2008 - Examining the Academic Success of Latino Students in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Majors

Attribution: Cole, Darnell, & Espinoza, Araceli
Researchers: Araceli EspinozaDarnell Cole
University Affiliation: University of Southern California
Email: darnellc@usc.edu
Research Question:
1) To what extent does cultural capital and cultural congruity affect the academic performance of Latino students' majoring in STEM fields? 2) To what extent does campus climate, as measured through academic-related experiences of Latino students in STEM majors affect their academic performance?
Published: Yes
Journal Name or Institutional Affiliation: Journal of College Student Development
Journal Entry: Vol. 49, No. 4, Pp. 285-300
Year: 2008
Findings:
  1. Latino students perform better academically when they have cultural congruity within their chosen academic major.
  2. College experience variables like studying with other students and attending diversity functions were negatively correlated with performance.
  3. Institution type was not significantly related to Latino students’ academic performance.
  4. The only significant student background variable was gender, which was positively related to students’ GPA.
  5. Parents’ level of education had no significant impact on Latino students’.
  6. High school GPA had a significant and positive influence on students’ GPA and had the largest beta weight of all the variables significant in the regression model.
  7. Studying with another student and attending diversity functions negatively affected Latino students’ GPA. Attending diversity functions could be a response to their academic under-performance and/or a “chilly climate” within their academic majors.
  8. Time spent on studying and faculty support and encouragement were positively related to GPA.
  9. “Negative feedback about academic work” did not significantly impact students’ performance.
Scholarship Types: Journal Article Reporting Empirical ResearchKeywords: Academic AchievementAcademic SuccessCollegeCultural CapitalCultural CongruityGPALatinosSTEMRegions: NationalMethodologies: QuantitativeResearch Designs: Secondary Survey DataAnalysis Methods: Descriptive StatisticsOrdinary Least Squares Regression Sampling Frame:Latino STEM Students
Sampling Types: Nationally RepresentativeAnalysis Units: StudentData Types: Quantitative-Longitudinal
Data Description:
  • Three concepts form the theoretical grounding for the analysis of this study: (a) cultural capital, (b) cultural congruity, and (c) campus climate.
  • They tested multilevel regression analysis and concluded that least squares (OLS) regression analysis would provide more accurate estimates of standard error.
  • The freshmen survey data (1999) and the follow-up data, the college senior survey (2003) was utilized. The analytic sample contained 146 Latino/a STEM students.
  • The dependent variable was self-reported average college GPA for students’ fourth year in college.
  • The independent variables were: institutional characteristic (i.e., institutional type- university and four-year college), students’ background characteristics (i.e., gender and level of parental education), college entry variable (i.e., live off or on campus), and high school GPA.
  • Three conceptual categories of environmental variables were included in these analyses:
    • Peer involvement in academic activities (i.e., studied with other students, tutored another college student, worked on group projects in class, time spent studying or doing homework, and satisfied with peer interactions).
    • Diversity-related interactions (i.e., had roommate of different race/ethnicity, socialized with someone of a different race/ethnic group, attended diversity functions).
    • Student-faculty interactions (i.e., faculty support and encouragement, negative feedback about academic work, and satisfied with amount of contact with faculty).
Theoretical Framework:
Relevance:Factors Related to STEM Readiness
Archives: K-16 STEM Abstracts