“I hold more assets that help me navigate through my world than I had previously thought”: Community cultural wealth student reflections during an engineering study abroad program

CBE—Life Sciences EducationVol. 23, No. 1 Annotations of LSE ResearchFree AccessAnatomy of an Education Study: Asset-Based Research to Uncover Black Science Majors' Community Cultural WealthTatiane Russo-Tait, and Rebecca M. PriceTatiane Russo-TaitDepartment of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-2607, and Rebecca M. Price*Address correspondence to: Rebecca M. Price (E-mail Address: [email protected]).School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington Bothell, Bothell, WA 98011-8246Adele J. Wolfson, Monitoring EditorPublished Online:5 Feb 2024https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.23-04-0061AboutSectionsView PDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail The latest Life Science Education (LSE) article annotated as part of the "Annotations of LSE Research" feature (Russo-Tait et al., 2023) is by Stanton and colleagues (Stanton et al., 2021). We selected it because the authors implement participatory action research (PAR) that identifies and explores the assets that Black students use to navigate a primarily white institution. One manifestation of this approach is that four of the authors were Black undergraduates studying sciences. While other literature focuses solely on the barriers that Black students face while navigating the exclusionary racial climate at their primarily white institution, the authors ground their research in community cultural wealth to emphasize the strengths and assets that allow Black students to persist –– despite the exclusionary climate.PAR is a powerful research method because of the way it centers participants from the community being studied as collaborators in the research process: they identify the research questions, participate in data collection, and lead the analysis, with the ultimate goal of using research results as drivers for social justice (Fine and Torré, 2021). Their insider knowledge is an essential component of both framing the research and interpreting the results. The implementation of PAR by this research team is nonhierarchical and builds on the strengths that each team member brings, which is notable given that the authors are undergraduates, graduate students, and professors. The authors contemplate on what made their collaboration under this model successful, including the role that an external evaluator played in improving their approaches to shared leadership.This paper's instantiation of PAR is grounded in a strong theoretical framework of community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005), an antideficit achievement model that is carefully enacted throughout the paper. In this paper, the Introduction provides an overview of the theoretical framework. The Methods showcase the care with which surveys and interview protocols were developed to center the community cultural wealth that Black students drew from. The authors' social identities are part and parcel to the success of this research, and for this reason, they include in the Methods a subsection about their positionalities (Patrick et al., 2022). The Results identify and expand on how Black students at this institution employ specific forms of cultural capital, as well as how these forms of capital interact with each other. The Discussion focuses specifically on "linguistic, resistant, and social capital because of the novelty of our findings in these areas" (Stanton et al., 2021, p. 14) and offers suggestions to instructors on the benefits of valuing the community cultural wealth of Black students.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWe thank Omowunmi Oni, Julie D. Stanton, and Adele J. Wolfson for comments. The annotations are inspired by Learning Lens by Science in the Classroom, licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.REFERENCESFine, M., & Torre, M. E. (2021). Essentials of Critical Participatory Action Research. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Google ScholarPatrick, A., Martin, J., & Borrego, M. (2022). Critical research methods in STEM higher education: A state-of-the-art review. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 28(3), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2022036570 Google ScholarRusso-Tait, T., Stanton, J. D., Oni, O., & Price, R. M. (2023). Asset-based research to uncover Black science majors' community cultural wealth. CBE—Life Sciences Education. Retrieved January 29, 2024, from https://www.ascb.org/files/annotations/asset-based-research-11-2023.html Google ScholarStanton, J. D., Means, D. R., Babatola, O., Osondu, C., Oni, O., & Mekonnen, B. (2021). Drawing on internal strengths and creating spaces for growth: How Black science majors navigate the racial climate at a predominantly white institution to succeed. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 21, ar3. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.21-02-0049 Google ScholarYosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/1361332052000341006 Google ScholarFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 23, No. 1 March 01, 2024 Metrics Downloads & Citations History Submitted: 17 April 2023 Revised: 26 July 2023 Accepted: 17 January 2024 Information© 2024 T. Russo-Tait and R. M. Price. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2024 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).We thank Omowunmi Oni, Julie D. Stanton, and Adele J. Wolfson for comments. The annotations are inspired by Learning Lens by Science in the Classroom, licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.PDF download

