An Understanding of Factors Affecting Latinx Academic Performance in STEM Education at California Community Colleges
type: CreativeWork
description: Latinx students represent the largest ethnic group at California Community Colleges. California Community Colleges serve as the main entry into higher education for the majority of Latinx students, including those students pursing an undergraduate degree in STEM education (The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, 2023). Although there is current research on their experiences in STEM education, much of the research focuses on four-year universities (Snyder et al., 2017). These studies highlight disproportionate academic outcomes among Latinx students’ in historically challenging majors and the importance of developing healthy self-efficacy (The Pew Research Center, 2025). By concentrating on Latinx community college students in STEM, my study will add to the current literature by exploring strategies that help students integrate and thrive in STEM education. It is undeniable that success in STEM education can help Latinx students obtain high-paying positions in the workforce, and, in turn, achieve economic upward mobility despite often coming from poverty (Ackert et al., 2021). By examining obstacles in STEM and broader educational challenges, I hypothesized that the specific factors reviewed in this dissertation will influence Latinx students’ confidence in their academic abilities. This study examined the extent to which relationships between social support, student engagement, faculty representation, and familial expectations and responsibilities are favorable to perceived self-efficacy among Latinx students in STEM education. This is tremendously important because positive self-efficacy has historically been linked to academic achievement and student success (Owens & Ramsay-Jordan, 2021). Thus, I conducted a quantitative study with questionnaires and a 5-point Likert scale with response options to investigate aspects of student self-efficacy. The data I utilized for my research consisted of students from a Hispanic Serving Institution in Las Abejas,…
abstract: Latinx students represent the largest ethnic group at California Community Colleges. California Community Colleges serve as the main entry into higher education for the majority of Latinx students, including those students pursing an undergraduate degree in STEM education (The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, 2023). Although there is current research on their experiences in STEM education, much of the research focuses on four-year universities (Snyder et al., 2017). These studies highlight disproportionate academic outcomes among Latinx students’ in historically challenging majors and the importance of developing healthy self-efficacy (The Pew Research Center, 2025). By concentrating on Latinx community college students in STEM, my study will add to the current literature by exploring strategies that help students integrate and thrive in STEM education. It is undeniable that success in STEM education can help Latinx students obtain high-paying positions in the workforce, and, in turn, achieve economic upward mobility despite often coming from poverty (Ackert et al., 2021). By examining obstacles in STEM and broader educational challenges, I hypothesized that the specific factors reviewed in this dissertation will influence Latinx students’ confidence in their academic abilities. This study examined the extent to which relationships between social support, student engagement, faculty representation, and familial expectations and responsibilities are favorable to perceived self-efficacy among Latinx students in STEM education. This is tremendously important because positive self-efficacy has historically been linked to academic achievement and student success (Owens & Ramsay-Jordan, 2021). Thus, I conducted a quantitative study with questionnaires and a 5-point Likert scale with response options to investigate aspects of student self-efficacy. The data I utilized for my research consisted of students from a Hispanic Serving Institution in Las Abejas,…
author: Gavilanes, Timothy
keywords: California Community Colleges, First-generation Latinas, Latinos, Latinx, STEM Education, Two-year colleges, Education, Higher Education
date published: 2025-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:41:17Z
provider: Claremont Graduate University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Claremont Graduate University