Elsa Landeros

Poster Presentation: 11:00am-12:15pm | Wyatt Center Lobby Steps

Poster Title: Latin*-Affirming Care in Gateway Mathematics for Instructional Servingness 

Poster Abstract: Latin* students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) often experience limited racially-affirming support in STEM contexts, including gateway mathematics courses (e.g., calculus). Research has shown that such support plays a critical role in Latin* students’ success in STEM trajectories. This study examines how instructional practices in gateway mathematics classrooms at HSIs foster and constrain care for Latin* students as a mechanism for racially-affirming support. Guided by Racially-Conscious Care Theory and the Servingness Framework, data was collected from 38 Latin* undergraduates at a medium-sized public HSI through journaling and semi-structured interviews. Findings highlight two major influences on opportunities for racially-affirming care through mathematics instruction: (1) disruption of dominant disciplinary culture in mathematics; and (2) student-instructor relationships and the inclusion of Latin* cultural values (e.g., collectivism, familismo). This study raises implications for gateway mathematics instruction that resists exclusionary logics in mathematics and affirms Latin* cultural values to enhance racially-affirming care, which advances servingness in STEM across HSIs.

Poster: Elsa Landeros Poster

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