Mexican American Students Research Articles

The Association Between Gender, Age, and Acculturation, and Depression and Overt and Relational Victimization Among Mexican American Elementary Students

This study examined the relationship between overt and relational peer victimization and depression in a sample of predominantly Mexican American students in Grades 3 through 5 in a Southwestern U.S. school district. Acculturation level was assessed and included as an independent variable along with gender and grade (a proxy for age). Fifty six percent of eligible students participated. Chi-square analyses found no differences in rates of overt or relational victimization or on depression scores by age, gender, or level of acculturation. Victims (all types combined) had more depressive symptoms than did nonvictims. Relational victimization was the only significant predictor of depressive symptoms in a regression analysis. Acculturation, gender, and grade did not predict depression in this sample.

Mexican American High School Students' Postsecondary Educational Goals

A multivariate multiple regression analysis predicting the educational goal aspirations and expectations of 89 Mexican American high school students was examined based on Lent, Brown, and Hackett's (1994) Social Cognitive Career Theory and prior research findings with Mexican American samples. No gender or generational status differences were found in educational aspirations or expectations; however, participants reported higher educational aspirations than educational expectations. In addition, results of a multivariate multiple regression analysis suggested that Anglo-oriented acculturation was significantly positively related to educational goal expectations and educational goal aspirations. Mexican-oriented acculturation, college self- efficacy, and college outcome expectations were not significantly related to Mexican American students' educational goals aspirations or expectations. Results are discussed as they relate to improving the educational achievement among Mexican American youth.

Student Engagement, Peer Social Capital, and School Dropout Among Mexican American and Non-Latino White Students

Policy makers are especially concerned about persistently high dropout rates among U.S. Latinos, the largest minority population in the United States. This study used a national longitudinal database to show that the behavioral and social aspects of schooling are dynamically linked in the process of school completion and dropout among Mexican American and non-Latino white adolescents. In contrast to the tendency of academically disengaged students to develop street-oriented friendships, students who are involved in school tend to befriend others who also make schooling a priority. Thus, student engagement influences competing friendship networks in a manner that contributes to the completion of school. Furthermore, engagement behaviors and school-oriented friendship networks have the potential to reduce dropout rates. To their social and educational detriment, however, Mexican American students appear to be less engaged in unorganized academic endeavors and formally sponsored extracurricular activities than are white students. The results of this study support policies that combine targeted educational and social reforms to bolster school completion among Mexican origin youths.

Kids Identifying and Defeating Stroke (KIDS): Development and Implementation of a Multiethnic Health Education Intervention to Increase Stroke Awareness Among Middle School Students and Their Parents

The Kids Identifying and Defeating Stroke (KIDS) project is a 3-year prospective, randomized, controlled, multiethnic school-based intervention study. Project goals include increasing knowledge of stroke signs and treatment and intention to immediately call 911 among Mexican American (MA) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) middle school students and their parents. This article describes the design, implementation, and interim evaluation of this theory-based intervention. Intervention students received a culturally appropriate stroke education program divided into four 50-minute classes each year during the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Each class session also included a homework assignment that involved the students' parents or other adult partners. Interim-test results indicate that this educational intervention was successful in improving students' stroke symptom and treatment knowledge and intent to call 911 upon witnessing a stroke compared with controls. The authors conclude that this school-based educational intervention to reduce delay time to hospital arrival for stroke shows early promise.

Between Mendez and Brown: Gonzales v. Sheely (1951) and the Legal Campaign Against Segregation

On March 26, 1951, three years before the historic Brown decision, in Gonzales v. Sheeley (1951), Judge Dave Ling of the United States District Court of Arizona ruled that the segregation of Mexican American students in a separate “Mexican School” was unconstitutional. In this article, we trace the legal arguments in Gonzales through two prior cases, Mendez v. Westminster (1946) and Delgado v. Bastrop (1948). We analyze how racialism, the social science critique of racism and legalism, shaped the arguments in the three cases. Our analysis suggests that Gonzales was a departure from Mendez and Delgado because it was the first case in which a court made an unqualified argument against segregation. The trajectory of the legal arguments across the three cases highlights how new cultural ideas about race were slowly incorporated into civil rights case law, a process that was also shaped by the institutional norms and practices of the legal system.

