. When asked to reflect back on what motivated
Domingo, he indicated that it was seeing his parents struggle. As a young boy, he recalls some of
that hardships and sacrifices that his parents made:
“That’s probably what drives me and especially knowing that my parents, because they
own a small restaurant, and knowing that they were able to open that up ever since they
came [to the United States], it just motivates me to do something much greater. If they
were able to do something, like without speaking much English or any form of education
and seeing how far they’ve come, then I have to amount to something much greater.”

Domingo did not want the sacrifices made by his parents to go in vein, so he was committed to
doing the best he could. Domingo believed that there were a lot of negative stereotypes around
those that grew up in his community. After high school, many of his friends entered the
workforce, which he referred to as common within his community. He indicated that his friends
had ‘hard jobs’, like working at Chipotle or in retail. He said he did not want to be a ‘follower’.
Domingo was determined to fight against the stereotypes, as he stated, “I love school and I’ve
always liked learning. I didn’t want to be a follower; I wanted to do my own thing.” Domingo
did admit that he has fallen into the stereotypes, stating:
I messed up a whole year because I didn’t care about school. It was just about drinking
and partying and being with girls. School wasn’t even something I cared about. I didn’t
do homework, I missed tests. My GPA dropped to like a 1.8.

Despite this experience, he fought against the odds. He recalled sitting in his room one day, and
reconsidering his priorities. Domingo admitted that if he wanted to be someone completely
different from the status quo, he was going to need to make, or as he described, “At that moment
I started taking everything serious.” It is through the stereotypes imposed on Domingo that he
LATINOS IN STEM 52
attributes his motivation. Even though he had almost fallen into the same path as peers from his
community, this experience has become his motivation.
Juan attributed his motivation to fighting the status quo. After high school, Juan began
working at a local restaurant and went to school at the same time. Reflecting on his experience,
he recalls his co-workers being around or the same age. Juan, believed most of his peers worked
because there was really no alternative, or as he stated, “there was a lot of kids working who
didn’t really have the same opportunities that I had.” When asked to elaborate on these
opportunities, Juan expressed that his family did not require him to work full-time. Juan takes
advantage of this opportunity and does not take it for granted. For him, it motivates him to do
well in school so that he can also provide the same opportunities to his family, or as he describes
it:
“It’s about me putting myself in a position where I’m going to be able to support myself
in the long run and support my future family, and my family around me –who have been
there for me.”

Juan believes that he did not follow the same path as his counterparts because he knew that going
to college would pay off in the long run. His belief that a college degree would allow him to
support his family kept him motivated.
Supporting and building a family. As identified by Juan, all participants mentioned
providing for their immediate and future families as motivation for obtaining a bachelor’s
degree. Cecilia indicated that once she gets a good job, she would be able to provide for her
family. She believed that getting a degree was going to be the key in acquiring that job. Aside
from that, she believed that it would change her family’s lifestyle. She describes the process as
such, “we’ve been struggling financially, and like with my bachelor’s in engineering, it will
change that.” This process kept Cecilia motivated. Family motivated Ezra to pursue a bachelor’s
LATINOS IN STEM 53
degree. For Ezra, seeing his mom work day in and day out to support their family and never once
complaining. This is the approach that Ezra takes each day at school, or as he describes it “I kind
of took it and applied it in ways she never could because she didn’t have the same opportunity
that we did.” His mom’s continuous support and sacrifices have motivated Ezra to continue
moving towards his educational goals. It is this goal that will allow him to provide for his family.
Impact of Social Experiences

Family support. All participants believed that their parent’s support in their educational
endeavors was important. Common themes addressed by the participants’ were the sacrifices
made by their family in order for participants to pursue their dreams, and encouragement. For
Ezra, seeing his mother work hard, just to keep a roof over their heads, kept him motivated. He
indicated that they did not have much, but they had each other. Ezra explained that there have
been several instances, in which he came home excited because he had learned something new
and his mother was always willing to listen. He explains this experience as such:

“I know that some things are complicated and you need to study them in order to
understand them, but it makes me happy that she gets excited. By seeing her excited, it
just brings a smile on my face; it keeps me going. I like to show her that her sacrifices are
going to be worth it. I’m giving it all I got. So it makes me happy, because I know she
gets excited.”

Ezra’s mother made sacrifices such as waking up before dawn to go work, and then coming
home in the afternoons to tend to their home. For Ezra, these sacrifices are the reason why he is
in college. Similarly, Luis does not believe he would be going to college if it had not been for his
family’s support. He indicated that his parents told him that there is a ‘roof over his head’, as
long as he continues going to school. Ezra indicated that there is no obligation to help out his
parents, but he feels like it is an obligation –one that he imposes on himself. The support of his
LATINOS IN STEM 54
parents is the reason why Luis continues to pursue his dreams, and as he went on to say, “so that
someday I can pay them back for all that they’ve done for me.”
Domingo and Cecilia indicated that their families are always giving them advice with
regards to getting through college. For Domingo, his parents are ‘always telling him’ to never
give up, and that even if it gets hard to just ‘keep on pushing’. The advice that Cecilia gets is
slightly different. While her mom is ‘really supportive’, her mom feels bad because she sees
Cecilia constantly studying. She says that her mom always tells her, “isn’t this unhealthy for you,
that you study this much?” Regardless of how worried Cecilia’s mother gets, Cecilia believes her
mother’s support is important in her getting through college. Most of the participants lived at
home with their parents or grandparents, with one exception. For Rodrigo, family support was
not as readily available because his mother and grandparents lived in Brazil. Despite his mother
being in another country, he values and makes time for family. Rodrigo indicated, “I try to Skype
family members in Brazil because, you know, as Latinos everybody is together, no matter how
far, we are still pretty close.” Distance created no barriers for participants with regards to
parental support. For them, it was essential.
While parental support was essential for these students, as they progressed towards
transfer, when asked if parents would be able to describe what being an engineering major
entails, all respondents believed that their parents would not be able to accurately describe what
it meant. However, Julio, believed that his older sibling would be able to describe his major, or
as he describes, “my sister would be able to. Not the rest of my family.” Parents were able to
provide support for participants. Participants felt that support was needed. But in terms of the
course content and experiences of being an engineering major, this component was generally
achieved through either their peers or professors.
LATINOS IN STEM 55
Faculty support. Many of the participants mentioned that having ‘great’ professors was
useful. A majority of the students, with the exception of two, were able to identify one to two
specific professors. Several words and phrases were used to describe the professors including:
understanding, non-judgmental, respectful, disciplined, pushes you, and passionate. Based on
participant responses, professors can be classified into two categories: personable and
challenging. Professors within the personable characteristic are described as understanding and
non-judgmental, while the challenging characteristic is described as disciplined and pushes you.
The passionate trait can be considered neutral and ascribed to both the personable and
challenging characteristics. Fernando, Ezra, and Julio described their identifiable professor as
personable. Fernando indicated, “[the professor] was very respectful and non-judgmental. She
finds the good in everything and I appreciate that.” For Julio, he appreciated that the professor
was willing to ‘get down to your level’, if you did not understand a particular concept. Ezra was
able to go into detail as to why a personable professor was important. He described it as such:
“[The professor] showed interest in not only us learning the material, but really getting a
full understanding of it...Sometimes you have that class where you don’t want to go, but
if you have the correct professor teaching it, it makes things a whole lot better, it just
changes everything.”

