Browsing by Subject "Latino"
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Item A case study of the perceptions of current and former school board members of a recently annexed, rural, impoverished, South Texas, Latino school district in a high stakes accountability system(2009-05-15) Rodriguez, Claudia G.This research study was a qualitative study involving eight current or former school board members of a recently annexed, rural, impoverished, Latino school district in South Texas. The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to highlight the plight of rural education, specifically the plight of a poor school district by examining the perceptions of the school board members. This study was organized around the following sensitizing concerns (Blumer, 1969; Patton, 2002; Schwandt, 2001): What were the school board members? perceptions about the school district prior to the annexation? What were the school board members? perceptions of the factors that contributed to the annexation? What were the school board members? perceptions of the effect of the annexation on the community? The method of inquiry was conversational information interviews (Patton, 2002), two unstructured interviews with each school board member, going where the interviews took me (Fontana & Frey, 2005). The themes revealed in the research included (1) power dynamics, with three sub-themes, (a) trusting those in power, (b) deferring to those in power, and (c) becoming those in power; (2) denial of the obvious, and (3) unspoken paternalism?the Anglo patron system. This study offers implications for policy, practice, and additional research in the areas of rural communities and rural school districts, but most importantly, it provides evidence that rural colonias located along the U.S.-Mexico border have unique educational needs. Rural school districts located along this border need strong school leaders with ?a critical leadership of place that support community as a context for learning, understand that schools and their local communities are inextricably linked and that the ability of each to thrive is dependent upon the other? (Budge, 2006, p.8).Item An Investigation of the Perceptions of Latino High School Males Who Were in Danger of Dropping Out but Persevered(2012-02-14) Nell, Jan ElizabethThe purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate perceptions and experiences of four Latino male students who obtained their high school diploma despite considerable adversity. An in-depth examination of the participants' academic experiences, familial impact on their education, and societal acculturation were explored to elucidate Latino male academic achievement in public high school. The dropout conundrum has serious economic and societal implications for the United States. In addition, the explosion of the Latino population in the southwestern portion of the U.S. adds another dimension to this dilemma since Latinos have a greater dropout rate than their white counterparts. However, there has been minimal qualitative literature that has given voice to students and their perceptions of academic success. Therefore, this study was conducted with individual, semi-structured interviews to give the students' voice to their story and create rich, thick descriptions for educators to understand the reasons these students were successful in school. Participants were selected from a randomized purposeful sample from the same high school. In addition, each student was interviewed three times to ensure prolonged engagement. Interviews were audio-taped and then transcribed by the researcher. Member checking, peer debriefing, artifact collection, and reflexive journaling were utilized to establish trustworthiness. The transcribed interviews were categorized to establish patterns and themes in the data. Even though the four participants were very different from each other in generational status, family environment, and personal interests, they were all able to obtain their high school diploma despite the hardships that have played a role in the failure in school of others much like these four. The students clearly articulated that treatment by the staff at school was a major factor in their academic achievement, and, even though they all came from non-traditional families, education was valued and encouraged in their homes. Recommendations for future studies include research on Latino college achievement and the role of Latino parents in their children's education.Item Archival dissonance in the Cuban post-exile historical novel(2009-12) Helmick, Gregory Gierhart; Salgado, Cesar Augusto; Arroyo-Martinez, Jossianna; Lindstrom, Naomi E.; Shumway, Nicolas; Wylie, Harold A.This dissertation investigates a common methodology of staging Cuban and Cuban exile historiography in three novels by Roberto G. Fernández (b. 1950), Antonio Benítez Rojo (1931-2005), and Ana Menéndez (b. 1970). This methodology develops a counterpoint between, first, the diagetic (strictly fictional) stories of characters who attempt to research or write Cuban history from exile and, second, the extradiagetic (extra or non-fictional) use of actual sources and tendencies of Cuban, Caribbean, and U.S. historiography structuring the narrative fiction. Reinforcing the density of the discursive field, the authors additionally incorporate works of Spanish, Latin-American, Caribbean, and/or Cuban literatures as constitutive elements of their fictions’ extradiagetic “noise.” I make the case that Fernández’s, Benítez Rojo’s, and Menéndez’s U.S.