(Re)creating family and reinforcing pedagogies of the home: How familial capital manifests for Students of Color pursuing STEM majors

• Published in: Race, ethnicity and education Vol. 26; no. 2; pp. 147 - 163
• Main Authors: Fernández, Érica, Rincón, Blanca E., Hinojosa, Juanita K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 23-02-2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: College students; Community; community cultural wealth; Familial capital; Families & family life; Higher education; Interpersonal relations; Minority groups; Peer relationships; Resilience; Sense of community; STEM; Students; Students of Color; Teaching; Well being
• ISSN: 1361-3324; 1470-109X
• DOI: 10.1080/13613324.2021.1997971

Utilizing Yosso's concept of familial capital, we analyzed the narratives of 30 Students of Color pursuing STEM majors at five Northeastern United States universities to understand how familial capital manifests as students navigate postsecondary education. Our findings suggest that students extend cultural notions of family to their relationships with peers, staff, and administrators to (re)create familial relationships and spaces on campus that serve as conduits for activating students' familial capital. Furthermore, we found that familial capital manifests through the ways in which familial relationships on campus transmit and reinforce pedagogies of the home that foster a commitment to communities: establishing meaningful personal relationships with others, fostering and ensuring a sense of community responsibility and well-being, and working towards community resilience.