BOARD # 400: NSF CAREER: Effects of Community Cultural Wealth on Persistence of Black and Hispanic Women in the P-20 Computing Workforce Pipeline in Texas

Ruchi Dilip Kukde; Twyla Hough; Shetay Ashford-Hanserd

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
Start Date: June 22, 2025
End Date: August 15, 2025
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session II
Tagged Topics: Diversity and NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 6
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/55776

Dr. Twyla Hough holds a Ph.D. in Family and Consumer Sciences Education from Texas Tech University and a master's degree in Student Affairs and Administration in Higher Education from Ball State University. She worked in career services at the university level for 15 years, serving the last six of those years as the Director of Career Services at Trinity University in San Antonio. Currently, she is a postdoctoral scholar and project director for an NSF-funded research study led by the ACCEYSS Research Group in the Department of Organization, Workforce, and Leadership Studies (OWLS) at Texas State University. Dr. Hough's research includes cultural capital among Black and Hispanic women in computing, work-based learning in secondary schools, and career and education planning and decision-making among young Black women. In addition to conducting education-centered research, Dr. Hough shares her expertise as a part-time lecturer, teaching introductory leadership and STEM education program evaluation courses in the OWLS department. Her passion is empowering young people with valuable knowledge, skills, and resources for strategic and productive career and education planning and decision-making.

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Shetay Ashford-Hanserd Texas State University orcid.org/0000-0002-9443-3143

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Dr. Shetay Ashford-Hanserd is Chair and Professor in the Department of Organization, Workforce, and Leadership Studies at Texas State University (TXST). Since 2016, she has served as a Principal/Co-Principal Investigator of research programs funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and U.S. Department of Agriculture yielding ~$3M. She is transforming her research into action as Director of the TXST ACCEYSS Research Lab and Founder/President of the Power 2 Prosper Community Development Corporation, which serves as the fiscal sponsor and backbone organization of the Association of Collaborative Communities Equipping Youth for STEEAAM Success (ACCEYSS). ACCEYSS is a coalition that helps faith-based and grassroots organizations with curriculum, resources, and funding to close the STEEAAM equity gap in underserved communities.

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Abstract

This five-year, parallel, mixed-methods research study funded by the investigates the influence of community cultural wealth (CCW) ([deidentified], 20XX; Yosso, 2005) on the persistence of Black and Hispanic women in the computing pipeline, to inform strategies that promote equity in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computing (STEM+C). Given the persistent underrepresentation of women of color in STEM+C, this study draws on the CCW framework to analyze the role of cultural capital in supporting the persistence of Black and Hispanic women in computing.

Four key research questions guide this examination of: (1) how CCW impacts a national cohort of Black and Hispanic students in grades 9-12 in persisting through STEM+C degree programs and/or entering the workforce; (2) how CCW supports a Texas cohort of women at Hispanic Serving institutions (HSIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in pursuing computing degrees, graduate education, or careers; (3) their successful educational and career trajectories from grades 8-17; and (4) how CCW shapes their counter-life-herstories in computing education and careers.

This study utilized a mixed-methods approach, incorporating secondary data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) along with primary data collected through the [deidentified] survey and semi-structured [deidentified] interviews with Black and Hispanic women studying computing at HSIs and HBCUs. A modified community cultural wealth model was applied to analyze the HSLS:09 cohort, 209 survey respondents (males and females), and 35 female interviewees, offering insights into better-supporting women of color in STEM+C education.

Among the cohort of 209 participants, statistical analyses revealed that aspirational, social, and familial forms of cultural capital significantly influenced Black and Hispanic students’ enrollment and persistence in computing majors. Through qualitative thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), it was found that aspects of aspirational (e.g., career and financial aspirations), social (e.g., peers, educators, and role models), and navigational (e.g., independent information gathering), capitals strongly influenced the persistence of women of color in undergraduate computing programs, with aspirational capital playing the most significant role in helping them overcome intrinsic barriers and lack of support in this male-dominated computing field.

Findings from this study contribute to fundamental research in STEM+C education, and products including an online [deidentified] portal and an annual [deidentified] conference will build capacity for K-16 educators, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders in formal and informal settings to positively impact the persistence of Black and Hispanic youth in STEM and computing. This award is supported by the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) and EHR Core Research (ECR) Programs.

Citation
Format

Kukde, R. D., & Hough, T., & Ashford-Hanserd, S. (2025, June), BOARD # 400: NSF CAREER: Effects of Community Cultural Wealth on Persistence of Black and Hispanic Women in the P-20 Computing Workforce Pipeline in Texas Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/55776

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This five-year, parallel, mixed-methods research study funded by the investigates the influence of community cultural wealth (CCW) ([deidentified], 20XX; Yosso, 2005) on the persistence of Black and Hispanic women in the computing pipeline, to inform strategies that promote equity in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computing (STEM+C). Given the persistent underrepresentation of women of color in STEM+C, this study draws on the CCW framework to analyze the role of cultural capital in supporting the persistence of Black and Hispanic women in computing.

Four key research questions guide this examination of: (1) how CCW impacts a national cohort of Black and Hispanic students in grades 9-12 in persisting through STEM+C degree programs and/or entering the workforce; (2) how CCW supports a Texas cohort of women at Hispanic Serving institutions (HSIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in pursuing computing degrees, graduate education, or careers; (3) their successful educational and career trajectories from grades 8-17; and (4) how CCW shapes their counter-life-herstories in computing education and careers.

This study utilized a mixed-methods approach, incorporating secondary data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) along with primary data collected through the [deidentified] survey and semi-structured [deidentified] interviews with Black and Hispanic women studying computing at HSIs and HBCUs. A modified community cultural wealth model was applied to analyze the HSLS:09 cohort, 209 survey respondents (males and females), and 35 female interviewees, offering insights into better-supporting women of color in STEM+C education.

Among the cohort of 209 participants, statistical analyses revealed that aspirational, social, and familial forms of cultural capital significantly influenced Black and Hispanic students’ enrollment and persistence in computing majors. Through qualitative thematic analysis (Braun &amp;amp; Clarke, 2006), it was found that aspects of aspirational (e.g., career and financial aspirations), social (e.g., peers, educators, and role models), and navigational (e.g., independent information gathering), capitals strongly influenced the persistence of women of color in undergraduate computing programs, with aspirational capital playing the most significant role in helping them overcome intrinsic barriers and lack of support in this male-dominated computing field.

Findings from this study contribute to fundamental research in STEM+C education, and products including an online [deidentified] portal and an annual [deidentified] conference will build capacity for K-16 educators, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders in formal and informal settings to positively impact the persistence of Black and Hispanic youth in STEM and computing. This award is supported by the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) and EHR Core Research (ECR) Programs. 
AU  - Ruchi Dilip Kukde
AU  - Twyla Hough
AU  - Shetay Ashford-Hanserd
CY  - Montreal, Quebec, Canada 
DA  - 2025/06/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - BOARD # 400: NSF CAREER: Effects of Community Cultural Wealth on Persistence of Black and Hispanic Women in the P-20 Computing Workforce Pipeline in Texas
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/55776
ER  -