The Under-Enrollment of Black and Latino Students in STEM Education: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study of Vygotsky's Social Development Theory

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of the under-enrollment of Black and Latino students in STEM programs in the Northeastern region of the United States. The problem is the impact of social development on the under-enrollment of Black and Latino students in STEM programs. As noted by Max van Manen, the qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological approach utilizes the social development theory by Lev Vygotsky as the theoretical framework to comprise an unbiased explanation of the research. The central research question, “What are the lived experiences of the under-enrollment of Black and Latino students in STEM programs in the Northeastern region of the United States?” guides the research. The participants included Black and Latino students in STEM programs and careers with a minimum age of 18 years old. The data collection process included personal documents, individual interviews, and a focus group. The thematic analysis followed a seven-step process: reading interviewed transcripts, creating traits, creating themes, organizing narratives, creating general reports, creating a description of the findings, and finally, a follow-up with interviewees. The analysis process yielded three key themes: technical impediments, personal impediments, and organizational impediments. This hermeneutic phenomenological study allowed the researcher to bring the participants' voices forward, raise awareness, and explain the under- enrollment of Black and Latino students in STEM education programs and careers.