-produced historical novels develop a critical and investigative approach to the politics of Cuban exile and diaspora historiography. As such, they participate in the emergence of a post-exile Cuban literature, in dialogue with broader Caribbean and Latin American literatures. I analyze what I call archival dissonance in (1) the first, paradigm-setting novel in the body of historical fiction narrated from the frame of a dystopian future by Roberto G. Fernández, La vida es un special; (2) in Ana Menéndez’s use of reader response and archival research methods to critically recast a history of family division under the Cuban Revolution as popular romance fiction in Loving Che and (3) in the only novel Antonio Benítez Rojo lived to write in the United States, Mujer en traje de batalla (about the accidental arrival to New York City of the “first female Cuban physician” Enriqueta Faber, 1791-1827). Departing from the methodology presented with the narrative structure of each of the novels, in which a diagetic process of a character’s reading and/or writing Cuban history from a site of exile is countered by extradiagetic documentary and metaliterary information, I examine each novel’s metacritical approach to the politics of exile and diaspora historiography, as well as toward Cuban, Caribbean, Latin American, and/or U.S. literary textual economies.Item Biopsychosocial Considerations of Pediatric Asthma Morbidity in Latino Families(2012-10-19) Mendoza-Burcham, MarissaAs the most prevalent chronic health condition in children under the age of 18, asthma is a disease for which significant health disparities exist. Current literature has established that ethnic minorities, families living in poverty, and families living in urban environments are at higher risk for worse morbidity. In recent years, studies focusing distinctly on Latino families, with emphasis on Puerto Rican families, have emerged. As a singular group, Puerto Rican children have demonstrated the worst outcomes and a significantly greater use of emergency room (ER) services, often related to poor adherence to adequate asthma care regimens. Guided by the biopsychosocial approach, this study sought to examine cultural and family variables and their relationship to pediatric asthma morbidity. Data from a sample of 639 children and their families from the Rhode Island region and Puerto Rico participated in this study. The data derived from the Rhode Island/Puerto Rico Asthma Center (RIPRAC) study and collected between 2002 and 2007. Bivariate analyses investigated correlations among familism and morbidity variables. Group comparisons were conducted between mainland Puerto Ricans living in the Rhode Island region and island Puerto Ricans and between Latino and non-Latino White families living in mainland United States. Confirmatory factor analysis using Mplus software evaluated a measurement model of familism and morbidity, followed by invariance testing in multiple group analyses by asthma severity and ethnicity. Lastly, structural equation modeling investigated a predictive relationship between the latent variables of familism and morbidity and meditational relationships through balanced integration. A secondary analysis for families who endorsed alternate child caregivers investigated a meditational relationship between familism and morbidity through involvement in asthma management by alternate caregivers. Significant correlations and group differences on mediator variables and observed familism variables and morbidity variables were found. Although a significant relationship between familism and morbidity was not found, significant relationships between familism and balanced integration and between balanced integration and morbidity were identified. This study contributes to emerging research on family variables as potential protective factors in pediatric asthma by focusing on familism as a primary concept amongst biological and psychosocial variables.Item Caballeros making capital gains : the role of social capital in Latino first-year college persistence : a case study analysis of a predominantly white 4-year institution(2011-05) Arámbula-Turner, Tracy Lee; Saenz, Victor B.; Vincent, Gregory J.; Holme, Jennifer J.; Dorn, Edwin; Ponjuan, LuisThe goal of this study was to develop a nuanced understanding of the first-year experience of Latino males attending a predominantly White public flagship institution of higher education. Specifically, the study sought to examine the relationship between their ability to draw upon and use various forms of social capital, and their persistence to the second year of college. Qualitative data were collected at the conclusion of the students’ first year and at the beginning of their second year of college and the study was guided by social capital theory. Results indicate students gained access to an elite institution of higher education and persisted to the second year through application of their strong academic ganas, rich familial wealth, and through the essential support of key