Improving the Academic Success of Chicanx and Latinx Women in STEM

Majors

Libna Leon
University of California, Davis

The purpose of this study is to discover why there is a low representation of Chicanx and Latinx
women in STEM majors, correlated to academic success. The data collection consisted of
interviews with three Chicanx and Latinx students that are currently enrolled in STEM majors,
as well as a Latinx professor in STEM. This paper is an overview of the influential factors that
prevent Chicanx and Latinx students from pursuing a career in STEM and the reasons for
increasing enrollment into STEM fields but the low graduation rates. The study demonstrates an
insight into the environment of Chicanx and Latinx female students in STEM fields, and
discusses the poor academic aid provided for minorities such as Chicanx and Latinx students on
campus. Overall, the results of this study indicate the perspectives of Chicanx and Latinx
students that consider institutions lack of sufficient academic resources for minorities,
specifically the representation of women of color in STEM fields.

Chicanx and Latinx in Higher Education

The rate of Hispanic and Latino students attending college has increased over the past
years however the graduation rate does not add up with the number of students enrolled into
college (Cole & Espinoza, 2008). Several factors are taken into consideration in order to explain
the low rate of Hispanic and Latino students in college who graduate. One factor is considered to
be social adaptation; the campus climate in college for Hispanic and Latino students is likely to
have direct effect on learning outcomes (Cole & Espinoza, 2008). Moreover, Latino and
Hispanic students that experience a ‘hostile campus climate’ have difficulty feeling attached to
the college environment and result in having a hard time adjusting both academically and
socially (Crisp & Nora, 2012). The students that are enrolled in diverse institutions were also
shown to feel alienated within the academic environment of college. The negative experiences
that these students’ experience is a contributing factor that correlates with low academic
performance. Yet, the highest number of Hispanic and Latino students that have experienced this
specifically were the students majoring in STEM (Cole & Espinoza, 2008).
Other factors can also change the academic performance of Hispanic and Latino students
in STEM. For instance, the importance of family support for minority students is an engaging
factor and development of student’s interest in science and mathematics. As the population
increases, there is also an increase in the number of Hispanic students attending college, the
enrollment in the STEM fields from 1995-1996 to 2003-2004 increased 21 percent, compared to
an increase of 11 percent in non-STEM areas. For Hispanic and Latino students', the enrollment
Academic Success for Chicanx and Latinx Women in STEM 2

in STEM fields increased by 33 percent, representing nearly ten percent of students in STEM
fields (Crisp & Nora, 2012).
Chicanx and Latinx Students in STEM
The number of Latino and Hispanic students enrolled in the STEM field is increasing, but
their success and number of degrees are decreasing. According to the National Science
Foundation (2006), of the 436,372 bachelor’s degrees awarded in science and engineering, 7.3%
were earned by Latino students, whereas 65.1% were earned by White, non-Hispanic students
(Cole & Espinoza, 2008). Although Hispanic students have been shown to be just as likely as
White students to major in STEM, they are significantly less likely to earn a degree or certificate
in the STEM field (Crisp & Nora, 2012). Hence, there is a reasoning behind the low number of
earned degrees in STEM for Latino and Hispanic students. It is not that Hispanic and Latino
students do not know the subject, in fact Hispanic and Latino students that developed an early
interest in science, mathematics, technology, and engineering majors obtained high GPA’s
throughout high school, even though their grade point average GPA lowered in college. The
average GPA amongst Latino and Hispanic students in 2005 was 2.82 compared to their White
counterparts whose GPA average was 3.05. Consequently, Latino and Hispanic students were
less likely to keep a STEM major (Cole & Espinoza, 2008). Although there are reasons that
contribute to these outcomes, such as: limited diversity among faculty, a lack of role models,
lack of family support and family obligations (Peralta, Caspary & Boothe, 2013).
Hispanic and Latino students have been shown to have lower levels of self-efficacy when
it comes to science and mathematics compared to White students (Crisp & Nora, 2012). On the
other hand, skill development and academic performance prior to enrolling in college, race or
ethnicity is not an indicator of how well or poorly a student will perform in a science-related
field. Yet, for Latino students, research has suggested that once in college, factors such as peer
and faculty support and cocurricular involvement play a role in the retention of this student
population. It is important to have connections among peers and mentors, for instance minority
students who complete their science and engineering degree typically emphasize the role of a
faculty members as a crucial part of their success. Such support includes: minority or female role
models and advisors, advice from advanced students from the same ethnic group, and minority
relations staff (Cole & Espinoza, 2008). Therefore, Latino students who find opportunities to
make new connections that are from similar cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds are more
likely to succeed. It is through these peer relationships that they typically find a caring and
supportive educational community and have academic support as well.

