The contribution of HSIs to the preparation of Hispanics for STEM careers: A multiple case study

Hispanics and other racial/ethnic minorities historically have had low academic and degree attainment rates in STEM disciplines. Because of demographic trends, Hispanics represent the majority among the racial/ethnic groups that have been identified as the "new pool" for developing the human capital in STEM fields necessary to regain U.S. global leadership in technological competitiveness and productivity. Prior research has produced mixed results regarding the contribution of Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) to academic achievement and degree attainment of Hispanics in STEM fields. Further, available research exploring how HSIs contribute to the production of bachelor's degrees in STEM fields to Hispanics is limited. This dissertation addresses such limitation by using case methodology to study the ways that campus climate dimensions and other institutional structural characteristics at two HSIs contribute to attainment of Hispanics in STEM fields.;Findings in this study suggest that campus climate and other institutional policies and practices at the two HSIs studied seem to promote Hispanics' attainment in STEM fields. Findings also illustrate the benefits of using Hurtado et al.'s (1998) campus climate framework to consider the ways that HSIs may promote the attainment of Latinos in STEM fields. In this study, findings suggest that HSIs with Hispanic majority student population seem to create a Hispanic campus climate where everything Hispanic is welcomed and nurtured and where "race has no effect" in relations between Hispanic students and students from other racial/ethnic groups. Findings also suggest that, despite institutional commitment to promoting attainment of Hispanics in STEM fields, a large majority of Hispanic students on campus, and even with a large infusion of federal funds for UTEP, challenges for Hispanics in STEM still remain. Finally, this study poses possible answers as to why prior research may have arrived to contradictory results as to the contribution of HSIs to the attainment of Hispanics in STEM fields.