Parent Support of Mexican-Descent High School Adolescents’ Science Education: A Culturally Grounded Framework

Abstract

The aim of this study was to use sociocultural perspectives to elaborate on Eccles’ parent socialization model and create a culturally grounded, multidimensional model of parent support among Mexican-descent families. Given Latinx underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers, we focus on science as an important domain in which to study parent support. Using a qualitative approach, this study examines (a) what forms of parent science support do Mexican-descent parents and adolescents perceive as best practices and (b) what are the social, cultural, and contextual barriers parents face and in what ways do parents continue to support their adolescents in science in spite of those barriers? Seventy-four parent (mean age: 40 years; 23% U.S.-born and 77% Mexico-born) and 73 adolescent (mean age: 15 years; 41% female) nterviews were analyzed using inductive and deductive approaches. Findings suggest that parents use traditional and nontraditional culturally grounded forms of support: involvement at home, providing words of encouragement (e.g., échale ganas), and leveraging resources (e.g., kin support). Participants felt work-related barriers, linguistic barriers, and limited science knowledge shaped parents’ support. Results highlight the unique ways parents support their adolescents’ science education as well as the need for educators to consider how parents’ sociocultural experiences shape their support.

Longitudinal associations between parent degree/occupation, parent support, and adolescent motivational beliefs in STEM

“…We found that although the association between parent STEM support and adolescent STEM motivational beliefs was not significant for those whose parents had a STEM degree/occupation, parent STEM support positively predicted Asian, Latina/o, and White adolescents' STEM motivational beliefs for those whose parents did not have a STEM degree/occupation, even after including covariates such as adolescents' prior math achievement. This is an encouraging takeaway that aligns with studies showing that parent support matters among families marginalized in STEM (McGee & Spencer, 2015; Plunkett & Bámaca‐Gómez, 2003; Rozek et al, 2015; Soto‐Lara & Simpkins, 2020). Thus, interventions promoting parent STEM support for traditionally marginalized groups (i.e., families without parent STEM degree/occupation) might help level the playing field for the next generation.…”

“…For example, how might parents rely on different practices or to what extent does their STEM degree/occupation, or lack of, shape the quality of their STEM support? We found that there were disproportionally more Black and Latina/o parents without a STEM degree/occupation, and prior studies (e.g., McGee & Spencer, 2015; Soto‐Lara & Simpkins, 2020) further showed that Black and Latina/o parents support their children in math and science beyond traditional ways to overcome barriers and educational inequities. As such, one reason that we did not find relations between parent STEM support and adolescent motivational beliefs for Black families could be that the current parent support measures failed to capture the types of STEM support that matter most for Black adolescents.…”

“…According to situated expectancy‐value theory, parents' STEM education and occupations enrich the STEM support they provide their children, which has positive implications for their children's motivational beliefs (Eccles & Wigfield, 2020; Eccles, 2011). Nonetheless, prior studies also highlight the resilience of families traditionally marginalized in STEM where parent STEM support still matters and helps promote adolescents' motivational beliefs (e.g., McGee & Spencer, 2015; Plunkett & Bámaca‐Gómez, 2003; Soto‐Lara & Simpkins, 2020). The current study explores this complexity by examining the differences between families with and without a parent STEM degree or occupation in terms of their parent STEM support, race/ethnicity, and adolescent STEM motivational beliefs.…”

“…This effect may be more pronounced in high school as the increasing complexity of high school STEM courses might quickly surpass parents' comfort level (O'Sullivan et al, 2014). Though this expectation sounds intuitive and existing evidence supports it, that does not mean parent support does not matter for those who do not have STEM credentials or are otherwise marginalized in STEM (McGee & Spencer, 2015; Plunkett & Bámaca‐Gómez, 2003; Soto‐Lara & Simpkins, 2020). For example, Rozek et al (2015) showed that an intervention promoting parents' STEM utility effectively enhanced adolescent boys' STEM course‐taking for those who had low prior STEM performance but not for those with high prior STEM performance.…”

“…parent STEM support still matters and helps promote adolescents ' motivational beliefs (e.g., McGee & Spencer, 2015;Plunkett & Bámaca-Gómez, 2003;Soto-Lara & Simpkins, 2020). The current study explores this complexity by examining the differences between families with and without a parent STEM degree or occupation in terms of their parent STEM support, race/ethnicity, and adolescent STEM motivational beliefs.…”