Ezra went on to say that the professor was really passionate about the subject and everyone else
‘picks up on it’. He indicated that the professor always asked how his students were doing, which
Ezra believed to be foreign. Cecilia and Juan described their identifiable professor as
challenging. Cecilia indicated that she enjoyed her professor because the professor was really
strict. Cecilia attributed her ability to become more disciplined with her studies because of this
professor. For Juan, the fact that his professor challenged the class, it made him a more ‘applied’
student. Juan indicated that several of his peers did not enjoy this trait because the professor
encouraged students to ‘do it yourself’. He describes the experiences with the professor as such:
LATINOS IN STEM 56
“In physics, there’s a lot of theory and a lot of math, so [the professor] takes the stance
of us wanting to figure it out instead of providing us the answer. So when we asked him a
question, he would answer with another question, you know, to get us to think critically.
And I like that cause he makes us work for it.”

While the two characteristics can be viewed as a dichotomy, one student did see an identifiable
professor as ‘right in the middle’. To Luis, his professor is personable and the challenging. Luis
believed that it was a combination of the professor’s passion for the subject and the professors
challenging nature, which made the particular class much more enjoyable.
Staff support. All of the students identified staff within the SSS program as influential to
their persistence. Fernando indicated, “When I seek advise it is usually through my advisors at
the SSS program.” This belief was consistent amongst the participants. Additionally, participants
indicated that the support staff often encouraged them and made them feel as if they mattered.
Rodrigo indicated, “I have my advisors, like Aaron [pseudonym] and Dr. Spellings [pseudonym],
who see potential in me and I like that.” Staff also provided several participants with emotional
support. For instance, Cecilia indicated:
“The SSS program overall has helped me, but specifically Erik cause whenever like I’m
struggling with the course, I talk to him, and he’s like the one that like give me advice on
how to pull through, talk to my professors, and like he just gives me that push that I need
to keep moving forward, you know?”

Participants turned to staff for educational and personal support, especially with school or course
related issues. However, students attributed the majority of their support from family. It is also
important to note that none of the participants identified staff or faculty members as mentors.
Participants mentioned having supportive faculty and staff, but these relationships were usually
temporary (i.e. length of the course) or prescribed.
Peer support. Participants were asked whom they would reach out to when they needed
assistance with course related material. All participants agreed that they first reached out to their
LATINOS IN STEM 57
peers before reaching out to tutors or professors. Generally, students did not have to go to the
latter step because they were able to resolve an issue or problem amongst their peers. Participants
agreed that they first reached out to peers in the SSS program. Juan indicated that he generally
knew which students were strong with a particular subject. Fernando shared Juan’s sentiments
and stated, “In the SSS program’s center, there are different people for different courses and they
are all good at different subjects.” Julio shared he was able to reach out to professors after seeing
his peers easily navigate the conversations on course related material. Julio shared:
“I wasn’t that outspoken, so I would keep it to myself and struggle with course related
material. But it changed because I would see other students talk to professors with ease,
and eventually I got invited to those conversations, which made me realize that the
professors are not that intimidating, they are there to help you out, and its up to you to
reach out. But because other students were able to do it, it showed me that I was also able
to do it.”

In addition to using one another as resources, when course related material was difficult, students
also organized study groups amongst themselves. All participants indicated that they are
currently in a study group, or have been part of a study groups at some point. Cecilia indicated,
“We go to WestPoint College (pseudonym), which is close to WCCC, because they have a
library that’s open.” Trips to the neighboring college library are organized amongst the
participants. Julio mentioned that these trips usually happen after class or over the weekend, or
as he describes it, “My friends are my peers, so we hang out after class, and on the weekends, so
you just get really close to people.” Given that participants indicated spending a great deal of
time with their peers, they were asked if all of their friends were also engineering majors, or a
discipline within in STEM. Fernando, Domingo, and Cecilia indicated that a majority of their
friends were from different disciplines. Domingo and Cecilia were each asked if it helped that
their friends were not STEM majors, they felt it did not make a difference. Fernando, on the
other hand, indicated that it did not cause a complication, but it would be nice if his closest
LATINOS IN STEM 58
friends were engineering majors. Ezra, Juan, Rodrigo, Julio, and Luis all indicated that their
peers consisted of engineering majors, or a discipline within in STEM. Additionally, these
participants believed that they benefited from having friends within the STEM disciplines. Ezra,
Rodrigo, and Luis said that their close group of friends has changed since declaring their
engineering major. Ezra indicated that his social circle has changed, or as he describes:
“I find myself hanging out with more people who are in the STEM disciplines:
engineering, bio, any science, physics, chemistry. I find myself with them more than
older friends. But I think it’s because we share similar interests, and we can talk about
our main priority, which is school.”

Similar to Ezra, Rodrigo indicated that ever since he left high school, his group of friends had
changed. For Rodrigo, now that he’s in college, the majority of his friends are in STEM majors.
Juan and Julio had few friends who are not engineering majors and agreed that there are
communication barriers. Juan stated, “It is hard to talk to my outside-of-school friends, they just
don’t understand.” While Julio stated, “my friends who aren’t STEM majors always complain
why I can’t go out.” Both participants ultimately agreed that it is ‘nice’ to talk to others with the
same interest.
Extra-curricular activities. Participants were asked if they were involved in any student
organizations and most indicated being a member of the Society of Sciences (pseudonym).
Fernando described the organization as, “an organization that promotes interest in the
[engineering] field through hands on activities and professional development.” Members of the
organization have the opportunity to work on projects. For instance, Domingo indicated that one
of the projects was creating a phone charger that was powered by a solar panel. The organization
consists of a majority of engineering students, but that about 25% are math and other majors,
according to Fernando. Participants indicated that being involved in student organizations was
beneficial. Many described the benefits as preparing you for the future; contributing to the
LATINOS IN STEM 59
community; meeting new people; surrounding yourselves with people who also went to be
engineers; getting you closer to your goals; or opening doors. Ezra tries to be involved as much
as he can, even though he had a very busy fall semester. He explains that there are more pros
than cons in being involved:
“You get to meet a lot of people; you kind of grow out of your shell. Some people are
really shy, especially people in STEM fields, and you kind of need to [converse], get to
know people, and you come to realize how a lot of people share some of your struggles.
It’s nice to talk to people and get involved in different organizations that are offered at
colleges.”

