Educational Aspirations: Supporting College Trajectories among LatinoYouth.

College Access;Latinos;Parents;Teachers;Peers;Educational Aspirations;Education;Psychology;Social Sciences;Education & Psychology

Bregman, Allyson BlairO ; ; Connor, Carla ;

University of Michigan

关键词: College Access;    Latinos;    Parents;    Teachers;    Peers;    Educational Aspirations;    Education;    Psychology;    Social Sciences;    Education & Psychology;   

Others  :  https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/77747/abregman_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship

【 摘 要 】

This dissertation investigates the ways in which Latino youth access information and support as they develop and pursue their educational aspirations. Using a mixed methods design, the dissertation identifies the role of family, teachers, and peers in the early stages of the college preparation process. It also highlights students’ agency in the mobilization of supportive individuals. The quantitative study uses self-report survey data from 223 Latino 9th grade students to assess the unique contribution of support for college from family, teachers, and peers on adolescents’ educational goals, values, and behaviors. Findings from this study suggest that family plays a critical role in the development of educational goals and values while peers are most influential in students’ school effort. These results also point to the importance of academic self-efficacy and the potential of this construct to shape students’ college orientations. The qualitative study continues to explore these relationships using interviews with 20 Latino 9th grade students. Findings suggest that there are three different approaches to college preparation during the early years of high school. These approaches vary in the extent to which youth receive support from others and take an active role in their own preparation. The first group of students benefit from family, teachers, and peers who encourage their educational aspirations and provide concrete instructions for how to turn those goals into a reality. These students also take advantage of their access to information and resources. The second group of students experiences high levels of support from significant others and engages in behaviors that prepare them for college. However, this group of students focuses on academic preparation and is not yet involved in acquiring specific information about higher education. Finally, the third group struggles academically and does not think about their plans for after high school. They are not offered the support they need to prepare for post-secondary education and do not seek out that support themselves. Together, the findings from both studies indicate that the early stages of preparation for college require a combination of supportive contexts and adolescent agency.