Building Educational Resilience and Social Support: The Effects of the Educational Opportunity Fund Program Among First- and Second-Generation College Students

The ability to be resilient in the face of adversity is a critical topic of investigation for educators and psychologists. If educators and psychologists gain greater understanding of the processes that promote resilience in youth, they will be in a better position to support strengths and coping. Educational resilience is one such line of inquiry that refers to “students who despite economic, cultural, and social barriers still succeed at high levels” (Cabrera & Padilla, 2004, p. 152). Much of the educational research on resilient youth has been focused on protective factors that help them succeed in school. This line of inquiry fits with recent resilience literature that has begun to consider how communities can promote protective factors and increase resilience. Gonzalez and Padilla (1997) discovered that academic support and a sense of belonging in school promoted resilience among Mexican American students. Phinney and Haas (2003) reported on 30 ethnic minority college freshman most of whom were the first to attend college in their families. Students with more social support and a greater sense of self-efficacy were better able to cope with stress. The shift from high school to college involves a change in identity from that of high school student to college attendee. Having a sense of identity is a key developmental milestone for adolescents (Erikson, 1968). Ethnic identity is one aspect of the individual’s larger identity that refers to “feelings of ethnic belonging and pride, a secure sense of group membership, and positive attitudes towards one’s ethnic group” (Phinney & Alipuria, 1996, p. 142). Like social support, another possibility was that an increased sense of ethnic identity contributes to greater resilience and coping among firstand second-generation college students. Clauss-Ehlers, Yang, & Chen (2006) explored resilience among diverse college-aged women and found that learning about one’s ethnic identity and having an androgynous gender identity were associated with greater resilience amidst adverse situations. Although the above studies revealed important findings, missing from the literature is consideration of how programmatic efforts that promote social support, resilience, and ethnic identity can have a positive impact on the experience of firstand second-generation college students. John H. Schuh, associate editor Research in Brief

Mexican-American Students’ Perceptions of Teachers’ Expectations: Do Perceptions Differ Depending on Student Achievement Levels?

This exploratory study examines the learning beliefs of high and low achieving, low-income Mexican-American students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 ninth grade students. The qualitative analysis shows that students’ perceptions of their teachers’ expectations of a “good” student or a “not so good” student did not differ along achievement lines. However, the students’ perceptions about what it means to be a good student differentiated the low-achievers from the high-achievers. This study’s findings may be used to inform educators about Mexican-American students’ orientation towards school and learning, in hopes for creating more equitable educational settings where all students achieve to their fullest potential.

A Collective Pursuit of Learning the Possibility to Be: The CAMP Experience Assisting Situationally Marginalized Mexican American Students to a Successful Student Identity

Many students of Mexican descent must learn how to be successful students. This study describes 5 students of Mexican descent from situationally marginalized lives who were a part of a support and retention scholarship program (College Assistance Migrant Program—CAMP). These case studies document how they perceived their learning and how they changed as students after their first college experience and involvement in CAMP. Through her involvement in CAMP, Laura, a high school dropout without a supportive home or school environment, came to see herself as a successful student. As an English Language Learner, Cristina felt ill-prepared to begin a college career; however, by experiencing successes in her first year of coursework and being involved in CAMP, she gained self-confidence. Maria, a teen mother with two children, saw college as the only way out of poverty. She exhibited resiliency and the desire to use the experience to gain insightful and practical knowledge about herself as a student and mother. During high school, the continual relocation between Mexico and the United States negatively affected Luz's ability to be successful. Through CAMP, she gained confidence in her ability to relate with others, particularly with teachers and professors. Ruben, a former gang member, struggled in his first semester as he acclimated to the structured environment of a classroom. Despite this struggle, the CAMP staff and his professors saw growth in Ruben's social behavior. These case studies show that students who would not normally be considered “college material,” when given the opportunity and appropriate support, can become successful. This success hinges on their new perspective of themselves and their participation in a community of practice.