Some students indicated that despite it being beneficial, if they were too busy or overwhelmed
with their coursework, they opted out of participating. Luis admitted to not being involved in
student organizations because aside from his coursework, he also worked a lot. He described his
rationalization as follows, “I work a lot, but I do it in order to help my parents. I feel like it’s my
obligation to them.” On the other hand Domingo, says he would like to be more involved, but his
commute to WCCC is burdensome, given that he lives 20 miles from campus. Juan admits that
being involved is important, but being an engineering major is associated with a lot of
responsibilities, so he gave the following recommendation, “If you can handle it, by all means,
join. But don’t do it at the risk of messing up your G.P.A. or transferring.”
Impact of Cultural Experiences

Campus climate. Participants were split when asked about the climate of the campus.
Participants described the campus in three different ways: ‘sense of community’, ‘supportive’ or
through demographics. Domingo, Cecilia, Rodrigo, and Julio responded that there was a ‘sense
of community’. Participants indicated that they felt at home or that they belonged there. Cecilia
indicated that this is particularly true in the SSS center. She stated, “It’s like a home. There is a
sense of community... If I need help, I can go in and find it.” She indicated that it was nice to
LATINOS IN STEM 60
know that someone was there. For Rodrigo, the community allowed him to feel comfortable
sharing his experiences as an undocumented student. Rodrigo describes this experience as such,
“Oh it’s great...it allowed me to meet with other students, even [undocumented] students, who I
would share my experiences with.” Rodrigo felt no need to hide who he was because he was
comfortable being his true self. Juan and Ezra described the environment as supportive. Ezra
provided examples of a campus climate that actively promoted transfer or obtaining a degree. He
described that climate as:
“For the most part, usually people help each other. People are friendly. There’s always
poster of reaching higher, past getting an AA, like transferring or applying to jobs. Yeah,
there’s certainly a push for getting a higher education”.

When describing the campus climate, two students used demographics. Luis mentioned that he
noticed slight demographic shifts. Luis indicated that there more students of Asian descent were
appearing in his classes. Regardless of the shift, Luis did not believe it inhibited him in any way.
Fernando, on the other hand, contrasted the WCCC environment to his previous institution. He
describes it as such:
“At Northern University (pseudonym) there was only 15% Latinos and it was a huge
culture shock because I have mainly been around Latinos especially in my high school in
Townsville (pseudonym). At West Coast [Community College], I would say it is about
70%-80% Latino, so definitely a majority.

The majority of the participants did not believe that their ethnicity was an issue in relation to the
campus environment. However, when probed further, Cecilia did make a comment about gender
within her classroom. Cecilia believes that while race and gender are not an issue, she did believe
there was a gender gap within her courses. She describes it as such:
It’s usually, like in my math classes, it was mostly men in the class and, yeah, the higher
you go, the less women there are. And like in my engineering classes too, the last
engineering class I had, there was like two girls out of twenty guys. Yeah, so, I think
there’s a lot of diversity in my physics class, there’s like a Brazilian guy, and an African
LATINOS IN STEM 61
American, all kinds of Asians and Mexicans, a couple white guys, but it is mostly
Hispanic and Asian.

Despite the unequal gender distribution in her classes, Cecilia indicated that it did not affect her
experiences. In sum, given the responses of the participants, many indicated coming from areas
in which there was a prominent Latino community. Therefore students are currently situated in a
position in which they are the majority, as opposed to the minority. While participants had
different responses in their ability to make sense of the campus climate, several of them
struggled with giving a response.
Cultural congruity. It was mentioned earlier that participants did not have much
experience in the residual effects of being a minority, due in part to their majority status. Given
that institution is predominantly Latino, participants did not indicate instances of cultural
incongruity. When participants were asked if being Latino created any barriers navigating the
transfer process, many indicated that it did not inhibit their experiences. For instance, Domingo
sums up the thoughts of many of his colleagues, when he stated:
“At West Coast [Community College] it’s majority Latinos so I wouldn’t be able to say. I
haven’t been in a school that’s been diverse. From elementary to high school I’ve been
surrounded by Latinos so I don’t know what it’s like to work with a community that’s
really diverse so I wouldn’t be able to say.”

However, participants also indicated that they were aware that the engineering field lacked
Latinos. Nonetheless Julio, Rodrigo, Ezra, Fernando, Domingo, and Juan indicated a sense of
pride in being one of the few Latinos in engineering. For instance, Ezra indicated that this sense
of pride could help him achieve his goal, or as he stated:
“I’m just proud of being Latino or Hispanic and reaching my goals in an engineering
major, and I think not settling for just being an engineer, but maybe being the next Elon
Musk [founder of PayPal].”

LATINOS IN STEM 62
Participants indicated feeling like pioneers. In particular, Fernando shared that despite being a
small population of the engineer field, they were poised to make huge strides. He had read about
the struggles of an astronaut who was a Puerto-Rican descent, and feeling a sense of familiarity
with those struggles. Fernando went on to say:
“[It] takes me back to the Italian and Jewish community. How they first started. How
they were always seen as the problem, and that is how I feel with the Latinos. But the
Jewish and the Italians overcame and built some of the founding blocks of the American
society, which could someday be the same for the Latino community. If we were to have
more Latino leaders, it would become the norm and help build the new foundation for
another generation.”

All participants indicated an interest in setting the example for future generations to come. It is
important to point out a caveat addressed by one of the participants. Juan was the only individual
that saw transferring from a majority, Latino institution as a potential barrier. He explained this
caveat as such, “I know when I transfer, I’m going to be a minority.” While being a Latino at
WCCC did not hinder his experiences, he did see the potential if it being an issue once he
transfers. Nonetheless, Juan remains optimistic and asserts that four-year institutions want
diversity in their schools. In addition, he stated that, “It’s been said that they need a lot more
minorities in the STEM field.” Juan believes he will be one of these ‘change agents’, and like his
counterparts, serve as an example to future Latino, engineers.
Barriers to Transfer
While many of the previous themes related to the theoretical framework used to guide
this study, there were also several other readily identifiable themes that emerged in the data.
Financial. For Luis, Cecilia, Fernando, Rodrigo, and Julio money was a barrier while
pursuing their education. Many students indicated that their parents were barely getting by, and
more often than not, students were financing their education on their own. Fernando, who first
started his postsecondary education at a four-year institution, indicated his parents could not be
LATINOS IN STEM 63
able to assist with educational expenses. Therefore, Fernando had to find other resources, like
obtaining a job. Fernando indicated that things continue to be rough financially. Although,
Fernando, is a recipient of the (Board of Governors) BOG Waiver, which covers tuition for
recipients, and the federal Pell grant, he credits one of the barriers in the transfer process as not
having enough financial assistance. Even with the BOG waiver covered tuition for several
students, many of the cited that this was not enough. Fernando recently put off receiving funds
from the Pell grant. He described his reasoning as such:
“Well I kind of put off the Pell grant, for a while. Mostly because I had already used at up
three years, and that worries me since I’ve yet to transfer.”
Participants indicated that even when factoring in financial assistance, through state and federal
grants, considering the fees imposed by institutions and the price of textbooks, this creates
financial burdens to students. Participants indicated that the cost of textbooks is often alleviated
because the SSS program provides textbook reserves of popular courses within the STEM
disciplines. Julio provided an explanation of how the reserves helped him:
“If I needed a book, I wouldn’t really buy it. So it would be a lot harder for me to do the
assignments, especially for the general [education] class. I just didn’t have the money.
SSS program will loan the math and science books, because they have them. But not for
like the general [education] classes.

