Hispanic and Latine Undergraduate Motivations to Pursue an Agricultural Science Degree
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56103/nactaj.v69i1.262Keywords:
Hispanic Serving Institution, undergraduate motivation, student supportAbstract
Hispanic and Latine students are the fastest growing demographic across colleges and universities in the United States (Cottrell, 2021). Are agricultural higher education institutions adequately supporting this demographic? Disproportionately lower graduation rates, grade point averages, and post-graduation employment would suggest administrators, faculty, and staff have room for improvement
in their efforts in supporting Hispanic and Latine students (Alcocer & Martinez, 2017). This study employed hermeneutic phenomenological methods to provide direction in supporting their Hispanic and Latine students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture at California State University, Chico. In-vivo and axial coding efforts were employed to generate nine themes. Both motivating and demotivating factors were described by participants. Motivation stemmed from a sense of community within the college. Family, importance of education, and an internal drive were noted as motivating factors. Discrimination, both witnessed and personally experienced, led to assimilation or isolation and demotivation. Recommendations include intentional community building, inclusion of the family in the higher education institution, agricultural experiences for those with non-traditional agricultural backgrounds, representation of Hispanic and Latine agriculturalists, and discrimination response training for all students, faculty, staff, and administration. Funding for this project was provided by a Board of Governors’ Award.
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