Support and Barriers for Latino Male Students' Educational Pursuits: Perceptions of Counselors and Administrators

Abstract

Counselors and secondary/postsecondary administrators (N= 14) were interviewed to explore their perceptions of barriers and resources related to Latino male students' postsecondary goals and pursuit of higher education. Issues examined included the lack of awareness of educational obstacles for Latino male students by educators, role of Latino male students' families in the students' educational experiences, impact of peers and mentoring on Latino male students, and the role of program outreach and partnerships focused on young Latino men.

Using Humanistic and Positive Psychology to Understand Mexican American Adolescents' Subjective Happiness

“…In a study involving Latina/o college students, J. Cavazos et al () found that family support was integral to components of personal resilience. This finding is similar to Clark, Ponjuan, Orrock, Wilson, and Flores's () finding that counselors and administrators identified Hispanic families' high expectations and value on education as critical to students' educational experiences. Finally, Edwards and Lopez () found that family support influenced Mexican American adolescents' perceptions of life satisfaction.…”

Mentoring Experiences of Latina Graduate Students

“…Hence, Latina/o students are at greater disadvantage regarding access to social and cultural capital than their U.S. born, European American, and Asian peers (Contreras, 2005;García, 2012;Medina & Posadas, 2012). Mentoring relationships can provide Latina/o students with the support necessary to overcome barriers to higher educational attainment (Clark et al, 2013;Medina & Posadas, 2012). Hon and Shorr (1997), in a quantitative study, examined mentoring of Latina/o youth and the positive impact these relationships can have on their academic success.…”

“…The Latina/os who do go on to pursue a college education are faced with many barriers due to factors such as cultural expectations and their underrepresentation in college campuses (Clark et al, 2013). In many cases, Latina/os enrolled in higher education find themselves being the "lonely onlys" in their classes -the only Latina/o, or even at times the only ethnic minority -who are called upon frequently to give the "minority perspective" (Castellanos & Gloria, 2007).…”

“…Latina/os make up only 7% of students enrolled in 4-year universities and only 1% of Latina/os go on to pursue a doctoral degree (NCES, 2003). Ironically, the largest ethnic minority group in the United States constitutes a relatively small portion of students in graduate level education, as compared to other ethnic groups (Clark, Ponjuan, Orrock, Wilson, & Flores, 2013;Medina & Posadas, 2012). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to increase knowledge of the Latina graduate students' experiences and the role of mentoring relationships in their pursuit of higher education.…”

The Role of Cultural Discontinuity in the Academic Outcomes of Latina/o High School Students

“…L. Rodriguez, 2002), and socio-economic level (e.g., Barrett, Barile, Malm, & Weaver, 2012;Clark, Ponjuan, Orrock, Wilson, & Flores, 2013;O'Connor, 2009). Moreover, with the exception of a few studies (e.g., Goldenberg, Gallimore, Reese, & Garnier, 2001), research findings to date have shown that academic success among Latina/o students is positively related to socio-cultural variables such as parental education levels (e.g., Hannon, 2015;Plunkett & Bámaca-Gómez, 2003;Plunkett, Behnke, Sands, & Choi, 2009).…”