One participant brought up a concern over the correlation of socioeconomic status and racial and
ethnic identity. When asked if being Latino created any barriers in transfer process for Cecilia,
she responded:
“I don’t know, cause like I don’t feel that being Latino has really affected me. Unless, it’s
like, financial status. Unless being Latino is like the reason I have financial need because
that’s the only way it affects it.”

While participants did not attribute their racial/ethnic identity as a barrier, they did attribute
financial resources as one that inhibited their transfer process.
LATINOS IN STEM 64
Undocumented status. During the study, two participants indicated being
undocumented. Julio and Rodrigo identified as undocumented students. While each of their
experience is unique, both had similar sentiments. One of the more pertinent issues was
accessing financial aid. While they both had access to financial aid through California, they still
had difficulties paying for their education. Julio indicated that cost of textbooks worried him. He
believed that textbooks for the STEM disciplines were generally more expensive than other
disciplines. Additionally, Julio and Rodrigo shared that they weren’t always open about
discussing their status. For each participant, they experienced a sort of ‘coming out’ process.
This in itself can be taxing on an individual. Despite these obstacles both participants indicated
that their status has made them more humble individuals.
Overcoming Barriers
Participants attributed many of their advances in the transfer process in part by services
provided by the institution. All students identified SSS STEM as one of the programs.
Participants indicated services such as providing textbooks; providing tutoring services;
providing a space in which to study; providing educational advice; providing personal advice;
and providing scholarships. Juan indicated that the SSS program provided him with a scholarship
that allowed him to refrain from working, so that he could focus on his coursework. For Juan,
this scholarship made the transfer process much ‘easier’, or as he describes it:
“A big part of that was that I didn’t have to work. Through the SSS program, I got a
scholarship. It’s a scholarship to help students who would need to work, but they award
them the scholarship so that they don’t have to.”

The scholarship provides Juan with enough support to get him through the semester. In addition
to the SSS program, Domingo, Ezra, and Rodrigo indicated that they were a part of a program
called Extended Opportunity Programs and Services. The program provides additional academic
LATINOS IN STEM 65
and support counseling, financial aid and other support services. To qualify for this program, a
student must be identified as an individual who is burdened with language, social, economic and
educational disadvantages.
Given the data, the researcher classified each of the emerging themes into two categories:
(1) essential to student persistence and (2) useful to student persistence. Themes were
categorized as essential to student persistence if participants considered the item in question as
important, or if all participants emphasized the theme during interviews. As participants
interpreted their persistence behaviors, the important themes were items that participants
believed to be crucial to their persistence. Participants believed they would have not made it as
far as they did, had it not been for these themes. For participants, these themes must be present in
order to persist. Items deemed as essential were family support, motivation, and peer support.
Themes were designated as useful to student persistence if participants believed that the theme
was present, but not crucial to their persistence. Items deemed as useful included: faculty
support, staff support, and campus climate. Useful themes were items that participants believed
to be of added value in their persistence behaviors, but not imperative.
Table 3. Essential vs. Useful Themes
Essential Themes Useful Themes
Family Support Faculty Support
Motivation Staff Support
Peer Support Extra-Curricular Activities
Financial Aid Campus Climate
Cultural Congruity

LATINOS IN STEM 66
Chapter 5—Discussion
This chapter provides a summary of the study followed by a discussion of the findings as
they relate to the research question. Study limitations as well as implications for practice,
research, and policy are discussed.
Summary
The purpose of this study was to understand how the psychological, social, and cultural
factors contribute to the persistence of engineering majors at a community college and who
identify as Latina/o. The objectives of the study were to understand how these students interpret
and make meaning of their experiences navigating the transfer process, and build on the work of
Gloria and Rodriguez (2000) to promote a greater understanding of the transfer process of
Latina/os in engineering. Data collection for this study consisted of interviews, which were
conducted over Skype, Face Time, or Google Hangout. The participants were eight community
college students who had applied for transfer to a four-year institution, declared an engineering
major, and self-identified as Latina/o. Each student participated in one interview, which lasted
between 50-85 minutes. Two of the participants participated in follow-up interviews, conducted
over the phone, for clarification on a particular topic. Additionally, participants were members of
the SSS program. The study used a constructivist research approach and was informed by the
conceptual framework proposed by Gloria and Rodriguez (2000). The following research
question guided the study:
How do Latina/o students at a Hispanic-serving community college make meaning and
define their persistence, while pursuing a STEM related degree?

The next section provides a discussion of the findings as they relate to the conceptual framework.

LATINOS IN STEM 67
Findings in Relation to PSC Model
After a thorough analysis of the data using a two-level coding system (Rubin & Rubin,
2013) to illuminate conceptual categories and themes, ten themes emerged. The interview
transcriptions were categorized as psychological, social, and cultural, or a combination of the
three. The second round of coding consisted of identifying sub-themes within each category (i.e.
psychological, social, and cultural). This second process identified codes based on the responses
of participants, as opposed to confining the codes within the dimensions of the PSC model. Some
of the codes that were derived from the second level of coding included, motivation, family,
faculty, peers, and inclusivity (Castelllanos & Gloria, 2007; Gloria & Castellanos, 2003). The
researcher identified additional codes (e.g. financial aid, money issues, and legal status). These
codes thus helped formulate the following themes: financial barriers and undocumented status.
The first eight themes fell within one of the dimensions of the conceptual framework, while the
latter two were themes determined by the researcher. Based on these ten themes this section has
been organized as such:
(1) Impact of Psychological Experiences
a. Educational Aspirations
b. Motivation
(2) Impact of Social Experiences
a. Family Support
b. Faculty Support
c. Peer Support
d. Extra-Curricular and Co-Curricular Activities
(3) Impact of Cultural Experiences
LATINOS IN STEM 68
a. Campus Climate
b. Cultural Congruity
(4) Barriers to Transfer
(5) Overcoming Barriers
Themes garnered through the conceptual framework were consistent with the literature. There
are certain psychological, social, and cultural factors that must be present for Latina/o students to
persist in engineering majors. Participants illustrated that some themes were more important than
others. However, each theme contributed in some fashion to their persistence. Themes that
surfaced outside of the conceptual framework were determined as barriers to persistence. While
this study identified the necessary factors presented in the literature, the number of Latina/os in
engineering has not kept up with the growing Latina/o population. It is the researcher’s belief
that this is a result of the barriers that students come across. Therefore, it is the hope of the
researcher that this study promotes actionable items that eliminate the barriers identified in the
data. Additionally, given the findings in the financial barrier theme, it is the researcher’s hope
that policy changes within the Federal Student Aid Commission are implemented, so that
students have one less barrier to overcome.
Impact of Psychological Experiences
Educational aspirations. Hernandez (2000) found that Latina/o students were more
likely to succeed in school when they had a positive sense-of-self. Participants easily articulated
their educational aspirations. At no point were students hesitant in articulating these goals. Thus,
their ability to clearly define their educational aspiration can be construed as having a positive
sense-of-self. Participants were very confident in completing their educational goals. Given that
this study specifically looked at students who had applied to transfer as success, participants
LATINOS IN STEM 69
articulated goals that exceeded this measurement. The majority of the participants indicated that
they would pursue graduate studies in the future. Results are consistent with the literature, which
describes that a student’s intent to persist towards degree completion is strongly correlated with
actual persistence (Barnett, 2011; Cabrera, Nora, & Castaneda, 1993). All participants mentioned
‘being good at mathematics’. This is important given that recognizing mathematics skills are a
predictor of success in the sciences (Carpi, Ronan, Falcolner, Boyd, & Lents, 2013). Many of
them attributed a teacher or professor who encouraged them to pursue STEM related fields. Due
to this positive affirmation, participants had a heightened positive sense of self.
Motivation. Participant’s attributed their motivation into two categories: not conforming
to the status quo and supporting their family. All participants believed that their motivations
contributed to their success. These beliefs support past research conducted by Phinney, Dennis,
and Chuateco (2005), which found motivation is an important contributor to success among
students from minority groups. Participants indicated that their desire to overcome stereotypes
imposed on them by society, as a motivating factor to earn their degree in engineering. However,
participants appropriated the majority of their motivation to supporting their families.
Participants believed that education was the key to upward mobility and the opportunity to
provide for their families. Many indicated that their parents did not have the opportunity to earn
a college degree, therefore achieving this accolade motivated them, because they knew the joy
and pride that it would provide their parents. Latina/o college student’s academic motivation and
success was in large part affected by the emotional support and encouragement of parents
(Castellanos & Gloria, 2007; Hurtado et al., 1996).

