How Gender and Nativity Status Shape Social Capital among Latinx College Students

Latinx students’ educational experiences are impacted by social identities like gender and nativity status. However, there is limited research on gender and nativity differences in the development of social capital during college among Latinx students. Based on the immigration and education literature, I have developed hypotheses and competing hypotheses for the following study. I hypothesize that Latinx female students are more likely to build relationships with faculty. However, my competing hypothesis is that Latinx male students are more likely to create relationships with faculty. I also hypothesize that students born in the US are more likely to know a faculty recommender. However, my competing hypothesis is that students born abroad are more likely to connect with faculty recommenders. Lastly, I hypothesize that there is an interaction between gender and nativity status. Thus, the following research questions guide this project: Are there gender and/or nativity differences in the social capital developed in college among Latinx students? Further, is there an interaction between gender and nativity? I use logistic regression analyses of the 2018 University of California Undergraduate Experiences Survey (UCUES) data, which includes the responses of first- and second year Latinx students (n=2,342). Findings show that difference are concentrated on their nativity status more than their gender. Latinx students born abroad have a more likelihood of knowing a faculty recommender compared to students born in the US. In addition, there are significant differences when gender and nativity status interacted. Latinx male students who were born abroad are more likely to know a faculty recommender