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Description
The purpose of the study is to explore the perceptions of postsecondary persistence among first-generation college students of Latino, Hispanic, Chicano, Mexican-American or of other Latino origin (self-identified) who attended community college as part of their undergraduate collegiate experience. In particular, where they encountered support in attending college and who or what influenced them to pursue higher education at the university level. Along with this support, I explore how cultural and social capital mediated their persistence in transferring from a community college to a four-year university. Pierre Bourdieu's theories of cultural and social capital were used as the overarching theoretical framework as scholars have argued that first generation college attendees are at risk for successful completion because they lack familial knowledge of the college experience. The research design invoked the qualitative methodology of one on one interviews that were then analyzed for trends as well as unique phenomena. I interviewed six subjects willing to share personal information (kept confidential by pseudonym), on topics such as: personal and familial ethnic and scholastic history; messages, ideas and examples received in the home regarding education, work and money; relationships with community college personnel and potential transfer agents; as well as perceptions for the overall reasons for their academic persistence. The intended benefits of this study include an increased understanding of Latino students' sources of support, successes, and their methods of overcoming obstacles. As the Latino population grows in the United States, there is a need to understand how we might better serve this population and augment their rates of baccalaureate attainment. This research may aid students and educators interested in the unique, everyday experiences of successful Latino undergraduates in the postsecondary pipeline.