LATINOS IN STEM 70
Impact of Social Experiences
Family support. Results indicate that parental support matters to participants’ success.
This is consistent with the literature, given that that parental education is important in a student
success (Crisp & Nora, 2010; Berger, 2000). All participants mentioned that their parent’s played
a role in their persistence. This reaffirms work done by Castellanos and Gloria (2007), who
found that family is consistently identified as a critical source of educational support and
encouragement that affects the academic persistence of Latina/os. Despite the fact that
participants’ parents never obtained a college degree, it was nonetheless important for the
participants to obtain a degree. First-generation students thus often lack the necessary cultural
capital to navigate their college experience (Crisp & Nora, 2010), thus inhibiting their
persistence. Cultural capital is ‘‘verbal facility, general cultural awareness, aesthetic preferences,
information about the school system, and educational credentials’’ (Swartz, 1997, p.74). While
research has found the support to give credibility to this claim (i.e. Logerbeam et al., 2004),
participants garnered their cultural capital through other outlets (e.g. peers, faculty, and support
services). Torres (2006) found that despite Latina/o parents having no knowledge on navigating
the college process and experiences, parents were very supportive of their student’s educational
goals. Participants of this study reported that while parents knew very little of the college
process, they remained ‘supportive’ and ‘excited.’ While participants acknowledged that the
benefits of a college degree were awarded to them directly, participants indicated that parent’s
reaped the fruits of their labor. Support of their children positively affects student belief and
confidence to succeed (Gloria & Segura-Herrera, 2004). For participants, a combination of doing
well for themselves and their families contributed to their persistence. However, family support
LATINOS IN STEM 71
is not sufficient to offset difficulties that student’s experience (Castellanos & Gloria, 2007).
Therefore participants also mentioned faculty and peer support.
Faculty and staff support. While faculty interactions varied among participants, results
show that faculty support and encouragement have a positive influence on a student’s academic
performance (Cole & Espinoza, 2009), and as such promote a student’s persistence. One of the
common themes that participants indicated was a professor’s validation of the participant, in
particular, the validation to succeed. Cecilia indicated receiving reviews and edits on her transfer
application from one of her professors. She indicated that the professor believed that given her
academic capabilities and strong personal statement, she would be accepted into one of her
choices. This is consistent with research by Rendón (1994), which found that validation from
their professors increases a student’s persistence. While many students indicated their
relationship being strictly a student-teacher relationship, two participants indicated that they had
a more personable relationship. This challenges Pike and Kuh (2005), who argue that first-
generation college students are less likely to develop relationships with faculty and more likely
to perceive faculty as indifferent about their development. On the contrary, participants felt that
faculty members expressed interest in their development. For participants, having faculty who
believe in their abilities can been identified as an important factor in their success. These results
are consistent with research that states faculty who have a vested interest, and the belief that
students can succeed, improves a student’s belief that they too can succeed and ultimately persist
in school (Gloria & Catellanos, 2003; Hernandez, 2000).
Participants also identified staff members of the support services as contributors to their
success. All students indicated that they received either educational or personal support during
their tenure at WCCC. Roberts and Stryton (2010) in their study found that students who did not
LATINOS IN STEM 72
persist had statistically lower perceptions of staff/faculty approachability. This correlates with
the staff/faculty phenomenon amongst the participants of this study, whom had higher
perceptions of staff/faculty and persisted. It was also noted that participants could not readily
identify a mentor amongst staff or faculty. Santos and Reigadas (2002) found that students in a
mentoring relationship had a heightened sense of self-efficacy and self-esteem, which in turn
promoted persistence (Torres & Solberg, 2001). While participants indicated other factors to
their persistence, they did not benefit from these relationships, which may have provided the
students with more opportunities.
Peer support. The results indicate that peer support matters to participant’s academic
success. This is consistent with the research, which has found that social support, especially from
peers, predicted persistence decisions (Gloria 1991; Gloria et al., 2005). Participants attributed
their mastery of course related material through study groups. Participants studied in the
evenings and over the weekends. Several participants indicated that they spent so much time
together that they became friends. Participants also noted social benefits involved with peer
group support among STEM students. Social benefits largely involved encouragement.
Participants who had friends outside of STEM indicated that their friends did not understand the
amount of time one needed to dedicate as a STEM major. Additionally, participants indicated
that peers were the first individuals that they would refer to before speaking with a professor.
Extra-curricular activities. Participants indicated the importance of being involved in
student organizations. The majority of students were involved in the society of scientists.
Regardless of whether participants were active or not active members at the time of the
interviews, all participants expressed that being involved was important. Participants indicated
that several of the activities put on by the club were often extensions of their class work. For
LATINOS IN STEM 73
instance, a participant indicated that the club recently built phone chargers that were powered by
a solar panel. These types of activities allow for students to promote community among those
with similar interests (Palmer et al., 2011).
Impact of Cultural Experiences
Campus climate. Participants described the climate of the campus differently.
Additionally, many of the participants initially struggled with making sense of the construct of
campus climate. For some, the climate was understood as numbers; therefore a participant would
describe the racial/ethnic breakdown of the campus. Some participants described it as a
community, while others described it as supportive. For many of the participants, the campus felt
like a ‘home’. This is consistent with the literature, given that having a sense of belonging within
the university context has been linked to the persistence of Latina/os (Delgado-Guerro & Gloria,
2013). Participants indicated that the institution was predominantly Latina/o. An environment
that emphasizes and celebrates Latina/o cultural values increases cultural congruity (Delgado-
Guerro & Gloria, 2013). Given their majority status, students did not identify any cultural
incongruity.
Cecilia, the lone female participant, indicated that despite the unequal gender distribution
in her major, it did not affect her experiences. When reflecting upon her experiences, she
attributed the support of the educational advisor in the SSS program, encouragement of her
chemistry professor, and her participation in the SSS program as reasons for her persistence. This
is consistent with the research done by Packard et al. (2011), which found that women were
likely to persist given the right factors. These factors include “inspirational experiences with
community college faculty, helpful transfer advising, and access to academic resources”
(Packard et al., 2011. p. 142). However, gender inequity in the STEM disciplines continues to be
LATINOS IN STEM 74
one of the most significant challenges in higher education (Rypissi, Malcom, & Kim, 2009).
While Cecilia represents a positive deviation from current research, it important to note that a
gap exists in the number of women in engineering and computer science majors (Jackson, 2013).
Cultural congruity. Results indicate that participants did not have any issues being a
minority, given that their institution was a minority serving institution. Thus, participants did not
indicate any cultural incongruity. This is consistent with the literature. Bridging the divide
between a student’s culture and the university culture increases a positive perception for a
student, which acts as a catalyst in increasing academic success (Delgado-Guerro & Gloria,
2013). For participants, identifying the institution as predominantly Latino made them feel as
though their peers were relatable to them. This is consistent with Castellanos and Gloria (2007),
who postulate that Latina/o students who engage in learning setting that are consistent with their
cultural values, and practices, increase their persistence. Therefore, it is possible that
participant’s positive perspectives of the environment endorsed their positive perspectives, and
thus promoted their persistence.
Barriers to Transfer
Financial barriers. Results indicated that several participants experienced financial
barriers while pursuing their educational goals. Latino students who begin their higher education
at community colleges are generally from low-income families (Alexander et al., 2007). This is
why so many Latinos struggle with allocating the necessary resources to pay for their education.
As noted in the findings, the majority of the students worked anywhere between 11-38 hours a
week. Only one participant indicated that he could not work. According to a NCES survey
(2011), 84% of community college students work, and 60% work more than 20 hours a week.
This can be a problem, given that research has shown that working more than 20 hours a week is
