The Parental Factors that Impact Hispanics’ Post-Secondary Education Completion

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to explore the parental factors that impact Hispanics’ post-secondary education completion. This is an important social issue as prior literature has indicated that educated parents have a strong influence on their children’s abilities, knowledge, and values. For this study, 20 in-depth, semi-structured interviews of Hispanic adults aged 23 to 42 were conducted. Nine participants completed their college degrees, six participants enrolled in but did not complete college, and five participants did not enroll in college. Nineteen participants reported that their parents and family placed a high value on furthering their education beyond high school, irrespective of their own educational level. The absence of parental involvement, caused by family instability, was an unanticipated barrier to obtaining a college degree. One-fourth of participants (n = 5) expressed a desire to have accessed a high school guidance counselor with whom they could have discussed various college funding possibilities and scholarship information. This study’s findings can help public schools, colleges, and universities identify strategies to improve college retention and graduation rates of Hispanic students by using programs and seminars for entering students.