Cultural Values as Contributors to Latinx Student Grades

Abstract

Cultural discontinuity, or the misalignment of learning processes based on cultural values practiced at home and at school, is one factor that has been explored in the educational experiences of racial/ethnic minority students. The purpose of the current quantitative study was to examine the influence of cultural discontinuity between Latinx and Eurocentric cultural values on the grades of Latinx high school students. The conceptual framework for this study was developed from relevant literature. The model theorizes that Latinx students’ grades are influenced by socio-demographic variables, academic experiences, and cultural discontinuity. Participants were 334 Latinx students recruited from three high schools in the U.S. Southwest. Data was collected via a self-administered questionnaire and student transcripts. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to identify which variables were associated with student grades. Results of this study showed that Latinx students who reported experiencing higher levels of cultural discontinuity had lower GPAs than students who reported lower levels of cultural discontinuity.