LATINOS IN STEM 75
a risk factor for not completing a degree (Orozco & Cauthen, 2009). Several participants
indicated that even though they identified as low-income and received financial aid, they still
attributed financial barriers to fees imposed by the institution or the high cost of textbooks. One
participant said he temporarily suspended receiving his Pell grant because he has used three
years and had yet to transfer. Students can receive the Federal Pell Grant for no more than 12
semesters, which is roughly six years. This can often be a barrier for many students, given the
engineering majors tend to be high-unit majors. For example, at the California State Polytechnic
University, Pomona, the minimum units required for a Bachelor’s of Science in Communication
is 180 units, while a Bachelors of Science in engineering requires a minimum of 198 units. In
addition to financial barriers, students at community colleges from lower-income families take
longer to fulfill their requirements (Alexander et al., 2007). Participants indicated that they took
2-3 years before completing their requirements for transfer. The results show that financial
barriers can slow a community college student’s progress toward transfer, and thus consistent
with the literature (i.e. Hagedorn et al., 2008).
Undocumented status. An undocumented student is a foreign national who: (1) entered
the United States without inspection or with fraudulent documents; or (2) entered legally as a
nonimmigrant but then violated the terms of his or her status and remained in the United States
without authorization (National Immigration Law Center, 2014). While this is not necessarily a
Latino-specific barrier, it is estimated that it affects three quarters (76%) of the estimated illegal
immigrants in the United States that identify as Latino (Pew Research Center, 2009). Although
undocumented students are eligible for admission to public institutions in California, many states
prohibit admissions (e.g. South Carolina & Alabama), these students’ still face many barriers.
Nienhusser (2013) identifies barriers such as little or no access to financial aid programs and
LATINOS IN STEM 76
fears associated with disclosing their immigration status. In examining the first barrier,
California does offer some financial aid assistance (i.e. California Dream Act). In spite of this
program, these students are not eligible for federal aid, which can prevent many from
transferring. For instance, Rodrigo indicated an interest in transferring to a selective private
institution, but even with the state’s maximum assistance he will still need to contribute from his
personal assets. Rodrigo says that he cannot take advantage of the federal loan programs due to
his status. While not referring to his undocumented status, Rodrigo’s interest in transferring to a
private institution is slim, given that a very small number of community college students transfer
to selective private institutions (Dowd et al., 2008). Furthermore, students face an additional
obstacle with disclosing their undocumented students. Both participants indicated that they are
comfortable talking about their undocumented status, but it was something that developed over
time and due to the institution’s welcoming environment. Participants also mentioned that their
status deters them from participating in research programs because they do not have a social
security number. This is an issue given that students who engage in research have higher chances
of persistence (Russel, Hancock, & McCollough, 2007).
Overcoming Barriers
Hernandez (2000) found that Latinos who overcame barriers were more resilient and
possessed a drive to achieve tasks, which played a critical role in a student’s persistence.
Participants attribute their ability to overcome barriers in the transfer process due to student
support services. All participants mentioned SSS program, while others noted participation in
EOP&S. Research shows that students who participate in student programs, like SSS or EOP&S,
access peers from similar ethnic/social networks, allowing them to acquire the necessary social
capital for their persistence (Dowd et al., 2013). When referring to the SSS program, students
LATINOS IN STEM 77
indicated services such as providing textbooks or tutoring. However, many stressed the
assistance of the staff in these programs. Participants indicted that both the director of the
program and the educational program has a genuine interest in their success. These results are
consistent with the literature. Dowd et al. (2013) found that institutional agents (e.g. staff,
faculty, and administrators) played a key role in assisting students navigate their college
experiences, and thus increased a student’s ability to “achieve their full academic potential”
(p.21).
Limitations
Given that the study took place at a single institution in a particular state, findings may
not be generalizable to other institutions two-year or other states. Additionally, the small sample
size should be recognized. While the sample size was large enough to detect themes within
persistence, there was insufficient power to generalize the themes according to the total
population. This limitation may miss the narratives of students who may be doing better or worse
than students in the current sample. Moreover, this study drew upon the experiences of a lone
female. Therefore, the study lacks multiple accounts of female experiences in engineering
majors. Another limitation is the absence of a comparison group, which makes it difficult to
know whether the themes identified would operate similarly for students who were not involved
in the SSS program. Despite the study’s limitations, there are several practical implications for
practitioners and for future research.
Implications for Practice
Based on the research findings, there are several implications for practitioners. With
regards to STEM interest, participants attributed their pursuit of an engineering degree due to
positive experiences at their high school. Thus math and science teachers in high school should
LATINOS IN STEM 78
be cultivating potential and necessary STEM majors, given that an interest begins at this point.
While high schools have the responsibility of creating a college-going culture, efforts should also
include promoting a STEM-culture. Once students arrive to the college campus, institutions
should look for ways to promote the participation of parents in their student’s educational tenure.
Participants often cited family as an important factor in their persistence, but parents had little
knowledge on the college experience. To increase parent involvement, institutions could host a
parent night or invite parents to student conferences.
While participants indicated faculty support, none identified a mentor. It would be
beneficial if students had mentors within the field. Research has shown that mentoring
relationships increase a student’s self-efficacy and self-worth (Santos & Reigadas, 2002), thus
promoting their persistence (Torres & Solberg, 2001). Therefore, it is recommended that
institutions implement formal mentorship opportunities for STEM students. Additionally,
participants indicated the importance of peer support. Participants indicated that the SSS
program center was a space in which they could congregate with those of similar interests.
Creating spaces for students, such as a student center, allows students to readily exchange ideas
and interact with their colleagues. While establishing centers can be costly, practitioners can find
alternatives such as hosting a STEM student social in an existing venue.
Participants indicated that they experienced cultural congruity with regards to the
environment of the institution. While this is a positive implication, the researcher is concerned
with the potential culture shock students will experience upon transferring to a four-year
institution. One participant of the study brought this up as a concern, while another participant,
who began at a four-year institution immediately after high school, had troubles assimilating to a
four-year campus environment given the cultural incongruity he experienced. The institution’s
LATINOS IN STEM 79
climate is not the only concern. Even more important to note, is that the classroom environment
may not be representative of the institution at large (Espinoza, 2013). Therefore, attention should
not only be focused on persistence in the community college, and at four-year institutions
(Dowd, 2007; Moodie, 2007).
Implications for Research
Findings from this study show that Latina/o engineering majors at the community college
have high educational aspirations, are motivated, have the necessary support, and experience a
high degree of cultural congruity. Continued research is recommended in the following areas.
First, all participants were from the same institution, thus comparisons between students at other
community colleges should be examined. Second, research comparing support programs that
provide assistance to underrepresented minorities in STEM majors can help provide aspects not
addressed by individual programs or in higher education. Third, because all participants were
members of the SSS program, the researcher believes that this was a leading factor in their
persistence. Future studies could examine the experiences of students who navigate the transfer
process without support services like the SSS program. A comparison between students in a
program and those who did not participate in a specialized program warrants examination.
Lastly, this study drew upon the experiences of one lone female. Given that there is a gender gap
in engineering and computer science, future research should look to examining the experiences
of females in either of these disciplines.
Implications for Policy
Students can receive the Federal Pell Grant for no more than 12 semesters or the
equivalent (roughly six years). This is often a barrier for STEM major students, especially those
in engineering, who are high unit majors. This means that they require more courses, which
LATINOS IN STEM 80
equates to more units, to complete. A student is eligible for aid if he or she is within the
maximum timeframe requirements (150% of the program length).