high-volume institutional agents. Students engaged in a strategic and deliberative transition process during the first year that was customized to fit their personal needs and life experiences. Students engaged in discerning, tactical and selective friendship creation and management during the first year, and treated this exercise as a long-term investment in their success. Finally, academic support programs facilitated transition and served as vital sources of support and resilience during the first year of college. Research findings will be of interest to researchers, policymakers, administrators and practitioners who aspire to improve the college completion rates of their Latino undergraduate populations.Item Colorín colorado este cuento no se ha acabado : modernized folklore Latino style(2012-05) De Leon, Rebecca Casas; Palmer, Deborah K.; Martinez-Roldan, CarmenThis is a children’s literature review of recent Latino folklore. Three theoretical perspectives create the framework of this analysis: Funds of Knowledge (Moll, 1990), Reader Response theories (Rosenblatt, 1982), and Culturally Relevant Teaching (Ladson-Billings, 1992). This work is set within the context of bilingual education that promotes biliteracy. Four themes are identified: Latino Counter Stories of European Folklore, European Cumulative Rhymes Acculturated, New Adaptations of old Latino Folklore, and Folklore Characters in New Adventures. The first two categories include stories with Western European origins that have been adapted to a Latino perspective. In the second category all the stories are cumulative tales. The third category consists of stories of Latino origin that are retold, but modified from the traditional storyline. The last category is a mixture of both European and Latino folklore characters in completely new storylines. Students can expand their literacy while educators create an inclusive classroom by integrating Latino literature and student’s Funds of Knowledge into culturally relevant teaching.Item Considering the disparate impact of test-based retention policy on low-income, minority, and English language learner children in Texas(2011-12) Patrick, Ertha Smith; Vasquez Heilig, Julian; Butler, Shari; Reddick, Richard; Rhodes, Lodis; Reyes, PedroThis dissertation evaluates disparate impact of test-based retention (TBR) policy on historically disadvantaged student groups in the State of Texas, and determines school characteristics that statistically predict retention and may contribute to disparate impact. The research literature on TBR is limited, as most grade retention research precedes the increase in use of TBR policy across the United States. Based on descriptive analysis, there were considerable increases in retention rates for low-income, African American, Latino, and English Language Learner (ELL) children compared to their less-disadvantaged counterparts, after TBR was implemented. Using multiple regression analysis, schools with higher percentages of low-income students, ELL students, beginning teachers, and higher percentages of low-income students in their school district were found to have higher retention rates while schools with higher percentages of White students, White teachers, and Latino teachers were found to have lower retention rates. Additionally, school retention rates were found to vary according to accountability rating.Item Destabilizing racialized geographies : the temporality of Blackness in Puerto Rico(2016-05) Machicote, Michaela Andrea; Arroyo, Jossianna; Leu, LorraineIn this thesis I analyze the way in which the de-colonial construction of Puerto Rico, and subsequent acquisition by the US as a territory, came to inform and create a whitened identity through the confinement, historicization of African influence, and erasure of Puerto Rico's Black population/heritage component via the narrative of mestizaje and mulataje. I look specifically at Loíza; Loíza is a city celebrated by Puerto Rico as a site of authentic Blackness and exemplifies efforts by the state to commodify and restrict the movements of Black Bodies. It is in these marginalized and racialized spaces that I explore the possibility of self-making and Black identity in Loíza, Puerto Rico.Item Diversity Distress: The Experiences of Students of Color in Higher Education(2011-02-22) Pratt, Beverly M.In this study, I specify the reasons why racial minority undergraduate students choose to pursue higher education studies at historically White colleges/universities, despite the schools' potential for diversity controversies. Rather than looking at why students do not attend historically White institutions, I investigate what characteristics of both the educational institutions and the students contribute to students' decisions to stay at historically White institutions despite perceived hostile environments. I also examine students' experiences at historically White institutions, including attitudes toward diversity and any discrimination that they may experience. In doing so, this study adds a fresh yet central perspective to the complex issue of diversity: the opinions of students of color themselves. Doing so may lead to more positive answers and propositions for what administrations can do to increase the percentage of racial minority students. The