Moving from the Periphery: Latinx Fathers’ Influence on Their Daughters’ Persistence in Engineering

ABSTRACT

The influential role of familía remains a crucial aspect to understand Latinxs’ success in postsecondary schooling. Rather than relying on a deficit lens, this study employs an asset-based lens to gain insight into the paternal influence that assists Latinas’ persistence to degree attainment in engineering. More specifically, this study examines the crucial role that fathers play in the familía as it pertains to Latina persistence in engineering programs. A conceptual framework of Community Cultural Wealth and Latinx Cultural Pedagogics undergird this case study. The themes that emerged from data analysis include (a) Fathers Living Vicariously Through Their Daughters, (b) Fathers Serving as Career Role Models and (c) Fathers Providing Unconditional Support. The authors also offer recommendations for future research.

KEYWORDS:

• Community cultural wealth
• fathers
• persistence
• Latinas
• engineering
• critical pedagogy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ Used to reflect the recognition of nonbinary individuals.

² Words of advice.

³ Cultural sayings.