Mechanisms of Matriculation: School Counseling Resources and College Going for Latino Men

Abstract

This study extends prior work on the college-going efforts of Latino boys and adolescents (Latinos) by examining the extent to which meeting with a school counselor is related to their college-going aspirations and whether they apply to and ultimately matriculate to college. The study utilizes social capital and social reproduction theories to hypothesize about school counselors’ role in Latinos’ postsecondary matriculation. Utilizing data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, we used logistic regression to test the hypotheses that contact with a school counselor is related to an increased likelihood of intent to matriculate, application to 4-year institutions, and enrollment in college. We found that Latinos were just as likely as their White counterparts to aspire to college and just as likely to enroll if they applied. Moreover, those odds were not related to having visited a school counselor in ninth or 11th grade. We also found that Latinos who met with a school counselor in ninth grade were significantly less likely to apply to a 4-year institution while those who met with a counselor in 11th grade were significantly more likely to apply. We discuss the implications of our findings in light of existing research and make recommendations for future research and practice.

Pathways to reach higher education: Reflections of college knowledge development for first- and second-generation Latino men college goers.

“…Underrepresentation of students of color, especially Latinos (Gándara, 1986(Gándara, , 1995Gándara & Contreras, 2009;Gándara et al, 2012;Jack, 2019) in selective colleges and universities is attributed to undermatching and limited support for competitive college admissions (Rodriguez, 2015). Although college counselors are considered an equalizer for first-generation racial and ethnic minoritized students (Clayton, 2019), interactions between high school counselors and young Latino men are often shaped by race, class, and gender bias, resulting in inequitable guidance and college enrollment outcomes (Ballysingh et al, 2021;Bryan et al, 2009;Holland, 2015;Huerta, 2015;Huerta, 2022a;McDonough & Calderone, 2006;Ryu et al, 2021;Tsoi-A & Bryant, 2015). The available literature on college-going behaviors primarily focuses on first-generation and low-income Latino men's entrance into nonselective postsecondary education institutions (Ballysingh, 2021;Swail et al, 2004), leaving a gap in understanding how high school counselors promote attendance at selective colleges and help students prepare for the competitive admissions process.…”