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.