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REVIEW article

Front. Dev. Psychol.

Sec. Cognitive Development

Early STEM Learning in Latine Family Contexts

Provisionally accepted
Andrea Cecilia Buhler-WassmannAndrea Cecilia Buhler-Wassmann1*Huimin ZhangHuimin Zhang2Anna BuhlerAnna Buhler2Maureen CallananMaureen Callanan3CATHERINE A. HADENCATHERINE A. HADEN4Gigliana MelziGigliana Melzi2
  • 1University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
  • 2New York University, New York, United States
  • 3University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, United States
  • 4Loyola University Chicago Department of Psychology, Chicago, United States

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In this article, we review the literature highlighting early STEM learning opportunities in U.S. Latine family contexts. We describe and synthesize research on Latine families’ STEM-related beliefs and practices (i.e., STEM activities and STEM talk), as well as patterns related to the research areas, methodologies, and theoretical foundations among STEM learning studies focused on U.S. Latine families with young children (0-8 years old). Studies emphasize family interactions and strengths-based approaches to illustrate how Latine children are learning about STEM within the context of their families. This work positions Latine caregivers as leaders in promoting early STEM learning and partners in addressing gaps in Latine participation in STEM. We argue that more research is needed to show the wealth of STEM-related knowledge and skills that can be built on to promote meaningful and culturally sustaining learning experiences for children. This paper makes an important contribution to the literature by centering the experiential knowledge of Latine families, who are underrepresented due to the culture of power in STEM education.

Keywords: Early Childhood, family STEM, Latine, STEM activities, STEM attitudes/beliefs, STEM talk

Received: 09 Jul 2025; Accepted: 12 Feb 2026.

Copyright: © 2026 Buhler-Wassmann, Zhang, Buhler, Callanan, HADEN and Melzi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Andrea Cecilia Buhler-Wassmann

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material