2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Culturally Relevant Practices at Hispanic Serving Institutions: A Systematic Review of Engineering Education Literature

Presented at Bridging Cultures, Advancing Justice: Fostering Inclusion and Sustainability in Engineering Education

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) play a vital role in attracting and retaining Latinx and other Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) engineering students in higher education. Co-curricular programs have been instrumental in enriching the learning experiences of Latinx students, supporting their academic success, and fostering a sense of belonging in the field of engineering. However, the question of whether these programs at HSIs are culturally relevant remains unanswered.

Our study is grounded in Garcia et al.'s (2019) framework, which encompasses Culturally Relevant Programs (CRP) as one of the aspects contributing to the servingness of HSIs. These programs consider the unique cultural backgrounds and social identities of Latinx students to enhance their educational experiences. Specifically, our research focuses on exploring the cultural relevance of co-curricular programs offered within engineering departments at HSIs.
To investigate this, we employ a systematic review methodology to analyze a subset of 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings published between 2011 and 2022. These articles were selected from a broader dataset collected as part of our National Science Foundation-funded research. The systematic review enables a comprehensive assessment of the design, implementation, and evaluation of co-curricular programs for engineering students. We gather insights about co-curricular programs that were designed for Latinx students at HSIs from various stakeholders, including students, faculty, and administrators from the published articles.

Our study addresses two central research questions:
1. What are the key characteristics of co-curricular programs designed for Latinx students at HSIs within the field of engineering?
2. Are these programs culturally relevant? If so, which elements of culturally relevant programming are covered in the reviewed articles?

Our research aims to illuminate the cultural relevance of co-curricular programs within the context of HSIs, with the ultimate goal of promoting the development of more inclusive and culturally relevant programs tailored to meet the unique needs of Latinx students. We anticipate that our findings will offer valuable insights for HSIs, engineering programs, as well as faculty, administrators, and professionals dedicated to serving Latinx and other BIPOC students.

Authors
  1. Shirley Anderson University of North Texas [biography]
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  • Broadening Participation in Engineering and Engineering Technology
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