study is a mixed-methods approach, including 17 semi-structured interviews with Latina/o students and a sample of 287 students who self-identify as racial minorities, including Latina/os, African Americans, and Asian Americans, at a historically White southern university. From these mixed-method results, the following themes were found: 1) The size of a hometown has a statistically significant effect on how often discrimination is experienced, 2) Self-identifying as Black has a statistically significant effect on how often discrimination is experienced, 3) Latina/o students choose to attend SCU because of university affordability, proximity to their home towns, and the university's academic reputation, 4) Latina/o students experience racial oppression at SCU because of the lack of campus diversity, direct racist acts toward themselves and friends, and they consider transferring to more diverse educational institutions, and 5) Latina/o students remain at SCU because they want to make a difference at the university for themselves and others, certain characteristics of the university are appealing, and because of professorial mentors.Item Embodied Storying, A Methodology for Chican@ Rhetorics: (Re)making Stories, (Un)mapping the Lines, And Re-membering Bodies(2012-10-19) Cobos, CasieThis dissertation privileges Chican@ rhetorics in order to challenge a single History of Rhetoric, as well as to challenge Chican@s to formulate our rhetorical practices through our own epistemologies. Chapter One works in three ways: (1) it points to how a single History of Rhetoric is implemented, (2) it begins to answer Victor Villanueva's call to "Break precedent!" from a singly History, and (3) it lays groundwork for the three-prong heuristic of "embodied storying," which acts as a lens for Chican@ rhetorics. Chapter Two uses embodied storying to look at how Chican@s are produced through History and how Chican@s produce histories. By analyzing how Spanish colonizers, contemporary scholars/publishers, and Chican@s often disembody indigenous codices, this chapter calls for rethinking how we practice codices. In order to do so, this chapter retells various stories about Malinche to show how Chican@s already privilege bodies in Chican@ stories in and beyond codices. Chapter Three looks at cartographic practices in the construction, un-construction, and deconstruction of bodies, places, and spaces in the Americas. Because indigenous peoples practice mapping by privileging bodies who inhabit/practice spaces, this chapter shows how colonial maps rely on place-based conceptions of land in order to create imperial borders and rely on space-based conceptions in order to ignore and remove indigenous peoples from their lands. Chapter Four looks at foodways as a practice of rhetoric, identity, community, and space. Using personal, familial, and community knowledge to discuss Mexican American food practices, this chapter argues that foodways are rhetorical in that they affect and are affected by Chican@ identities. In this way, food practices can challenge the conception of rhetoric as being solely attached to text and privilege the body. Finally, Chapter Five looks at how Chican@ rhetorics and embodied storying can affect the field(s) of rhetoric and writing. I ask three specific questions: (1) How can we use embodied storying in histories of rhetoric? (2) How can we use embodied storying in Chican@ rhetorics? (3) How can we use embodied storying in our pedagogy?Item Embrace the darkness : the writing process of “Diabolical”(2016-08) Murillo, Renier Javier; Lewis, Richard M., M.F.A.; McCreery, CindyThis report covers the process of developing, writing, and revising Renier Javier Murillo’s one-hour horror drama pilot “Diabolical” – including background information, inspiration, steps in the writing process, and personal reflections.Item Evaluating the impact of the Hispanic Scholarship Consortium(2010-12) Garza-Nyer, Eva Maria; Roueche, John E.; Bumphus, Walter; Reddick, Richard; Calzada, Lucio; Cantu, NormaThis study examines the Hispanic Scholarship Consortium (HSC), a scholarship program in Central Texas that serves Hispanic college students. This study analyses trends in awarding and persisting with the program. A better understanding of what influences persistence rates can help scholarship programs in implementing policies to increase college completion rates. The findings can assist programs identify needed changes to improve scholarship application and award processes. These results can also help programs assist scholars during their college careers by identifying at-risk students early on and developing supportive practices to promote student persistence. Additionally, scholarship organizations can utilize metrics to identify long-term trends among their scholarship recipients for ongoing program evaluation and enhancement. This mixed method study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative research methods by analyzing student focus group data along with HSC program data. Quantitative analysis is used to determine predictors of persistence in the HSC program. The qualitative analysis results are used to find themes regarding students’ perception of HSC offerings. The study focuses on college students who receive scholarships from the HSC. It