Table 4. Maximum Credits Allowed by Degree for Federal Student Aid

Degree Program Credits Required Maximum Credits Allowed
Associate's 60 credits 90 credits
Bachelor's 120 credits 180 credits
Master's 30 credits 45 credits
Law – LLM 24 credits 36 credits
Law – JD 88 credits 132 credits
Medical 231.5 credits 347 credits
Note. Adapted from Federal Student Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Standard, by The
Office of Student Aid, Pennsylvania State University.

Given that engineering is a high unit major, the federal government asks that the student contact
their respective financial aid office to increase his or hers maximum timeframe standards. Instead
of requiring the student to go through a hurdle, the federal government, specifically the student
aid commission, should automatically increase the maximum time frame standards to
accommodate the high unit major. This is particularly important if the country is to increase the
number of engineering graduates and supply the engineering workforce.
This study weighed applying for transfer as success. Transfer is of particular importance
for increasing the participation of Latina/os in the STEM fields, given that Latinos typically
begin their postsecondary education and are disproportionately enrolled in these institutions
(Adelman, 2005). While the number has improved, it has not kept up to pace with the growing
Latina/o population. Many of the participants indicated that they had attended only one
community college as they pursued their educational goals. However, research has found that
students do not always complete their studies at one institution, but often attend more than one
LATINOS IN STEM 81
institution (Crisp, 2013). It has been shown that the lack of availability of courses causes a
burden on students, and thus they find other community colleges to enroll in required courses
(Crosta, 2014). Participants in the SSS program indicated that they received priority registration,
and thus were able to enroll in courses earlier. Institutions that do not follow these practices
should implement such policies. Given that STEM majors are typically high-unit majors,
providing this assistance allows students to complete their degrees in a timely manner. In
addition to institutional efforts to better assist in the success of Latina/os in engineering majors at
the community college, humanities should be developed to have a STEM focused. Juan and Julio
indicated that they were often bored in their humanities classes, but where very applied in their
math and science courses. Therefore, institutions should create courses in the social sciences that
have a STEM focus. For instance, a college composition class could be dubbed ‘Writing for the
Sciences,’ which incorporates elements of science through composition.
Conclusion
For Latina/o students, community colleges continue to be the primary entry point into
higher education (Perna et al., 2008; Crisp & Nora, 2010). Despite the fact that well over 80% of
Latino/as at community colleges intend to transfer, in reality, less than one quarter actually
transfer (Crisp & Nora, 2010). Conversely, it is estimated that Latinos will comprise 30% of the
U.S. Population by 2050 (Passel & Cohn, 2008). Given these demographic predictions, Millett
and Nettles (2006) suggest the Latina/os have the potential to make great strides in engineering
education (Millett & Nettles, 2006). This study has discussed factors critical to the persistence of
the Latina/os in engineering in the community college and provided recommendation for
practitioners and future research. While this study is based on the findings of a modest sample
size at a singular institution, institutions and practitioners may find recommendations helpful in
LATINOS IN STEM 82
supporting persistence among Latina/os in engineering majors. It is also important to note that
given the severity of the situation, we need to refrain from building on the reasons as to why
Latino students are unlikely to persist in STEM majors. Instead we must take what we know
about the factors that are attributable to their persistence and move towards the actionable items
that were recommended in the implications.
LATINOS IN STEM 83
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LATINOS IN STEM 107
Appendix A

Dear Engineering Student,

My name is Julio Flores and I am conducting a research study as part of my master’s thesis; you
are eligible to participate in this study if you are an engineering student who has applied for a
transfer to a 4 year institution, identify as a Latina/o, are aged 18 or older and have completed the
majority of your lower-division requirements at WCCC.

The purpose of this study is to talk about your experiences leading up to transfer while at
WCCCC; your participation in the study is voluntary.