Chicanx Latinx Women in STEM

The representation of Chicanx and Latinx students in STEM are drastically low, but not
only are they low they keep decreasing. According to Ruiz and Korrol, women have always been
involved in scientific activities yet were not welcomed or encouraged to pursue these activities.
For years, it was argued that ‘women did not contribute significantly to science because they
were deemed to be inferior or were intellectually incapable (the notion was that only men were
capable of scientific thinking and experimentation).' Hence, women were also not allowed to
attend institutions of higher education until the twentieth century. As stated in Latinas in the
United States, set: A Historical Encyclopedia, “popular notions deemed the education of girls a
waste of time and money and held that too much schooling could actually harm women’s
reproductive health." For Latinas, the barriers to higher education have been even greater. Before
Academic Success for Chicanx and Latinx Women in STEM 3

the 1960s, higher education was not even an option for most Latinas, and once Chicanx and
Latinx entered postsecondary educational institutions, they faced a number of cumulative
obstacles, including few role models and mentors, inadequate academic counseling, and lack of
supportive. For Latinas in particular, the situation of having a STEM major has been challenging,
due to racism, sexism, discrimination and exclusion from scientific fields (Ruiz & Korrol, 2006).
The fight of women in STEM has been around for years, regardless of women now being
allowed to pursue high education the number of Latinas in STEM remain low.
Gender roles are an indicator of a student’s major in college. Gender is one of the most
influential predictors of college majors for minority students; female minority students are more
likely to pursue liberal arts, health, public service, or business degrees rather than STEM majors
(Crisp & Nora, 2012). In addition, the degree accomplishment in STEM fields between male and
females in the Latino population is disproportionate (Cole & Espinoza, 2008). These female
Hispanic students report a greater preference for socializing with a more diverse group. Perhaps,
the exposure to a more diverse group that involve career possibilities and thoughts that are not
gender-restricted may offer Latinas more options of majoring in STEM fields. Similarly,
Chicanx and Latina students who develop an early interest in highly male-dominated careers,
such as STEM fields, are likely to have a better understanding of the steps needed to achieve
their career goals and objectives. This being an indicator of why Chicanx and Latinx women are
currently the most underrepresented group in the fields of STEM (Crisp & Nora, 2012).
Although the graduation rate indicates gains of women across subfields, such as the biological
field, women are still underrepresented in many other STEM fields including computer science
and engineering (Packard, Gagnon, LaBelle, Jeffers, & Lynn, 2011). Some suggest the decline
might be due more to the climate in the academic setting, or what students perceive as the
climate in the subsequent work setting. (Whalen & Shelley, 2010). The academic environment of
gender roles plays a huge factor in the academic success of Chicanx and Latinas in STEM fields.
Another point is, the number of Latinas enrolled in college are greater than Latinos and
yet Latinas are still underrepresented in the STEM fields. In 2005 Latinas received 60% of the
bachelor’s degrees awarded to the Latino population, but Latinas only earned 37% of the degrees
awarded to this population in STEM fields (Cole & Espinoza, 2008). An encouraging factor for
Latinas could be support from a father to his daughter, in order to consider a “male career
option.” This may counter gender roles and sexist attitudes that society associates with specific
careers (Cole & Espinoza, 2008). Moreover, a women’s family role is also a conflict that
considered for the success of Latinas in STEM. The gender role of Hispanics' by stereotyping
and gender identity demonstrate that traditional concepts of women's family role is what
perseveres their encouragement while in college. Hence, Chicanas in higher education may
experience conflict between their views and males' views of appropriate sex role behavior
(Solorzano, 1998). This meaning that the gender role given to them in their culture is a different
factor that interferes with graduating or even attending college for some Latinas.
Evidently, although Latinas have been consistently found to be less likely to earn a
STEM degree, findings by Cole and Espinoza suggest that Latina students may, on the whole,
earn higher grades than Latinos. This finding suggests that the challenges faced by females in
STEM may be less academic and more a product of socio-cultural or other issues (Cole &
Espinoza, 2008). Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) studies documented higher loss
rates for students in STEM majors among Hispanic students, in representation of women in the
United State indicating the underrepresentation of women in STEM (Whalen & Shelley, 2010).
Academic Success for Chicanx and Latinx Women in STEM 4

Regardless of the better performance from Latinas then Latinos in STEM majors, there is a lot to
take into consideration why Chicanx and Latinas do not persevere in STEM majors.