examines the relationship between persistence in HSC with student factors such as high school and college grade point average (GPA), gender, college major, college type, first generation status, low-income status, citizenship, high school graduates from schools with more than 35% free and reduced lunch (F&RL) population, and scholarship award amount. Additionally, it examines the relationship between scholarship award amount and student factors. Ultimately, this study provides insights for best practices in scholarship programs. The findings will contribute to a better understanding of scholarship programs and their potential for influencing persistence and college graduation rates. The knowledge gained should not only benefit HSC, but also provide recommendations for other scholarship programs and possibly a state supported initiative.Item Examining the experiences and perceptions of Latino males pursuing a PhD in the social sciences/humanities at a predominately White, research-intensive, public university(2014-05) Gonzalez, Manuel Antonio, IV; Saenz, Victor B.The struggles of Latino males along the education pipeline have been well documented in recent history. Despite this increased research focus, gaps continue to exist in the literature on Latino males in education settings. Currently, the literature predominately centers on the Latino male experience in the K-12, community college, and 4-year college environments. The educational experiences of Latino males in doctoral education settings have not yet been presented. This study examines and provides insight into the Latino male doctoral student journey by detailing Latino male doctoral student experiences and perceptions at a predominately White, research-intensive, public university. In light of the deficit model research surrounding men of color, it is imperative to present the narratives of successful, high achieving Latino males along their pursuit of a doctoral degree. This study critically examines the experiences and perceptions of Latino males in pursuit of a PhD within the humanities or social sciences at a predominately White, research-intensive, public university. The mission of the study was to shed light on thematic influences, factors, and emotions that led these individuals to take interest and pursue a doctoral degree. The study's findings are presented under the lens of Latino critical race theory and gender role conflict in order to develop a thorough understanding of the internal and external influences on the Latino male doctoral student experience. My dissertation's unique contributions are its addition of the Latino male doctoral student experience to the literature on Latino males in educational contexts. Furthermore, this study's unique contributions include a new perspective on how Latino males perceive their gender roles and responsibilities as successful doctoral students. The Latino male doctoral students in this study displayed resilience during moments of vulnerability and embrace responsibility during challenging circumstances. These actions were efforts to maintain control of their doctoral education experience and to create a new image for Latino masculinity. As the findings indicate, the Latino male doctoral student experience at a large predominately White, research-intensive, public university is filled with complexity, adversity, and determination.Item Exploring a new radio audience : a podcast case study in public radio’s conversion from analog to digital audiences(2009-05) Avila, Alexander James; Gil de Zúñiga, Homero; Alves, RosentalThis thesis began as an audience exploration into early adopters of “podcasting” technology through the journalistic radio program Latino USA, distributed by National Public Radio. An explosion in the use of this new media has changed the way radio networks distribute programming, yet little communications research has been done about the audience. This examination documents how podcast audiences are significantly younger and are both substituting and supplementing traditional media. The study also determined that iPod users are significantly more likely to abandon CDs, listen to less radio, and watch less television as the industry converts from 20th Century analog to 21st Century digital technology. Qualitatively speaking, the podcast audience is highly regarded, but quantitatively small. Despite producer expectations that podcasting is the digital mass media of the future, the data shows audiences to have interpersonal connections to podcasting. As such podcasting remains niche programming and not a true mass medium.Item "The illegal alien" : how stereotypes in the media can undermine communication performance(2011-05) Breckinridge, Barbara LeDoux; McGlone, Matthew S., 1966-; Donovan-Kicken, ErinThis report explored the effects of stereotype threat—i.e., the apprehension associated with the possibility of confirming a self-relevant negative stereotype—on the stigmatized group Latinos as they were interviewed about their academic achievements and career aspirations. Latino participants were exposed to a self-relevant negative stereotype in the news, an illegal immigrant crossing the Mexican-American border smuggling drugs, as a stimulus activating stereotype threat. The study used deception as