BackgroundOne emerging approach to diversity and inclusion in engineering is to take an assets‐based view of what students from nondominant communities bring to their education and work experiences.Purpose/HypothesisThe purpose of this review is to understand how community cultural wealth (CCW), an assets‐based framework, has been applied in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education research. We address research questions focused on (a) the characteristics of studies using CCW in STEM education, (b) examples of the six types of capital (aspirational, linguistic, familial, navigational, social, and resistant) in STEM educational settings, and (c) gaps and opportunities in how CCW is being applied in STEM education.Design/MethodWe identified 33 dissertations, theses, journal articles, and conference papers using systematic review procedures. To qualify, each study must present empirical data and include at least one type of CCW capital in its results or discussion. We coded study characteristics, such as methods, participant populations, and research setting. We qualitatively analyzed each of the six types of CCW capital.ResultsStudies tended to focus on higher education settings, engineering, and qualitative methods, particularly student interviews. We identified several specific engineering‐relevant examples of assets for each type of capital. Future work should collect data from faculty, staff, and family members identified in several studies as important to CCW in addition to foregrounding student voices.ConclusionsIn synthesizing existing studies, this review provides insight into how an assets‐based framework is being interpreted and provides a foundation for more assets‐based perspectives in future engineering education work.

Teacher candidates need to be prepared to work effectively with rising numbers of diverse student populations, and yet classroom interventions do not always impact perceptions and attitudes in the field. This study explored the initial steps of integrating Critical Race Theory and community cultural wealth (CCW) theory (Yosso, 2005, 2006) into the teacher education curriculum. The study asked if the candidates applied their knowledge of CCW in reflecting on their face-to-face interactions as hosts for Native American students in a diversity workshop. It further asked which types of (CCW) capital the candidates identified most frequently as they reflected on their experiences with Native American students. Results indicated that candidates can identify CCW in the field, with some types of capital more frequently identified than others. Because the potential exists for knowledge to shape perceptions (Kolb, 1984), the study concludes that CCW could be a valuable addition in teacher education curriculum. A more intensive focus on CCW and the addition of pre-contact activities, such as the sharing of counterstories (Yosso, 2006), may also promote knowledge translating into perception and attitudes.

Latinxs, especially Latino males, have lower college completion rates, but studies find that community cultural wealth is prominent in the narratives of those who succeed in higher education. By focusing on current students or recent graduates, the literature has not examined how a college completion experience aided by community cultural wealth impacts Latinxs who have an opportunity to influence education policy. Consequently, this study investigates the role of community cultural wealth in the college completion experience of three Latino U.S. Congressmen: Tony Cárdenas, Henry Cuellar, and Raúl Grijalva. Findings suggest that community cultural wealth had a substantial impact on these Congressmen completing college. These results provide higher education greater insight into how policies and advocacy strategies grounded in community cultural wealth can be successful and improve the higher educational pathways and graduation rates of Latinxs.

This qualitative study analyzes the relationship between two concepts from critical race theory – counterspaces and community cultural wealth. Counterspaces are supportive, identity-affirming community spaces, while community cultural wealth highlights the importance of the knowledge, skills, and networks used by individuals belonging to marginalized groups to successfully navigate academia. This study investigates the hypothesis that the processes operating within counterspaces serve to strengthen an individual’s access to their community cultural wealth. The study site is BRAINS, a U.S.-based professional development program for early-career academic neuroscientists from underrepresented groups. Findings revealed that two types of counterspace processes (narrative identity work and direct relational transactions) and three types of community cultural wealth (aspirational capital, social capital, and navigational capital) are most salient within BRAINS. After examining the complex interactions connecting counterspace processes and community cultural wealth, we offer recommendations for future professional development programs and research designed to broaden participation in academia.

This manuscript investigates the relationship between Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital–what we refer to as Bourdieusian Cultural Capital (BCC)–and Yosso’s (2005) Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework. We examine two core assumptions about these concepts: (1) that CCW and BCC represent distinct forms of capital, and (2) that CCW is a resource unique to Students of Color. Drawing on survey data from two larger studies of college students ( N = 892), we examine whether commonly used quantitative measures of BCC and new measures of CCW capture different cultural signals, and whether students’ reported levels of each vary by race/ethnicity, subjective social class, and parental education. Our findings support the conceptual distinction between CCW and BCC, although some forms of CCW (e.g., aspirational, navigational, and familial capitals) overlap more with BCC than others. Notably, White students’ report access to resources that approximate CCW, challenging the notion that these forms of capital are tied exclusively to racialized experiences. We call for more conceptual precision–both in measuring cultural capital and in developing programming for students.

