Achieving a College Education: The Psychological Experiences of Latina/o Community College Students

Abstract

This study examines the psychological and subjective experiences of Latina/o community college students. The impact of these experiences on their persistence toward achieving their education goals is also examined. Qualitative interviews with 15 community college students yielded eight themes: Overcoming personal and social challenges, maturation, self-discovery and college adjustment, self-efficacy, continuously strategizing, sense of purpose, perception of faculty, perception of advisors, and guided and groomed by family to succeed. Implications for practice and recommendations for community colleges are discussed.

Mentoring Undergraduate Students

“…For instance, research by Barnett (2011) brought attention to the value of validating mentoring relationships that develop informally between undergraduate students and instructors. In contrast to prior reviews, we found an increasing focus of mentoring efforts centering specialized or targeted student populations, including African American students (e.g., Griffin, 2013), Latina/o students (e.g., Tovar, 2014;Zell, 2009) and American Indian/Alaskan Native students (e.g., Guillory, 2009). At the same time, our review also identified mentoring studies that were more global, serving broader undergraduate populations such as first-year students.…”

“…Exceptions include work by Corso and Devine (2013), Crisp (2009;, and Zell (2009). Most studies appeared to be conducted at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs), with relatively few focused on the experiences of students at Minority Serving Institutions.…”

“…A small number of studies used quasi-experimental and experimental designs to compare participants with a matched group or randomly selected group of nonmentored students (e.g., Bettinger & Baker, 2011;Khazanov, 2011). The most common outcomes addressed by quantitative researchers include (a) college adjustment (Apprey et al, 2014;Meyers et al, 2010), (b) career and personal development (Haddock et al, 2013;Sams et al, 2015;Kinkel, 2011) and (c) measures of academic progress and success (Fox, Stevenson, Connelly, Duff, & Dunlop, 2010;Hu & Ma, 2010;Zell, 2009). …”

“…Interviews with racial minority students attending four PWIs revealed that students perceived effective institutional agents as engaging in the following activities: (a) sharing common ground with students, (b) offering holistic support, (c) humanizing the educational experience, and (d) offering proactive support (Museus & Neville, 2012). Similarly, Zell (2009) added to our understanding of what mentoring roles and functions look like in a community college context. In that study, faculty members played an important role as mentors and guides to community college students with regard to their career opportunities and professional options.…”

“…For example, scholars have developed conceptual models to guide their work, translating established theory and scholarship about retention, social engagement, leadership, motivation, and belonging to the study of mentorship (e.g., Apprey et al, 2014;Dugan & Komives, 2010;Gross, Iverson, Willett, & Manduca, 2015;Zell, 2009). In some cases, researchers have leveraged organizational change literature or scholarship about community development to address the formation of and benefits associated with mentoring relationships (e.g., Chou, 2012;Noufou, Rezania, & Hossain, 2014).…”