THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF LATINO AND LATINA UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE STUDENTS OF MEXICAN AND MEXICAN AMERICAN ORIGIN AT A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN THE UNITED STATES

I propose to present the findings from my doctoral research on the impact of cultural capital on the experiences of Latino and Latina undergraduate college students of Mexican and Mexican American origin at a private university. I conducted this research in 2008 and presented my dissertation defense on March 25, 2009.

As the Latino population grows in the United States, there is a need to expand knowledge on the educational experiences of Latino undergraduate college students, especially in the context of their unique cultural capital and how this translates into college persistence and success. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of cultural capital on the educational experiences of Latino undergraduate college students of Mexican and Mexican American origin and identify factors which they believe are necessary to be successful in college.

The research design was qualitative, and individual interviews were the data collection method. Eleven students were interviewed, ten enrolled as either juniors and seniors, and one May 2008 graduate. While five of the 11 students had a parent with some familiarity with college in the United States, two students had parents who completed a bachelor’s degree in the United States.

The theoretical framework applied is Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital with an overlay of Baxter Magolda’s Epistemological Reflection Model because in order to gain an understanding of how research participants perceived their educational experiences in college, it was necessary to explore the values, attitudes, and knowledge they learned in their home environments towards school. Data findings include descriptions of cultural capital acquired by students during their upbringing in the form of values, attitudes, and knowledge towards school and how they apply this cultural capital to their academic persistence, social integration, transition into college, and development of a sense of belonging in college as undergraduate students. Findings also include students’ perceptions on factors that contribute to their college success.

The epistemological overlay in the findings presented in this study refers to students’ place along Baxter Magolda’s stages of knowing (absolute, transitional, independent, and contextual) as they described cultural capital they believe to be useful in their persistence and success in college. This qualitative study, therefore, describes the experiences of Latino undergraduate college students of Mexican and Mexican American origin in college through their perceptions of the cultural capital they possess and how their stage of knowing allows them to apply this cultural capital to their persistence and success in college.

The findings in this study support higher education researchers who call for further culturally inclusive research on the unique experiences of Latino undergraduate college students and their success in school.