Correlates of Mexican American Students' Standardized Test Scores: An Integrated Model Approach

The use of standardized testing to evaluate academic achievement is a widely debated topic. Despite controversies, standardized testing is used in all educational levels from elementary school to college entrance examinations. One of the ethnic groups particularly affected by this is the Mexican-origin population. An integrated model (individual, family, peer, and institutional factors) is used to enhance our understanding of the disparity in standardized mathematic test scores between Mexican-origin and White students. Findings show that socioeconomic status (SES) explains the majority of the gap in test scores. However, Whites reap more favorable returns to SES than do students of Mexican origin. Furthermore, if Mexican-origin students were to resemble their White peers in terms of generational status the gap in scores would widen.

The Relationship of Acculturation and Social Integration to Assaults on Intimate Partners Among Mexican American and Non-Mexican White Students

This study examined the role that Mexican ethnicity, acculturation into Anglo American society, and social integration play in intimate partner violence among a sample of 348 college students. The results indicated that Mexican American ethnicity and acculturation into Anglo American society by Mexican American college students had no relation to intimate partner violence. However, integration into society was associated with a decreased probability of severely assaulting a partner among both Mexican Americans and Non-Mexican Whites. The results support a control theory perspective (social integration) on intimate partner violence.

An Exploratory Study Examining Teen Dating Violence, Acculturation and Acculturative Stress in Mexican-American Adolescents

Little is known about dating violence in Mexican-American adolescents. This exploratory study examines 82 Mexican and Mexican-American high school students' experiences with and attitudes about dating violence, and the relationship of these experiences and attitudes to acculturation and acculturative stress. Medium acculturated adolescents (as measured by language preference), compared with high and low acculturated adolescents, had less tolerant attitudes towards dating violence. In addition, acculturative stressors (e.g., conflicted ethnic identity, family acculturation conflict) generally related to more tolerant attitudes and higher rates of perpetration of dating violence. The pattern of results suggest that dating violence is a problem among Mexican-American adolescents and that acculturation and acculturative stress are important factors to consider in the context of dating violence.

Patterns of Hispanic Students' Math Skill Proficiency in the Early Elementary Grades

In this article, we describe patterns of Hispanic students' math skill development during elementary school using data from a nationally representative sample of Hispanic students assessed in math skills from kindergarten through 5th grade. Several robust patterns are evident. First, Hispanic students enter kindergarten with average math skills significantly lower than those of native-born, non-Hispanic White students, and similar to those of native-born non-Hispanic Black students. Second, Hispanic-White math proficiency gaps narrow from the start of kindergarten through 5th grade but do not disappear. Third, there is considerable variation in average math skills among Hispanic population subgroups, with recent immigrants and lower socioeconomic groups (Mexican and Central American students, particularly) exhibiting the lowest levels of math skill through elementary school. Fourth, a simple measure of family socioeconomic status accounts for most of the Hispanic–White gaps that remain by 5th grade. Fifth, Hispanic students with the least English exposure and proficiency in kindergarten have considerably lower math proficiency rates at the start of kindergarten than English-proficient Hispanic students and students from homes where English is spoken. However, students from non-English-speaking homes and students who are not proficient in spoken English at the start of kindergarten also exhibit more rapid gains in math skills during elementary school than do English-proficient Hispanic students and students from homes where English is spoken. The research reported here was funded by the National Task Force on Early Childhood Education for Hispanics, which is funded in turn by a grant from the Foundation for Child Development and additional support from the A. L. Mailman Family Foundation, the Marguerite Casey Foundation, the Peppercorn Foundation, and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. Additional research support was provided to Sean F. Reardon by the Carnegie Scholars Program of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and to Claudia Galindo by the American Educational Research Association Research Grants Program. We thank Eugene García, L. Scott Miller, and members of the Task Force's Technical Advisory Committee for very helpful feedback and suggestions, and we thank Joe Robinson and Tara Beteille for exceedingly good research assistance. More detail and results are available in the report Patterns of Hispanic Students' Math and English Literacy Test Scores in the Early Elementary Grades (Reardon & Galindo, 2006). All errors are our own.

