Board 280: Family Partnerships in Search for Equity and Excellence in Education: Building a Sense of Belonging with Ownership and Pride Among First-Generation College Students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

Juan Salinas; Griselda Salinas; Elizabeth Salinas; Yocelin Chavez; Virginia Santana; Sherlyn De Alva; Sheila Cardenas Vazquez

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: June 26, 2024
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Tagged Topic: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--46855
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/46855
Download Count: 114

Paper Authors

biography

Juan Salinas The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

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Juan Salinas Jr. grew up in the border town of Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas, Mexico. At age ten, he immigrated to the U.S. where he began his education in a new world where he had to endure the social, cultural, and linguistic inequities found in educational institutions. The love and guidance his parents provided him with helped him shape his identity and commitment to family values and unity. Dr. Salinas is currently an educational leader and community organizer. He and his wife, Griselda, co-founded AVE Frontera, a community-based organization, in an effort to bring families and community resources together to create equitable, educational opportunities that instill pride in students and their families as they become culturally aware of their historical background.

Dr. Salinas holds a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership, a Masters Degree in Mathematics, and a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, which he received from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley formerly known as UTPA. His doctoral studies and engagement with community-based organizations allowed him to find the sense of belonging that he always looked for in the Rio Grande Valley. His collaborations with community leaders in education, engineering, and governmental agencies was recognized by grant awards from Anne K. C. Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the National Science Foundation. Dr. Salinas and his family continue to volunteer their time to hold pláticas (authentic dialogue) with other families from different communities to design, organize, and create educational opportunities for children, parents, and grandparents.

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Abstract

In their quest to further their understanding of the power of plática (authentic dialogue) in community engagement efforts, the researchers/practitioners embedded themselves in deep, critical conversations with family leaders from a community-based organization on issues of equity and excellence in education. The Family-Centered transformational theory was developed and shaped by fully engaging in fostering trusting relationships and partnerships with students, their families, and educators over seven years. Family Organizing, Strategic Training, Education and Research is the set of processes and methods that gave form to the Family-Centered Theory of Change. This theory of change was incorporated in the professional development of thirty-two STEM faculty, revised curricula in twenty-two different STEM courses, transformed teaching practices in fifty-two STEM course sections and impacted over 2,000 students and their families. The purpose of this study is to advance the body of knowledge on the operationalization of servingness and to provide insight on the utilization of metrics to assess the impact of equitable, community engagement efforts of servingness at Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

Well researched metrics on the sense of belonging and institutional integration were used to assess the effectiveness of the interventions and helped the researchers focus their intended, holistic outcomes on student success to go beyond achievement and persistence. Two-way ANOVA on baseline data (N=779) showed that female undergraduate students have statistically significant (α=0.05) higher sense of belonging than males throughout their first three years of college. This is consistent with institutional data that show higher retention and graduation rates for female undergraduate students than males, especially in STEM. Research activities have demonstrated that the intervention/enrichment has improved students' motivation, engagement, passing rates, and performance. Theme analysis on (N=151) open-ended surveys collected during an end-of-semester symposium revealed that participants (students, families, and faculty) felt a strong “sense of belonging with ownership and pride.” This somewhat “unintended” outcome is of particular interest to the researchers in this study. It not only demonstrates the fulfillment of the intended positive impact of an improved sense of belonging among the participants, but it also suggests equitable outcomes. These results show the effective implementation of the family-centered theory of change in the transformation of teaching practices in STEM courses.

In this study, the researchers/practitioners took a critical ethnographic approach to assess the impact of their community engagement efforts in their search for equity and excellence in education. Garcia, Nuñez, and Sansone’s (2019) also recommended ethnographic research to understand structures of servingness. The researchers utilized metrics on the sense of belonging and community engagement advanced by Mitchneck (2022) in the operationalization of Garcia, Nuñez, and Sansone’s (2019) multidimensional conceptual framework of servingness. Through critical reflection and reflexivity, the researchers used these metrics to assess the impact of the internal processes and methods of the family-centered theory of change and the navigation of institutional, pragmatic mechanisms that led to equitable outcomes among participants.

Citation
Format

Salinas, J., & Salinas, G., & Salinas, E., & Chavez, Y., & Santana, V., & De Alva, S., & Cardenas Vazquez, S. (2024, June), Board 280: Family Partnerships in Search for Equity and Excellence in Education: Building a Sense of Belonging with Ownership and Pride Among First-Generation College Students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--46855

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - In their quest to further their understanding of the power of plática (authentic dialogue) in community engagement efforts, the researchers/practitioners embedded themselves in deep, critical conversations with family leaders from a community-based organization on issues of equity and excellence in education. The Family-Centered transformational theory was developed and shaped by fully engaging in fostering trusting relationships and partnerships with students, their families, and educators over seven years. Family Organizing, Strategic Training, Education and Research is the set of processes and methods that gave form to the Family-Centered Theory of Change. This theory of change was incorporated in the professional development of thirty-two STEM faculty, revised curricula in twenty-two different STEM courses, transformed teaching practices in fifty-two STEM course sections and impacted over 2,000 students and their families. The purpose of this study is to advance the body of knowledge on the operationalization of servingness and to provide insight on the utilization of metrics to assess the impact of equitable, community engagement efforts of servingness at Hispanic-Serving Institutions.  

Well researched metrics on the sense of belonging and institutional integration were used to assess the effectiveness of the interventions and helped the researchers focus their intended, holistic outcomes on student success to go beyond achievement and persistence. Two-way ANOVA on baseline data (N=779) showed that female undergraduate students have statistically significant (α=0.05) higher sense of belonging than males throughout their first three years of college. This is consistent with institutional data that show higher retention and graduation rates for female undergraduate students than males, especially in STEM. Research activities have demonstrated that the intervention/enrichment has improved students&#39; motivation, engagement, passing rates, and performance. Theme analysis on (N=151) open-ended surveys collected during an end-of-semester symposium revealed that participants (students, families, and faculty) felt a strong “sense of belonging with ownership and pride.” This somewhat “unintended” outcome is of particular interest to the researchers in this study. It not only demonstrates the fulfillment of the intended positive impact of an improved sense of belonging among the participants, but it also suggests equitable outcomes. These results show the effective implementation of the family-centered theory of change in the transformation of teaching practices in STEM courses.

In this study, the researchers/practitioners took a critical ethnographic approach to assess the impact of their community engagement efforts in their search for equity and excellence in education. Garcia, Nuñez, and Sansone’s (2019) also recommended ethnographic research to understand structures of servingness. The researchers utilized metrics on the sense of belonging and community engagement advanced by Mitchneck (2022) in the operationalization of Garcia, Nuñez, and Sansone’s (2019) multidimensional conceptual framework of servingness. Through critical reflection and reflexivity, the researchers used these metrics to assess the impact of the internal processes and methods of the family-centered theory of change and the navigation of institutional, pragmatic mechanisms that led to equitable outcomes among participants.

AU  - Juan Salinas
AU  - Griselda Salinas
AU  - Elizabeth Salinas
AU  - Yocelin Chavez
AU  - Virginia Santana
AU  - Sherlyn De Alva
AU  - Sheila Cardenas Vazquez
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Board 280: Family Partnerships in Search for Equity and Excellence in Education: Building a Sense of Belonging with Ownership and Pride Among First-Generation College Students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/46855
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--46855
ER  -