This Innovative Practice, Full Paper describes a graduate course we developed to introduce students to the field of engineering education research (EER). The 3-credit course - EER 601: Foundations of Engineering Education Research - is the first required course of a brand new EER graduate program at the University of Michigan. The graduate program is part of a unique initiative that includes five tenured/tenure-track EER faculty who are embedded in traditional engineering departments. The primary area of scholarship for these faculty is EER, but they teach courses in and support the goals and mission of both their home engineering departments and the EER program. EER 601 is designed as a required course for students in the EER program, for other students supported by the EER faculty, and for interested students across the university. In this paper, we provide details of the course content, assignments, structure, and logistics for EER 601. We also present several sources of evidence to demonstrate how the course achieved two key course goals. Finally, we describe revisions we plan to make to the course.

Historically, Black students have been excluded from Predominately White institutions (PWI) longer than welcomed to attend and matriculate (Harper et al., 2009). Due to this lack of inclusion, African American students' educational experiences often center on academic disparities, inequality of opportunity, and under-preparedness in career planning within the American education system. While there has been a fair amount of research on the lack of representation of Black students in the engineering disciplines, the heavy focus on quantitative data offers little insight into the unique ways students succeed and overcome institutional and systemic barriers in pursuit of their degree. Undergraduate experiences, for Black students, are not easily quantified solely through enrollment numbers, test scores, grade point averages, and graduation rates. An emerging approach to understanding the factors contributing to persistence and retention in engineering, particularly at a PWI, is to take an asset-based anti-deficit approach to study Black student success. This qualitative counter storytelling study utilized Yosso's (2005) Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) theoretical framework as a tool to illuminate the resource-rich experiences and community offerings of 12 Black students involved in the student-led National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) chapter at the University of San Diego (USD). Semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify the variety of ways Black students access, activate, and foster cultural wealth as they navigate a PWI in pursuit of a career in engineering. Study findings show that all six sources of capital outlined in the CCW theoretical framework were deployed, with multiple capitals interacting and influencing each other. Emergent themes highlight the multiple forms of CCW participants used to navigate unwelcoming environments, seek support from critical stakeholders, contribute to the collective community wealth of the NSBE chapter and advocate for themselves and others. Recommendations and suggestions for further research conclude this study.

Researchers face tensions as they journey into the field of Engineering Education Research (EER). Central to these tensions is the spectrum between the philosophical foundations of STEM-based engineering and Social Science-based education, which create internal and external challenges in the field. EER researchers must traverse the epistemological tension and the boundaries between disparate disciplines. As such, they may find themselves working on the fringes of EER’s parent disciplines (Engineering and Education) and not fully belonging to any community. This theoretical article draws on EER literature, several theoretical frameworks, and the research and lived experiences of the authors, two academics and three doctoral students who have journeyed into EER in Canada. It provides insights to new researchers to help them understand the nature of some of the struggles they may experience journeying into EER, awareness for more established researchers who may be already acquainted with the tensions, and critical context for universities and organisations wishing to build EER capability to inform the supports that new and existing EER researchers could use to thrive in EER communities.

This qualitative research study with Latina/o/x students and families who participated in a college outreach program found families imparted community cultural wealth and funds of knowledge that their children activated as they transitioned to college. The students experienced challenges due to immigration status, finances, and cultural incongruity transitioning to college. Our findings demonstrated Latina/o/x students are able to transition to college successfully by relying on their drive and the hope instilled in them through messaging from their families. Families imparted funds of knowledge and forms of community cultural wealth, including aspirational, navigational, social, and familial capital. The students then activated their funds of knowledge and community cultural wealth to overcome the obstacles they encountered in the college transition. Our research connected funds of knowledge and community cultural wealth by demonstrating Latina/o/x families and students draw on both during the college transition. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Latinx institutional agents' contribution to the development of a student-ready and relationship-centered campus environment is integral to the academic success of Hispanic-Serving Institutions in general, and for this study, Hispanic-Serving community colleges. The presence of Latinx institutional agents is a reflection of an institutional culture that is committed to working with, supporting, and serving the increasing Latinx student population on their campus. Furthermore, the ability of the Latinx institutional agents to employ their community cultural wealth during their interactions with students help improve an institution's retention, persistence, and completion rate of this student population. More importantly, Latinx institutional agents' use of their community cultural wealth as well as support for their work signals that the HSI federal designation is more than a moniker, but that it emphasizes its identity as a serving institution. This study will focus on how, when and where Latinx institutional agents employ their community cultural wealth, an act that is often unconscious, yet rooted in their own experiences. It is does experiences that provide Latinx students access to the resources and acquisition of the tools and knowledge needed to navigate social institutions with which they are not familiar. --Author's abstract

