Exploring the ways first-generation Mexican American male transfer students experience their community college support structure

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how first-generation Mexican American male students experienced their community college support structures and successfully transferred to a public four-year university. This study sought to answer the questions: How do community college transfer students experience the institutional agents while they were in college? How did the services provided by the institution affect student progress? How did the services provided by the institution affect their aspirations? The focus of this study was to identify and highlight these experiences during their time at the community college that facilitated their success. Using a conceptual framework that takes an anti-deficit perspective informed by the work of Harper (2010), this study discusses personal characteristics and identifies community college institutional agents and services that lead to college success and completion. Harper's work sheds light on the fact that success stories of Black males in the American higher education system have been secondary to the emphasis placed on why they were not doing well (2012). Respectively, this study takes an anti-deficit perspective to study the positive factors and characteristics rather than focusing on the reasons male Mexican American community college students fail. A qualitative approach was used to interview six students who met the criteria and were selected to participate in this study. Two face-to-face interviews were conducted and focused on the agents and services that helped them succeed or served as an inspiration at the community college, which then led to their successful transfer to a four-year institution. The results were organized into three major themes: 1) which institutional agents influenced student success; 2) how did the services provided affect their progress; and 3) vi how the services provided affect their aspirations. In addition, I describe other non-higher education individuals and services that influenced their success. A discussion of the findings found that while some of the subjects entered college with a lack of understanding how to properly deal with the stress of culture shock, new social life, and the rigor of the college's academic requirement, they were determined to succeed. Machismo did get in the way of seeking assistance when some needed help since they did not want to appear weak. While the six subjects shared many traits and characteristics that identified them as high-risk students with statistical odds showing they would not likely complete their college degree and graduate, they found a way to be successful on their terms, and at times, with the assistance of institutional agents or services along the way. The support and love they received from their family kept them moving forward since failure was not an options. Overall, this study contributes to the literature and is targeted to community college personnel to help them better understand how these students navigated the college-going process in order to develop a stro...