DOI: 10.3886/e170081v1
title: A multilevel, agent-centered analysis of intersectionality in a Hispanic Serving Institution: The case of college internship access for Latinx students

description: Internships are widely viewed as "door openers" to opportunity, yet<br>students without ample financial, social and institutional supports are<br>often excluded from these learning experiences. This is especially<br>problematic for Latinx students attending Hispanic Serving Institutions<br>for whom an internship could be especially transformative. In this paper<br>we draw on Nuñez's (2014) multilevel model of intersectionality to<br>highlight how individual agency, social categories, embodied practices,<br>and broader contextual forces interrelate to shape Latinx student access<br>to and perceptions about their internship opportunities at a university in<br>the border region of Texas. Using inductive thematic, correlational and<br>social network analysis techniques to analyze survey (n=192) and focus<br>group/interview (n=12) data, we found that gender, academic major,<br>SES and race intersect with organizational (e.g., insufficient<br>information) and contextual (e.g., internship labor markets) to shape<br>students' access and experiences. Recommendations for disrupting<br>systemic inequalities in internship access and culturally appropriate programming are discussed. <br><br>
description: Response Rates: The online survey was administered to TC students in the Fall of 2019 and a total of 233 students completed it, which resulted in a response rate of 18.6%. <br><br>
description: The sampling frame for the study included students in their second half of their degree programs to increase the prospects that a student had completed an internship, and those not in programs with mandatory and highly regulated practicums (e.g., nursing, teacher education). The size of the study sample was capped at 1,250 students invited to participate due to budgetary constraints with survey incentive payments. Analysis of possible non-response bias showed that our study sample was not systematically different from the student population at TC based on race and gender, but given the self-selected nature of the sample we do not claim the sample is representative of all students at TC. All non-Latinx students were removed from the study sample for the purposes of this paper. <br><br> After completing the survey, students were asked if they were willing to participate in a focus group, and 160 students indicated that they were interested. Approximately 30 students who equally represented the intern and non-intern groups were randomly selected from this pool and 13 responded to these inquiries and made appointments to meet with the study team. Students who had taken an internship (n=6) and those who had not (n=7) were included in the focus groups given the focus on understanding barriers to internship participation, and one non-Latinx student was removed from this pool for the analysis reported in this paper.
description: Undergraduate students attending "Texas College"<br>.
description: <b>Survey</b> The online survey was administered to TC students in the Fall of 2019 and a total of 233 students completed it, which resulted in a response rate of 18.6%. Of these 233 students, 84.6% (n=192) identified as Latinx and were included in the study. <b><br></b><b><br></b><b>Focus Group and Interview Protocol</b> Eight<b> </b>focus group sessions were conducted with 13 students at TC in September of 2019 with 1-3 students in each session. In one case, only one student showed up for a focus group which made this an individual interview. The sessions lasted approximately one hour and were moderated by trained members of the study team.