When students are academically qualified to attend a four-year college or university but instead enroll at a community college, they are considered academically undermatched. Research suggests that Latinx students are more likely to academically undermatch than their peers yet they remain the least likely to complete an upward transfer to a university and earn a baccalaureate degree. The purpose of this study was to explore the enrollment decisions of, and familial influences on, Latinx students who were admitted to a university but who initially enrolled at a community college. Using community cultural wealth and funds of knowledge as theoretical frameworks, I examined the narratives of 13 Latinx students and the parents of five of those students. Nine student participants were female and four were male, ranging from 19 to 31 years old. Parent participants were four females and two males, ranging from 43 to 52 years old. Findings from this study are divided into two parts. Student findings revealed navigating the pathway to college was fraught with limited information, even though students acknowledged they had access to resources and their high school counselors and teachers helped in the college search process. However, students still did not feel that crucial information they wanted or needed was available. Parent findings uncovered how parental aspirations and perceptions of opportunities in the United States served as a foundation for helping students aspire to attend college. Based on these findings, higher education practitioners would do well to use inclusive frameworks, such as community cultural wealth, to create programs that address Latinx students and their families, including providing materials in Spanish. Through use of inclusive frameworks, research on Latinx student college choice continues to elevate the complexities and realities these students encounter. Additionally, policymakers should continue to reevaluate the shifting burden of costs for higher education from taxpayers to students as this impacts college choice and academic undermatch.

Disabled individuals, women, and individuals from cultural/ethnic minorities continue to be underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Research has shown that mentoring improves retention for underrepresented individuals. However, existing mentoring surveys were developed to assess the majority population, not underrepresented individuals. We describe the development of a next-generation mentoring survey built upon capital theory and critical race theory. It emphasizes community cultural wealth, thought to be instrumental to the success of individuals from minority communities. Our survey targets relationships between deaf mentees and their research mentors and includes Deaf community cultural wealth. From our results, we identified four segregating factors: Being a Scientist, which incorporated the traditional capitals; Deaf Community Capital; Asking for Accommodations; and Communication Access. Being a Scientist scores did not vary among the mentor and mentee variables that we tested. However, Deaf Community Capital, Asking for Accommodations, and Communication Access were highest when a deaf mentee was paired with a mentor who was either deaf or familiar with the Deaf community, indicating that cultural competency training should improve these aspects of mentoring for deaf mentees. This theoretical framework and survey will be useful for assessing mentoring relationships with deaf students and could be adapted for other underrepresented groups.

This article offers a vision of how educators can better foster the various forms of knowledge and wealth that Chicano/Latino students bring to their public schools. By using LatCrit (i.e., Latino/a critical race theory) to conceptualize community cultural wealth, we hope to give educational leaders greater insights into culturally appropriate strategies in serving all public school students. Yosso (2005) defined community cultural wealth as “an array of knowledges, skills, abilities and contacts possessed and used by Communities of Color to survive and resist racism and other forms of oppression” (p. 154). Employing a LatCrit lens allows us to take an in-depth look into how schools can better relate to communities of color. We are “conceptualizing community cultural wealth as a critical race theory challenge to traditional interpretations of cultural capital and then offering suggestions on how community cultural wealth can ‘transform the process of schooling’” (Yosso, 2005, p. 70). Cultural wealth sees communities of color as “holders and creators of knowledge” (Delgado-Bernal, 2002, p. 106) in an educational system that, we believe, sees students of color as being deficient and lacking critical knowledge. Furthermore, school and community relations is a topic that has been placed at the top of many educators’ lists, and we believe rightly so. Therefore, this article reexamines how schools can better relate and communicate with communities of color—particularly, Chicana/os and Latina/os—to increase these students’ educational and academic acumen in U.S. public schools.

Open-access community colleges in the United States are serving more students from historically marginalized communities than 4-year colleges while also educating half of college students in the United States today. However, educational systems of higher education are structured in a way that individual students may not effectively navigate higher education and the career opportunities that come with it. Better understanding how community college students experience, and how they navigate institutions of higher education, can/could enable colleges to adjust their organizational structures, processes, or practices to support easier navigation. Drawing on the Bioecological Model of Human Development (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006) and Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005) frameworks, this study employs photovoice and participant-generated methods (Wang & Burris, 1997); the goal was to amplify community college students’ perspectives with the expectation that they change policies by depicting areas for investment and transformation for college administrators and decision-makers’ and informed directly from the students’ vantage points. This research contributes to the field of social justice movements in education by providing recommendations for how community college administrators and decision-makers may support students and listen to students’ perspectives and experiences in a way that can affect policy change in higher education.