participants were unaware of the connection between the news article and the interview thus ensuring stereotype threat activation. Latino participants in the illegal immigrant/criminal condition displayed more verbal disfluency and tentative language than those in the control condition demonstrating evidence for media’s ability to stereotype threat.Item Improving access to care by determining key elements of culturally and linguistically appropriate healthcare interventions for Hispanic populations in Texas using a Delphi technique(Texas A&M University, 2007-04-25) Ponder, Linda MilamCultural competence, mandated by Federal law since 1964, has not been appropriately addressed due to its lack of specifics and the lack of specifics within subsequent mandates. This study was designed to determine specific key elements of cultural and linguistic appropriateness which would "operationalize" cultural competence in the provision of healthcare services. Knowing the elements of cultural and linguistic appropriateness will assist non-Hispanic healthcare providers to remove personal barriers of cultural and linguistic differences for Texas' Hispanic population. The problem of cultural competence gained national focus during the Civil Rights movement of the '60s. Current research revealed that Hispanics continue to have the worst healthcare outcomes of any minority population. Census data reflecting that Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the population, with Texas having the nation's second largest Hispanic population, make it imperative for healthcare providers to determine methods to improve healthcare for Texas' Hispanic population. A Delphi Technique was used to extract expert opinions from 26 highly qualified, Texas Hispanic healthcare providers regarding the key elements of cultural and linguistic appropriateness for Texas' Hispanic population. The ultimate goal of the research was to determine essential information which would assist non-Hispanic healthcare providers in removing personal barriers of cultural and linguistic appropriateness to the delivery of healthcare services for Texas' Hispanics. Through the approximately 16-month process of the Delphi Technique, the Panel produced 249 distinct elements in 11 groups of cultural appropriateness and 8 groups of linguistic appropriateness. Members of the Panel ranked the groups for importance, indicated the level of agreement/disagreement with each element, and rated each element for its individual importance. This study is important because it is the first time an expert panel of solely Hispanic healthcare providers has spoken collectively about what constitutes cultural and linguistic appropriateness. This research can provide a framework for professional practices, grant providing organizations, or evaluation teams to assess professionals and programs to determine their degree of cultural and linguistic appropriateness. The work can also form the basis for curricula to be used in Texas' healthcare professions preparatory schools or continuing education for practicing healthcare professionals.Item Interracial political coalitions: an analysis of justice for janitors campaigns in Houston, TX(2009-05-15) Bracey, Glenn EdwardThe history of the United States is one of racial division and conquest. People of color have employed every method of resistance available to them to defend themselves against white racist aggression. Large political coalitions among racially oppressed groups have been relatively rare in United States' history. Political scientists and sociologists have revised downward early predictions of coalitions among these groups. Most contemporary social science details the problems confronting interracial alliances but do not detail empirically supported solutions. This thesis fills the gap in the literature by analyzing two interracial political campaigns in Houston, Texas. In so doing, I use extended case method and grounded theory to define the organizational structures, ideologies, and political climates that skillful organizers have used to successfully launch and maintain political coalitions among African Americans, Latinos, and whites. Through participant observation, in-depth interviewing with organizers from Justice for Janitors campaigns in 1986 and 2006, and content analysis, I extend social movements and critical race literatures. The thesis extends Bell's interest convergence theory to include struggles for civil and economic rights conducted in the new millennium primarily in support of Latinos. Contrary to the political process model and in support of interest convergence theory, I find that Justice for Janitors campaign outcomes depended on whether white policymakers clearly saw whites' interests in supporting racial justice. Even with similar political climates, organizers' achieved success through sacrificing Latina janitors' racialized interests to bring union demands into agreement with white policymakers' goals. This case study gives close attention to one aspect of the union's negotiations of the 2006 political climate, namely the union's careful framing of the movement to minimize discussions of race in a white racist context. Finally, this thesis also looks inside the movement and analyzes the roles that personal racial ideology and