Indicators of Persistence for Hispanic Undergraduate Achievement: Toward an Ecological Model

Abstract

By examining Hispanic students both currently and formerly enrolled at a private, Hispanic-serving Institution located in the Southwestern region of the United States, this study attempts to understand the factors that lead to Hispanic undergraduate persistence to graduation. Adapting Bronfenbrenner’s theoretical approach, this study explores three dimensions that are critical to understanding Hispanic undergraduate persistence to graduation: (a) the role of the student context (b) the role of the university context in the student’s decision to persist; and (c) the interaction between the two contexts.

A Phenomenological Investigation of the Academic Persistence of Undergraduate Hispanic Nontraditional Students at Hispanic Serving Institutions

“…Research provides insights into the experiences, factors, and themes that have emerged for the general undergraduate Hispanic population and how these factors contribute to their persistence (Arana, Castañeda-Sound, Blanchard, & Aguilar, 2011). These studies focus on ethnic identity (Castillo et al, 2006), family contexts, campus environments (Arana et al, 2011;Bordes-Edgar et al, 2011), first year of college retention tracking and strategies (Bordes-Edgar et al, 2011;Otero, Rivas, & Rivera, 2007), academic readiness (Barnes, 2010;Blankenship, 2010), and first-generation status (Arana et al, 2011).…”

“…These studies focus on ethnic identity (Castillo et al, 2006), family contexts, campus environments (Arana et al, 2011;Bordes-Edgar et al, 2011), first year of college retention tracking and strategies (Bordes-Edgar et al, 2011;Otero, Rivas, & Rivera, 2007), academic readiness (Barnes, 2010;Blankenship, 2010), and first-generation status (Arana et al, 2011). Yet there still exist gaps in the literature that need to be addressed; these include research on the academic persistence behaviors of Hispanics in diverse geographic areas of the United States, comparisons between Hispanic graduate and undergraduate persistence, and comparative analyses of Hispanic undergraduates at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), to name but a few (Arana et al, 2011;Otero et al, 2007).…”

“…The last two decades demonstrate that though Hispanic undergraduate college enrollment has more than doubled, bachelor's degree completion rates for this group continue to lag significantly behind other groups (Arana, Castañeda-Sound, Blanchard, & Sound, 2011). The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that degree completion rates at the undergraduate level for students between the ages of 25 and 29 years are 16% for Hispanic students, 20% for African American students, and 40% for Caucasian students (NCES, 2014).…”

Early Coursework and College Experience Predictors of Persistence at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

“…While there have been both qualitative and quantitative studies of Hispanic-serving institutions (HSI), most authors suggest further research is needed, particularly longitudinal studies (Arana, Castañeda-Sound, Blanchard, & Aguilar, 2011;Dayton, Gonzalez-Vasquez, Martinez, & Plum, 2004;Maestas, Vaquera, & Muñoz Zehr, 2007;Santiago, Andrade, & Brown, 2004). This study adds to this growing body of literature by examining key academic factors in the persistence to graduation of a diverse group of students at a HSI.…”

Becoming an Hispanic-Serving Research Institution: Involving Graduate Students in Organizational Change

“…For example, some strands of research have focused on the development of HSIs, their institutional characteristics, and the institutional agents of HSIs (e.g., de los Santos & de los Santos, 2003;Doran, 2015;García & Ramirez, 2015;Laden, 2004;Murphy, 2013;Santiago, 2006). Additional research has examined factors that influence Latino/a students' persistence, success, and college-going experiences at HSIs suggesting that the unique context at HSIs is an important factor impacting educational outcomes for these students (e.g., Arana, Castañeda-Sound, Blanchard, & Aguilar, 2011;ArbeloMarrero & Milacci, 2016;Cuellar, 2012;Fosnacht & Nailos, 2016;Maestas, Vaquera, & Zehr, 2007;Musoba, Collazo, & Placide, 2013). Other studies have focused on why students choose to attend HSIs (e.g., Cejda, Casparis, & Rhodes, 2002;Núñez & Bowers, 2011;Núñez, Sparks, & Hernandez, 2011;Santiago, 2008;Torres & Zerquera, 2012).…”