If you agree to participate in this study you will be asked to take part in up to two interviews,
anticipated to last 60 minutes; the interviews will be scheduled Monday-Friday between 10am
and 7pm. You will be compensated for your time.

If you are interested in learning more, please respond to this email by answering the following
questions:
1. Major
2. Age
3. How you identify ethnically (e.g. Mexican, Puerto Rican, Salvadorian, etc.)
4. Institutions that you have applied to for Fall 2015

You do not have to respond if you are not interested in this study. If you do not respond, no one
will contact you, but you may receive a follow-up email, which you can simply disregard.

Please feel free to contact me via email should you have any questions. Thank you for your time
and consideration.

Julio Flores

LATINOS IN STEM 108
Appendix B

Filter Questions:
1. Have you completed the articulation agreement(s) for the 4-year institution(s)?
2. Number of units remaining towards completion of your IGETC and/or CSU(GE)?
3. How many community colleges have you attended?
4. What other support services are you a part of? (EOP&S, CalWORKS, etc.)
5. Are you the first in your family to go to college?
6. When did your interest in your STEM major begin?

1. What is your primary educational goal? (Psychological)
2. How do you plan on achieving this goal? (Psychological)
3. What do you plan on doing after completing your goal? (Psychological)
4. What have been some difficulties in preparing you for transfer? (Psychological)
4b. How have you overcome these obstacles?
5. What have been some advantages in preparing you for transfer? (Psychological)
6. Are there any individuals responsible for you getting this far? Who are they? (Social)
7. If you were asked by another student, “what it is like to be an engineering major” what would
you tell them? (Psychological/cultural)
If you were asked by another student, “what it is like to be Latina/o in an engineering major”
what would you tell them? (Psychological/Cultural)
8. What student organizations are you a part of? (Social)
8b. If not involved, what types of activities do you engage in outside of class?
9. Do you find it important to be involved? Why or Why not? (Social)
10. When you need help with course related issues, who or what do you reach out to?
11. Do you study with other Latina/o students? If so, where? (Social)
12. Are your friends engineering majors also? Does is help that they are/aren’t? (Social)
13. Do you have a favorite professor? What makes them your favorite? (Social)
14. Who do you look up to? Why? (Social)
15. What does your family say about your educational goals? (Social)
16. Would your family member be able to describe? What would they say? (Social)
17. How would you describe the overall campus climate at WCCC? (Cultural)
17.b Does this help or affect your experience?
18. How would you describe the climate within your classrooms? (Cultural)
18.b Does this help or affect your experience?
19. Did being Latina/o create any barriers while navigating your transfer experience? (C)

Wrap Up Questions
1. Is there anything else you would like to tell me?
2. Do you have any questions for me?

LATINOS IN STEM 109
Appendix C

University of Southern California
Rossier School of Education

INFORMATION/FACTS SHEET FOR EXEMPT NON-MEDICAL RESEARCH

You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by Julio Flores under the supervision of Kristan
Venegas, Ph.D., from the University of Southern California because you are aged 18 or older, have declared an
engineering major and have applied for transfer to a four-year institution as an engineering major. You should read
the information below, and ask questions about anything you do not understand, before deciding whether to
participate. Please take as much time as you need to read the consent form. You may also decide to discuss
participation with your family or friends. You can keep this form for your records.

Your participation is voluntary. Whether or not you participate in this study will not have any effect on your
relationship with USC or your community college.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY:
The purpose of the study is to discuss your overall experiences as an engineering major; to get a better picture of
what it is like to be an engineering major, what contributed to your success, and what kind of assistance is needed to
successfully transfer to a four-year institution.

STUDY PROCEDURES:
If you volunteer to participate in this study, you will be asked to take part in up to two interviews regarding your
experience of being an engineering major, what that means for your educational goals. The interviews will be audio
recorded, are anticipated to take up to 60 minutes each and will be conducted on Google Hangout, Skype, or
FaceTime. If you choose not to be recorded, you cannot participate in the study.

The follow-up interview will consist of clarifying questions, or checking that your thoughts/beliefs were
appropriately interpreted by the researcher.

RISKS AND BENEFITS:
There are no anticipated risks or benefits to you for participating in this study. It is hoped that this study will explore
the psychological, social, and cultural dimensions of Latina/o student in STEM at a community college.

PAYMENTS/COMPENSATION:
You will receive a $10 gift card for your participation. You do not have to answer any question(s) you don’t want
to; the gift card will be mailed to you, either US or email, no more than 14 days after your participation.

CONFIDENTIALITY:
We will keep your records for this study confidential as far as permitted by law. However, if we are required to do
so by law, we will disclose confidential information about you. The members of the research team and the
University of Southern California’s Human Subjects Protection Program (HSPP) may access the data. The HSPP
reviews and monitors research studies to protect the rights and welfare of research subjects.

Any identifiable information obtained in connection with this study will remain confidential. The data will be coded
with a false name of pseudonym and stored on encrypted files on a secure computer. All data, including audio files
will be maintained for three years after the end of the study and then destroyed. You may have access to the audio
files if requested.

When the results of the research are published or discussed in conferences, no identifiable information will be used

CONTACT INFORMATION:
If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel free to contact Julio Flores via email at
jrflores@usc.edu or phone at (562) 318-9943.

LATINOS IN STEM 110
RIGHTS OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANT – IRB CONTACT INFORMATION:
University Park Institutional Review Board (UPIRB), University of Southern California, 3720 South Flower Street
#301, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0702, phone (213) 821-5272 or email upirb@usc.edu.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract It is estimated that Latinos will comprise 30% of the U.S. Population by 2050 (Passel & Cohn, 2008). Given these demographic predictions, Millett and Nettles (2006) suggest the Latina/os have the potential to make great strides in engineering education (Millett & Nettles, 2006). It is widely known that Latina/o access post-secondary education via community colleges. Yet, little attention has been given to the experiences of Latino, engineering majors enrolled at the community college. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological, social, and cultural experiences that impact the success (i.e. persisting and transfer behavior) of Latina/o, engineering students through their completion of lower-division courses at the community college. Using a qualitative approach, the researcher sought to understand the experiences that facilitated persistence of 8 Latina/o, engineering students at the community college. The findings revealed that a student’s persistence was predicated on ten themes: (1) educational aspirations

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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

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Asset Metadata

Creator Flores, Julio Rene (author)

Core Title Persistencia de nuestro ingeniera/os: examining the persistence of Latina/os in engineering at a minority serving community college

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Master of Education

Degree Program Education

Publication Date 05/01/2015

Defense Date 03/17/2015

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag community college,Engineering,Latina/os,OAI-PMH Harvest,persistence,STEM

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Venegas, Kristan M. (committee chair), Colaner, Kevin (committee member), Tobey, Patricia Elaine (committee member)

Creator Email jrflores@usc.edu,mr.julioflores@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-565809

Unique identifier UC11300493

Identifier etd-FloresJuli-3430.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-565809 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-FloresJuli-3430.pdf

Dmrecord 565809

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Flores, Julio Rene

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA