Engaging Latinx or Hispanic-Identifying Families in Science Education: A Longitudinal Intervention Study

Given the underrepresentation of Latinx or Hispanic-Identifying (LHI) individuals in STEM fields, this research examines the effectiveness of a parent intervention focused on the community cultural wealth for Spanish-speaking parents of LHI STEM undergraduate students in their first year of college who navigate systemic barriers such as racism, inequity, and marginalization (Yosso, 2005). Using a longitudinal quasi-experimental design with propensity score weighting, this study compared six- and 12-month post-test parent-child outcomes (Parent STEM Conversations, Parent STEM Values, Parent Support, & Family Obligations) for LHI undergraduate students whose parents participated in an intervention with two control groups: parents who were interested but unable to attend (C1) and parents not interested in or reachable for the intervention (C2). Longitudinal latent trait-state structural equation models indicated that the treatment group reported higher state parental STEM conversations than C1 and C2 at the six-month follow-up, and higher state parental support than C2 at the 12-month follow-up. Although the treatment group reported higher state family obligations than the C2 group at the six-month follow-up, group differences dissipated by the 12-month follow-up. Student perceptions of parents' STEM values did not differ between the treatment and control groups. These findings underscore the complexity of addressing cultural and contextual factors in parental interventions, implicating the need for more tailored approaches to fully support LHI students in STEM fields that emphasize cultural wealth. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on the role of family support in the academic success of underrepresented students in STEM disciplines.