Given the role ethnic identity has as a protective factor against the effects of marginalization and discrimination (Umaña-Taylor, 2011), research longitudinally examining ethnic identity has become of increased importance. However, successful identity development must incorporate elements from both one’s ethnic group and from the United States (Berry, 1980). Despite this, relatively few studies have jointly evaluated ethnic and American identity (Schwartz et al., 2012). The current dissertation, guided by three objectives, sought to address this and several other gaps in the literature. First, psychometric properties of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) and the American Identity Measure (AIM) were evaluated. Secondly, the dissertation examined growth trends in recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents’ and their caregivers’ ethnic and American identity. Lastly, the relationship between adolescents’ and caregivers’ ethnic and American identity was evaluated. The study used an archival sample consisting of 301 recently immigrated Hispanic families collected from Miami (N = 151) and Los Angeles (N = 150). Consistent with previous research, results in Study 1 indicated a two-factor model reliably provided better fit than a one-factor model and established longitudinal invariance for the MEIM and the AIM. Results from Study 2 found significant growth in adolescents’ American identity. While some differences were found across site and nationality, evidence suggested recently immigrated Hispanic adolescents were becoming more bicultural. Counterintuitively, results found a significant decline in caregivers’ ethnic identity which future studies should further examine. Finally, results from Study 3, found several significant positive relationships between adolescents’ and their caregivers’ ethnic and American identity. Findings provided preliminary evidence for the importance of examining identity development within a systemic lens. Despite several limitations, these three studies represented a step forward in addressing the current gaps in the cultural identity literature. Implications for future investigation are discussed.

The current paper examines the relationship between social support, perceived social status and health in the context of the Hispanic Paradox. It was hypothesized that social support will predict perceived social status which, in turn, is an important factor in predicting physical health among Mexican immigrants. The current paper also hypothesized that stress mediates the relationship between perceived social status and health. Three hundred and twenty male and female Mexican immigrants (ages 18-79) completed questionnaires, wore ambulatory blood pressure monitors for 24 hours, and submitted blood samples. Results supported some, but not most hypotheses. Greater social support was related to higher perceived social status (p = 0.01) and stress mediated two indirect relationships between perceived social status and health outcomes. Specifically, as perceived social status increased calories consumed decreased (p = 0.01) and self-reported health improved (p = 0.02). Still, there were no direct relationships between perceived social status and health outcomes and only two stress mediated relationships. Implications of the results and future directions are addressed. The paper discusses the possibility that higher education and possible variations in degree of acculturation among study participants might have resulted in a unique relationship between perceived social status and health. The paper also addresses the role that a high LDS affiliation among participants might play in the relationship between perceived social status and health of Hispanic immigrants. Finally, the relationship between perceived social status and self-reported health as the study's most consistent finding is discussed.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a discrepancy existed between the premigration expectations and postmigration experiences of Hispanic immigrants with regard to their quality of life in the United States in communication, social, economic, and educational domains, and whether the discrepancy is correlated with acculturative stress. Acculturative stress refers to the stress that is related to the demands and pressure to adapt to a new culture. Indicators of acculturative stress include feelings of isolation due to inadequate social resources, apprehension at having to adapt to a new environment, angst over an inability to communicate in English, and worry over limited financial resources (Hovey, 1999). The current study analyzed data collected from a sample of 61 foreign-born individuals of Latin ancestry who came to the United States as an adult and have lived here for less than five (5) years. The findings indicate that violated expectations are correlated with acculturative stress more so than demographic variables, personality constructs and common sources of stress. Additionally, discrepancies between premigration expectations and postmigration experiences were found to be better predictors of acculturative stress than postmigration experiences alone.

