Factors Influencing Enrollment in Higher Education: A Comparison of First and Second Generation Hispanic Students

Abstract

This study concentrated on first and second-generation Hispanic students' perception of higher education, parental support, degree of enculturation, and motivation having a direct correlation to students' pursuit of a post-secondary education. The information may have an impact on enrollment and retention in institutions of higher learning. The quantitative survey, Factors Influencing Hispanic Student Retention (FIHSR), was administered and analyzed to find differences between the studies subgroups: perceptions of higher education, parental support, degree of enculturation, and motivation among Hispanic students. The study found no significant difference in three of the four subgroups, perceptions of higher education, parental support, and degree of enculturation. Data analysis suggests Hispanic students feel a strong sense of ethnic pride. The final subgroup, motivation among Hispanic students, found a significant difference among collected data suggesting there may be a decrease in motivation as the degree of generation increases. Recommendations, for further study, may include a larger population sample, increased degree of generations, survey students from other Hispanic Serving Institutions, and conduct a comparison with non-Hispanic Serving Institutions within the state of Texas.