UC Santa Barbara

It is important to understand why Latinx students remain underrepresented in STEM fields despite the confluence of the Latinx population expansion and exponential growth of lucrative and secure STEM careers in the United States. Considering access to these STEM opportunities is an economic and social justice issue, it is imperative that researchers document diverse students’ experiences and trajectories, as well as consider new approaches to incite interest and encourage long-term participation in STEM. Therefore, this three-paper dissertation examined Community STEM projects which engaged Latinx students in STEM afterschool activities and provided a bridge for some to pursue high school STEM learning opportunities. I focused on three overlapping groups of Latinx adolescents (12-16 years old, 14 participants total) who participated in two long-term multidisciplinary science and social action projects at a local Teen Center. I employed an ethnographic perspective and examined students’ roles and viewpoints by tracing dialogue and multimodal practices across time. I analyzed video records of sessions, field notes, individual and group interviews and student products. I applied the theoretical framework of Cultural-historical Activity Theory to examine the relations of the teen participants with their creations, and how tools interacted with norms, division of labor, and community relationships to affect their understanding of STEM-related artifacts and tools. I also utilized Figured Worlds to explore how participants created and maintained a “world” of Community STEM defined by norms, artifacts, activities, discourses, and performances. Finally, Bridging Multiple Worlds provided an alternative but complementary perspective into “worlds” as cultural spheres of influence, illustrating how students traversed spaces including the Teen Center but also school, home, and STEM academies. I documented the trajectories of students and their perspectives on challenges and supports in STEM both in and out of school.

In the first paper, I examined a group of seven Latinx young women who displayed data from a community survey in the format of an interactive word cloud. I uncovered tensions in the design process and associated possibilities for youth expression and identity development. In creating and presenting this project, participants constructed identities as youth leaders, community members, and makers. In the second paper, I examined how seven members of “the data team” collected, analyzed, and presented data on local noise pollution. I illustrated how teen participants took on roles such as data analyst, maker, and community scientist, and created signature science artifacts including acoustic panels, maps, and data files. The project reinforced views of self while offering new ways to engage with science content and contribute to the community. In the third paper, I examined STEM trajectories for four Latinx young women who participated in Teen Center activities and later were selected for competitive STEM academies. I illustrated their perspectives on the social and physical environment of the STEM academies and supports and barriers to participation. While the engineering academy provided wonderful opportunities to use authentic tools and engage in the practices of engineers, it was somewhat inaccessible to Latinx families and participants reported mixed feelings about their minority status in the academy. Overall, I outlined supports and challenges in both novel Community STEM programs and high school STEM academies, characterizing patterns of participation and identity development for Latinx students navigating diverse learning environments.