organizational structure played in the trajectory of the 2006 campaign. I conclude with a discussion of interracial political coalitions and what lessons future organizers and aggrieved parties can learn from Justice for Janitors' efforts in Houston, Texas.Item Las mujeres in the STEM pipeline : how Latina college students who persist in STEM majors develop and sustain their science identities(2015-05) Rodriguez, Sarah Lynette; Saenz, Victor B.; Reddick, Richard; Somers, Patricia; Riegle-Crumb, Catherine; Ovando, MarthaOver the past decade, an extensive amount of scholarship and media attention have been devoted to understanding the unique educational experiences and challenges of STEM students, however, few studies have explored the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender, especially in terms of science identity development. Given the significant growth of the Latina/o community, understanding Latina STEM college experiences, specifically, will be critical to enhancing educational experiences for the Latina/o STEM community. Existing literature suggests that developing a strong science identity during college may improve persistence for women of color in STEM. This research study uses qualitative methods to gain an in-depth understanding of how Latina college students at a public tier-one, predominantly white, research university make develop and meaning of and develop their science identities. The study found that Latinas develop their STEM identities primarily around aspects of building competence, recognition from self and outside sources, and performance of STEM behaviors. Their STEM identity development was influenced in terms of intersectionality, primarily by their gender and racial identities. This study is uniquely positioned to advance new knowledge regarding Latina students’ persistence in STEM fields, which may inform local, state, and federal STEM policies.Item Latino college students' decisions regarding academic support services : a case study(2014-05) Flores, Monica, active 21st century; Marshall, Jill Ann; Salinas, CinthiaThis study focused on Latino undergraduate students majoring in science, and their decisions to access academic support programs. The purposes were to understand (1) factors that influence Latino students' career-related choices; choosing a science major and accessing resources in support of their academic careers; and (2) what role socializers play in those decisions. The informants were four Latino college students who chose science majors when admitted to a research university. Using a case-study interview approach, they were interviewed longitudinally over two years to understand the influences on their decisions. Data codes and themes were generated through interpretive analysis of interview transcripts, and results were evaluated against the Eccles' et al. (1983) expectancy-value model of career choices. Three categories were identified: decisions made prior to matriculation, decisions made in adjusting to the university environment, and continuing decisions to persist in the sciences. First, initial decisions as high school students were made within a web environment, through self-dialogue. Participants relied on web information in a non-interactive way to make decisions on their own. Parents, teachers, and peers merely validated decisions. Second, the process by which these students adjusted in their first year of college revealed differences among the participating students. Unlike the two male computer science majors, two female biology majors had a more difficult time participating in classes, being active about seeking help and contacting socializers, and managing their personal lives. This contrast continued on to their second year. Finally, the study yielded an iterative notion of decision-making about persistence in science. The two female biology majors having a hard time in their classes constantly revisited their initial choice of a science major. They accessed the web to get information necessary to find a solution and relay that to new socializers, such as advisers, mentoring program staff, and peers in college. Drawing from these findings, this study yielded a framework for discussing Latino science students' academic decision making. The importance of the web in initial decisions has digital equity implications, and indicates the importance of Internet outreach. Further, differences in the decision process imply a need for personalized support structures.Item Latino family trajectories of social mobility in Austin(2010-05) Ramirez, Esmeralda Mari; Straubhaar, Joseph; Rojas, VivianaThis thesis examines the links between Bourdieu’s concept of the capitals and social mobility. By using interviews conducted with families who have imigrated to Austin from Latin American countries, patterns of social mobility are traced alongside the accumulation of capitals, such as cultural capital, social capital, economic capital, symbolic capital, and techno-capital. Three generations of women are interviewed from three different families, allowing the family history to serve as the unit of analysis. Links are made between the transmission and transmissibility of capital and the ascension or descension of social mobility.
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