Constructing Possible Futures: How do Latinx women make meaning of their futures across learning contexts, and how does this process change over time?

Castillo-Lavergne, Claudia M

doi:https://doi.org/10.21985/n2-fn8s-8x90

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Constructing Possible Futures: How do Latinx women make meaning of their futures across learning contexts, and how does this process change over time?

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Much of our understanding of human becoming and the process by which possible futures are developed has been based on narrow samples of human experience, which are usually more privileged and provide a narrow view of variability in human life and development. The developmental and educational pathways of minoritized young people and their struggles in schools, while not homogeneous, are particular in the ways that they must contend with both normative forms of development, in addition to their social position and group membership based on intersections of race, class, socioeconomic status, gender, first-generation, and other minoritized identities (Lee 2002; Velez & Spencer, 2018; Nasir 2019). Thus, even while current research interrogates what these future processes look like for minoritized young people, limited attention has been placed on understanding the long-term impact of educational interventions and settings and the extent to which they support the development of young people whose identities and experiences intersect with multiple systems of oppression. This dissertation attempts to fill these gaps through analysis that centers the lived experiences of Latinx women to uncover variation and complexity associated with the process of constructing possible futures and identity development. In Study 1, I investigate how multiple aspects of students’ identities are associated with psychological well-being and feelings about the future among (N = 98) 19- to 27-year-old (M = 22.4 years, SD = 2.3) working-class Latinx college women. In Study 2, I explore how four Latinx women make meaning of possible futures in STEM-Health over three years and across two contexts. The first context is a summer STEM-Health program geared toward futures in health and medical professions (HSTEP), and the second is while taking science and math AP and honors courses in an urban STEM magnet high school. Finally, in Study 3, I explore how four Latinx women centered their identities and positionalities and used a disparity and a sociopolitical and historical framework to make meaning of the challenges they experienced while pursuing STEM pathways during college. This dissertation contributes to our understanding of the construction of possible futures and identity development in connection to STEM learning settings for women of color. It expands on literature examining the role of learning environments in creating resources, experiences, and possible barriers to constructing possible futures. It also provides essential insights for scholars and practitioners interested in developing and designing equitable and transformative spaces that support young people in ideating and experiencing expansive future visions of themselves and their communities.

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