Method
Data collection
I collected my data through interviews, I interviewed three Chicanx Latina students majoring in
STEM, I also majored a Latina professor in the science field, professor Natalia Caporale.
Through this process, I focused on questions correlated to their personal experience as women of
color in STEM. All of the three Chicanx women I interviewed were third years at UC Davis
projecting to graduate the year of 2020. With these interviews my purpose was to focus on the
need of more academic success center at universities for Chicanx and Latinx student, also early
programs during high school for minorities for the purpose of academic success in college.
Kate Martinez, Jennifer Sandoval, and Maria Herrera were the three students I interviewed for
this study. However, the name used in this paper for the participants are not real, in order to keep
confidentiality. Every interview was approximately 30 minutes and all the questions were the
same for each student, expect the professor’s questions that were related more to her professional
experience. I met up with each student separately in a quiet space, and initiated the interview
with background questions, questions that addressed their major and interest for their major as
well as their racial and ethnic background.

Data Analysis
For my questions I disregarded prior knowledge of the topic founded about Chicanx and Latinx
students in STEM. My questions consisted in the experience of each student regarding the
environment of their STEM classes. In my questions, my goal was to find what Chicanx, Latinx
students felt to be the determining factor of their academic success in STEM or what was
missing for them to be able to succeed in such field. The answers from the participants was their
own interpretation of the reasons Chicanx and Latinx do not purse STEM majors or could not
succeed in such field.

Findings
Lack of preparation before college
The interview with the student Kate Martinez expressed concern for the lack of help provided for
Chicanx students in college. Kate Martinez discussed her interest in science from an early age,
but the lack of preparation during high school made her feel behind in all the coursework and
unable to compete with her peers. She also mentioned seeing a large number of Hispanic women
in her science courses when she was a freshman, but as she began to take upper division courses,
she noticed the number of female Chicanx and Latinx student decrease.

Low representation of Chicanx and Latinx staff

Both the interviews of Maria Herrera and Jenifer Sandoval consisted of similar answers. When
asked the question, what do you think should change in order to encourage Chicanx and Latinx
female students to go into the STEM field? The answer was the amount of Chicanx and Latinx
representation in staff members are not enough, in order to create some encouragement for
Academic Success for Chicanx and Latinx Women in STEM 5

Chicanx and Latinx student. Maria Herrera stated, “when you see staff that are also Hispanic
then you think, if she did it then I can do it.”
During the interview with professor Natalie Caporlae, she mentioned when she was a student, as
a Latina in a STEM classes she doubted herself because the only kind of people she would see in
her classes were non-Hispanic or Latino students, which were also mostly mostly men (thus
being more noticeable while obtaining her PhD). She also mentioned that during her office hours
that students that reach out to her are typically students who do not really need her, but for
students that need extra help and are not doing well in class, (mostly being Latinx or Hispanic)
they do not reach out to her. Professor Natalie Caporlae expressed her concern for Chicanx and
Latinx students in STEM majors by mentioning how these students come unprepared and are not
aware of the recourses provided on campus, or in some cases they college environment is
different from home and these students find it hard to accommodate themselves.
Overall, the findings I made with the interviews resulted that, Chicanx and Latinx female
students in STEM majors lack staff representation as a form of encouragement, feel unprepared
to compete with their peers, and have a hard time adapting to the college environment. As
mentioned by Crisp and Nora, Latino and Hispanic students can experience ‘hostile campus
climate’ which results in having a hard time adjusting academically and socially
(2012). Furthermore, the role of Chicanx and Latinx staff can increase the academic success of
Chicanx and Latinx students in STEM. As stated by Cole and Espinoza, support includes:
minority or female role models and advisors, advice staff in the same ethnic group (2008).

Conclusion

The academic success for female Chicanx and Latina student in STEM can be
challenging considering all the factors these students need to overcome. The effect of student’s
performance in college is determined by several factors which are later determining factors in the
graduation rate of Chicanx and Latinx students specifically with STEM majors. Although there
are several amounts of determining factors that prevent academic success for these group of
students, there are also positive factors that can help Chicanx and Latina students in STEM
persevere. An improvement for this could be more programs in educational institutions (high
school and college) that help Chicanx and Latinx female students who are not provided with the
same resources as their countering peers. Also, having diverse staff members can be encouraging
and be of support for Chicanx and Latinx students in order for them to keep pursuing STEM
majors and be academically successful.
Academic Success for Chicanx and Latinx Women in STEM 6

References

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Crisp, G., & Nora, A. (2012). Overview of Hispanics in science, mathematics, engineering and
technology (STEM): K-16 representation, preparation and participation.
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Ruiz, V. L., & Korrol, V. S. (Eds.). (2006). Latinas in the United States, set: A Historical
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