Perceived Barriers and Postsecondary Plans in Mexican American and White Adolescents

The authors examined perceived internal and external barriers to postsecondary educational plans among 140 Mexican American and 296 White high school students, attending to sex, socioeconomic, ethnic differences. Parent education was associated with educational plans. Girls anticipated encountering more barriers associated with financing postsecondary education than their male counterparts. Mexican American students anticipated encountering more postsecondary education barriers associated with ability, preparation, motivation, support, and separation, and expected those barriers to be more difficult to overcome, than their White counterparts. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

A Tribute to Thomas P. Carter (1927-2001): Activist Scholar and Pioneer in Mexican American Education

This article presents a testimony to the late Dr. Thomas P. Carter. Well known for his classic (1970) book, Mexican Americans in School: A History of Educational Neglect, Carter was an activist scholar and pioneer in Mexican American education. His considerable interactions with South Americans, Mexicans, and Mexican Americans served as a foundation that forged a lifelong commitment working toward equal educational opportunities for Mexican American students. It is clear from his biographical information that Dr. George I. Sanchez, whom Carter studied under while pursuing his doctorate in education at The University of Texas at Austin, helped to shape Carter's antideficit thinking perspective and structural analysis approach in doing research on Mexican American students. In this tribute to Carter, author Richard Valencia focuses on four of Carter's major accomplishments: (a) his 1970 classic book, Mexican Americans in School; (b) his influence on the education chapter in the Grebler, Moore, and Guzman (1970) book, The Mexican-American People: The Nation's Second Largest Minority; (c) his influence on the landmark U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Mexican American Education Study of 1971–1974; and (d) his role as an expert witness in Mexican American-initiated litigation, particularly the highly significant Cisneros v. Corpus Christi Independent School District (1970) school desegregation case. Based on these accomplishments, in particular, Dr. Thomas P. Carter emerged as one of the foremost contributors of his time in advancing the field of Mexican American education. As well, he needs to be acknowledged for assisting the Mexican American people in their quest for educational equality.

Transborder use of medical services among Mexican American students in a U.S. border university

The geographic and cultural proximity of sister cities along the U.S.‐Mexico border suggests that U.S. residents may circumvent financial, social, and legal barriers to healthcare by seeking care in Mexico. While most reports suggest that cross‐border use of healthcare is a common practice among low‐income Spanish‐speaking U.S. residents, little is known about groups with other socioeconomic profiles. We use data from a survey among students enrolled in a U.S. border university to examine their cross‐border utilization of healthcare. We find that use of cross‐border healthcare diminishes significantly with English language acquisition. The presence of kin on the Mexican side of the border and use of services in Mexico by co‐residents, however, increase the likelihood of students’ use of healthcare across the border.

Fostering Academic Success of Mexican Americans in a BSN Program: An Educational Imperative

Hispanic/Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. and the most underrepresented in the U.S. nursing workforce. Although a body of knowledge is growing regarding factors that foster academic success of undergraduate nursing students of color, there is limited information about Hispanic students in general, and Mexican American students in particular in BSN programs. Explored in this qualitative study, were perceived influences of institutional and interpersonal factors on retention and graduation of nine Mexican American students from a predominantly White BSN program. The key findings include adequate financial assistance, maintaining bicultural relations, and experiencing authentic caring relationships from institutional agents, family, and peers as crucial factors in academic success. Recommendations for nursing faculty and administrators are offered.

