Description
The racial and ethnic gap in educational attainment in STEM fields is a central topic in the national conversation. This study investigated the factors that promote or hinder the frequency of interaction between institutional agents (faculty and advisors) and STEM students of color at HSI and non-HSI community colleges. Publicly available data (BPS:04/09) was utilized and the sample is comprised of approximately 1,170 community college STEM students of color (Asian, Black and Latinx). Stanton-Salazar’s (1997) social capital framework and Pascarella’s (1985) model for assessing change guided this study. This study conducted a descriptive statistics analysis and three regression analyses predicting the frequency of interaction with (a) faculty informally, (b) faculty academically outside of class, and (c) advisors to discuss academic plans. The descriptive analysis indicated some observable differences in the frequency of interaction at HSI and non-HSI community colleges. However, none of the regression analyses found attending an HSI to be significant after controlling for independent variables. Key findings showed that participation in study groups and social integration activities were strong positive predictors. Additionally, significant differences across race were observed when examining informal interaction with faculty. The results from this study highlight several implications for faculty and advisors and the need for institutional programming intentionally serving STEM students of color. Furthermore, institutional efforts to provide support and resources for faculty (including part-time) are important to be able to foster meaningful and culturally relevant relationships with students. Keywords: STEM, Students of color, institutional agents, community college, Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI)
