Understanding the Ecological System:
How Parent and School Media May Influence Latino Students’ STEM Interest
Mariam N. Gorbea Ramy
Community Research Program, Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center
Advisor: Dr. Katherine McNeill
Abstract
Despite making up a large and growing portion of the population, (US Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 2014) Latinos are among the least represented ethnic groups in
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) (Landivar, 2013). Given
that pursuing a job in STEM can be predicted as early as middle school (Tai, et al,
2006), this study aims to understand two of the key environments that shape
students’ development: parents and school. Using thematic analysis to analyze
relevant media pieces, this study suggests that the lack of representation of Latinos
in STEM fields may be due to the absence of STEM related topics in school and
home life.
Introduction
❖ Background and Literature Review:
1
• STEM fields are the fastest growing occupations in the United States , and the
majority of STEM job holders have a science or engineering degree2.
• Only 15% of the Latino population over 25 years of age has a bachelor’s degree 3, and
even less hold a degree in STEM2.
• The cause for the lack of qualifications for STEM jobs starts earlier than college,
since STEM interest in the 8th grade can predict if a student pursues a STEM job4.
• Other research determined that a student’s belief in his/her ability to do science is
correlated to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine) interest 5, that
hands-on instruction increases STEM interest - whether in or out of regular class
time6, and Out of School Time STEM activities, whether structured or unstructured,
increase likelihood of majoring in STEM in college7.
• Furthermore, according to Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems model8, children do
not develop in a vacuum but are influenced by the environments around them, on
multiple levels.
❖ Research Questions:
• What do the topics of conversation in which schools and parenting magazines engage
say about the importance each of these groups give to STEM?
• Do these topics of conversation vary if composition is latino vs. non-latino?
• What are the possible relationships between these topics of conversation and national
data of STEM representation
Data:
The graph below demonstrates the number of articles in the top 4 codes in each
language. As the graph indicates, the parenting articles showed significant difference
in popularity of certain codes, as well as content of articles within each code. The
English articles focused more on enrichment and academics, while the Spanish codes
focused more on health and recreation. The Spanish articles also tended to elicit more
caution or parental monitoring of children than the English articles.
School districts posted more advertisements than schools. These advertisements
tended to be related to Out-Of-School-Time programs for kids. Despite this
communality, CSD focused on more holistic community issues (e.g. public
transportation, free breakfast for students) than FSD. Both FSD and FMS prioritized
sports much more than Chelsea. Unlike in the magazine publications, there was more
of a focus on student work and academics in the town with high percentage of Latinos
than in the one with a higher white population (See Tables).
Methods
Used Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Model and thematic analysis to code and analyze:
1. The first 56 titles of:
- the online Edad Escolar section of the magazine Ser Padre
- the online Education section of the magazine Parents
2. The first 10 Facebook posts of:
- A middle school (CMS) and school district (CSD) from a Massachusetts town with
a high Latino population (65.6%) and 19.3% poverty rate (Chelsea),
- A middle school (FMS) and school district (FSD) from a Massachusetts town with a
high white population (80.6%) and a poverty rate of 19.1% (Fitchburg).
Discussion:
● The lack of STEM related titles in Ser Padre indicates that either Latino parents
do not value STEM or they are being told that they should not prioritize it 9.
Either way, this is of great concern, given that the prevailing message is that
STEM does not belong in the Latino students’ home environment. if the media
implications are accurate representations of reality, then Latino students are not
encouraged at home to explore STEM. Therefore, they may be less likely to
develop the STEM interest that research has indicated is key to future STEM job
perusal.
● The differences in both publications may also be a reflection Latino parents
tendency to use the Authoritarian parenting style10. The high levels of parental
monitoring and demandingness characteristic of this parenting style10 may
explain the prevalence of articles related to safety and health in Ser Padre. This
parenting style is known to lead to children that are more dependent and passive,
and less socially adept, self-assured, and curious10. Being exposed to a parenting
style that stifles creativity and produces less confident children may be
responsible for the lesser numbers of Latinos in STEM.
● The lack of STEM related school and school district posts is also of some
concern. However, given that the absence of STEM posts occurred in the
Facebook pages related to Chelsea as well as Fitchburg, it is not as clear as to
whether this lapse is due to other factors such as socioeconomic factors or time
of year.
Implications and Future Research:
❖ Writers and Editors should be aware of their potential impact on parenting behavior
through the topics they, directly or subtly, may be telling parents to prioritize.
❖ Parents should look at information targeted at their culture as well as other cultures
to have a wider sense of encouraged parenting practices.
❖ School and district communications should focus on more than just news updates.
They should share more information on enrichment opportunities, how to continue
learning at home, and connection between academics and jobs.
❖ Researchers should consider investigating what importance Latino parents and
students attribute to STEM.
❖ Researchers may also consider conducting a year long media discourse analysis of a
wider number of schools of diverse socioeconomic statuses, as well as a deeper
analysis into the content of parenting articles.
Bibliography
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survey reports. United States Census Bureau.
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www.census.gov/ newsroom/facts-for-features/2017/hispanic-heritage.html
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