Asthma Prevalence in Hispanic and Asian American Ethnic Subgroups: Results From the California Healthy Kids Survey

Asthma prevalence for different ethnic groups in the United States, beyond white, black and Hispanic, is seldom reported. We compared the prevalence of asthma diagnosis among various Hispanic and Asian American ethnic subgroups using data collected from the school-based California Healthy Kids Survey. The California Healthy Kids Survey was administered to 462 147 public school students in the seventh, ninth, and 11th grades throughout California during the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 school years. Prevalence of lifetime asthma diagnosis was calculated for 11 Asian American Pacific Islander subgroups and 8 Hispanic subgroups. Asthma prevalence among Hispanic subgroups ranged from 13.2% for Mexican American students to 22.8% for Puerto Rican students and 23.0% among Cuban American students. Lifetime asthma diagnosis among the 11 Asian American Pacific Islander subgroups ranged from 10.9% among Korean American students to 23.8% among Filipino American students. The survey revealed substantial variation in asthma prevalence between the different Hispanic and Asian American Pacific Islander subgroups and that Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, Cubans, and Puerto Ricans are at elevated risk for asthma. Differences in the distributions of characteristics related to country of birth, residential history, generational status, and/or degree of acculturation might account for much of the observed differences in asthma prevalence between ethnic subgroups. Previous asthma prevalence estimates for Asians or Hispanics are in part a function of the particular ethnic composition of the population under investigation. We suggest that asthma studies that include a substantial number of Asian Pacific Islander and Hispanic persons use a more detailed categorization of race/ethnicity.

Culture, power, authenticity and psychological well-being within romantic relationships: A comparison of European American and Mexican Americans

This study investigated possible cultural differences in the association of power, authentic self-expression, and well-being within romantic relationships. Participants ( N = 314) included European American students from a central Texas university and Mexican American students from a border university. Results indicated that power inequality was associated with a lack of authentic self-expression among men and women in both populations, although a three-way interaction between sex, culture, and power indicated that Mexican American men responded differently than other groups. Results also indicated that a lack of authenticity negatively impacted psychological health, especially for Mexican Americans. Findings suggest that authentic self-expression is one of the primary ways in which power inequality impacts close interpersonal relationships, and that gender and cultural variables must be examined simultaneously when considering the link between power and authenticity.

Prefatory Note

In 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that segregated schools were inherently unequal in the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision. At that time, schools in the South were segregated by law, and those in many other districts were de facto segregated by either official policy or housing patterns (Clotfelter, 2004). In addition to physical segregation, the Supreme Court was also concerned about inequality in the resources provided to schools. The great hope of the Supreme Court’s decision was that addressing segregation would decrease both racial isolation and disparities in school quality thereby narrowing racial gaps in educational opportunities and outcomes.1 More than 50 years later, some progress has been made. Resources across schools are, in many respects, more equal, and average levels of educational attainment have increased. At the same time, change has been slow, and of late, arguably of the “wrong” direction. For example, while racial segregation in schools decreased through the late 1980s, it has increased, or at least not decreased, since then. The racial and ethnic composition of school children has also changed with growing numbers of Hispanic and Asian immigrants. Although the Brown decision overlooked other minorities, Mexican-American students also attended segregated schools at that time, a pattern that continues today (Clotfelter, 2004; Frankenberg and Lee, 2002). Importantly, large racial and ethnic gaps in academic achievement remain. Thus, race and ethnicity continue to loom large in our educational system.

Implicit bicultural identity among Mexican American and Asian American college students.

Contemporary research on ethnic identity, acculturation, and cultural orientation suggests that, at least under some circumstances, individuals can successfully internalize or identify with more than one culture. Previous research on multicultural identity has relied almost exclusively on self-report measures. Using the Implicit Association Test (IAT), the present research examined to what extent Mexican American and Asian American college students identified with American culture and with their culture of origin. Results indicated that Mexican American and Asian American participants strongly and equally identified with both cultures. The present research provides firm evidence for a bicultural identity through assessments of thoughts that cannot be consciously controlled. Patterns of bicultural identification obtained on implicit measures were not the product of deliberate responses to normative demands or conscious attempts to convey a particular self-image.