The “Othering” of Latina Girls in School Sport Contexts.
This study sought to enhance, through qualitative methods, an understanding of the othering of Latina girls in school sport contexts. Focus groups with 78 Latina girls (ages 12–15) and semi-structured interviews with 15 coaches were conducted. Thematic analysis of the focus group and interview data revealed that Latina girls receive both implicit and explicit messages that they do not belong in sports. These messages are ingrained within larger discourses about gender, ethnicity, class, and sports, and are expressed at the ideological (beliefs about sport, gender, and culture), institutional (school policy and practices), instructional (coaching pedagogies), and interpersonal (interactions with coaches/peers) levels. Girls both internalized and resisted messages about sport, gender, culture, and belonging. Policy and practice recommendations about how schools can develop more inclusive school sport contexts for Latina girls are presented.
Lopez, V. (2021). The “Othering” of Latina Girls in School Sport Contexts. Journal of Adolescent Research, 1-29.
No Latina girls allowed: Gender-based teasing within school sports and physical activity contexts
This study examined gender-based teasing as a barrier to Latina girls’ participation in school-based sports and physical activity. Focus groups with 78 Latina teens, ages 12 to 15, indicated that they often felt self-conscious and insecure about participating in school-based sports and physical activity because they did not like being the center of attention, were self-conscious about their appearance, and were afraid to make mistakes. Gender-based teasing from male peers—and sometimes female peers—further heightened Latina girls’ feelings of insecurity and made it even less likely they would try out for a sports team. Still, there was evidence of resistance. Latina girls, particularly student-athletes, resisted traditional gender-based expectations by calling out the inequities they saw all around them. These young women along with their nonathlete counterparts provided concrete suggestions on how schools can increase the participation of Latina teens in sports and physical activity.
Lopez, V. (2019). No Latina girls allowed: Gender-based teasing within school sports and physical activity contexts. Youth & Society, 51(3), 377-393.
Dr. Vera Lopez 