Latino Students' Transitions to College: A Social and Intercultural Capital Perspective

Abstract

In this article, Anne-Marie Nuñez uses data from a national longitudinal study of students enrolled in four-year public research universities to assess the effects of social capital and intercultural capital—the capacity to negotiate diverse racial/ethnic environments—on Latino students' sense of belonging in college and on their perceptions of a hostile racial/ethnic climate. She finds that Latino students who are more familiar with diversity issues and who report more social and academic connection and engagement experience a greater sense of belonging even as they also experience a more hostile campus climate. Her findings provide a nuanced understanding of Latino students' college experiences, with implications for how access to intercultural capital through positive cross-racial interactions and diversity curricula may offer benefits that counterbalance the negative impact of marginalizing experiences and ultimately advance educational attainment.