For the past 30 years, researchers in the field of Second Language Acquisition (Block, 2007; Lantolf and Pavlenko, 2001; Norton, 2000) have emphasized the need to integrate the language learner and the language learning context and to analyze relations of power and how they affect the language learner, the language learning processes, and the learner’s identities. Several researchers (Lantolf & Pavlenko, 2001; McKay & Wong, 1996; Skilton-Silverstein, 2002; Vitanova, 2005) have studied the connections between language learning, identity, and agency. The participants in these studies were immigrants from Eastern Europe, Asia, or Africa living in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Few studies (Menard-Warwick, 2004, 2009) have analyzed the experiences of adult Hispanic immigrants in the U.S. in relation to English learning and identity construction. This dissertation reports on a study exploring how five adult Hispanic immigrants learning English in a major city in Texas negotiated their identities as English speakers and exercised agency in contexts where English was spoken. The study also analyzed the learners’ investment in learning English. The sociocultural theory of self and identity developed by Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, and Cain (1998) was the framework which helped conceptualize identity and agency. The work of Norton (2000) on language learning and identity and her notion of investment were used to understand the participants’ experiences learning and using English inside and outside the ESL classroom. A qualitative multiple-case study was conducted to understand the experiences of the participants who were learning English in a community-based ESL program, where the researcher became a participant observer during the six months of data collection. The findings of the study show the complex identity negotiations that the participants underwent in the different contexts where they interacted in English. Social class, immigrant status, and other social factors, such as lack of access to English-speaking contexts, high prevalence of Spanish in contexts where the participants interacted daily, and positioning of the participants (by others and by themselves) as limited English speakers strongly influenced how they negotiated their identities as English speakers. Despite these social factors, the participants exercised agency and were highly invested in learning English. / text

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Architecture, Planning & Design / John W. Keller / Some parts of rural America are experiencing unprecedented demographic and cultural changes as immigrant settlement patterns shift from traditional gateway cities to rural regions that have enticing economic opportunities. In particular, southwest Kansas has become a magnet for immigrant workers and their families. Between 2007 and 2008, Finney County became a majority-minority county (Callebs, 2009). However, lack of affordable housing and limited housing stock has strained communities and become an obstacle for newly settling immigrants (Stull, 2011). This study aims to redress the limited research on immigrants in rural regions and focuses specifically on the cultural experiences of Finney County Hispanic immigrants regarding integration into the local housing community. This qualitative case study is designed using the housing career framework (Murdie, 2002) to capture the factors that influence the housing experience of Hispanic immigrants. The 25 participants were recruited using snowball sampling and convenience sampling techniques. Based on the participant’s language preference, the in-depth interviews were conducted in English or Spanish. This study has found that the mission of community planning has to be a multifaceted process to address the varied needs of immigrant families. Community planners and policy makers can use the information this study provides to better serve the immigrant Hispanic community, which is expected to grow over the coming years.

In light of the fact that the number of Hispanic children enrolled in American schools is dramatically increasing and that these children are at higher risk of academic difficulty than any other group, the present study investigates the educational and child-rearing beliefs held by Hispanic parents. Understanding these beliefs is pivotal in any attempt to improve Latinos' educational attainment since current research recognizes that parental educational beliefs influence home-literacy practices, which in turn influence subsequent academic achievement. The research questions focus on two types of potential differences in terms of educational and child-rearing beliefs: (1)intercultural (Anglo-Americans vs. Hispanics), (2) intracultural (Hispanics with varying educational levels). To address these questions, 199 participants (114 Hispanics and 85 Anglo-Americans) filled out two surveys, The Parental Modernity Scale and The Rank Order of Parental Values, about educational and child-rearing beliefs. The two instruments used yielded a total of five scores for each participant. One-way ANOVAs followed by Tukey post-hoc tests revealed the existence of statistically significant intercultural differences (p < .0001) while no significant intracultural differences were observed. Overall, Hispanic participants had a propensity to endorse the following beliefs while Anglo-Americans tended to disagree with the same beliefs: (1) the home and the school are two separate entities and parents should not question the teacher's teaching methods, (2) children should be treated the same regardless of differences among them, (3) children are naturally bad and must therefore be trained early in life, (4) the most important thing to teach children is absolute obedience to adults, and (5) learning is a passive process where teachers fill children's heads with information. However, both groups shared the following beliefs: (1) what parents teach their children at home is important to their school success, (2) children learn best by doing rather than listening, (3) children have a right to their own point of view and should be allowed to express it. Possible explanations behind the apparent paradox of having Hispanic parents agree with opposite beliefs are presented. Implications for the results of this study and suggestions for future research are discussed.

This study uses secondary survey data collected from a sample population of clients from JPS Health Network in Tarrant County, Texas from July-August, 2000. Respondents for this study represents a group of working-age Hispanic immigrant adults, N=379. Andersen's "Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations" is used to as the theoretical framework. Bivariate crosstabulation revealed significant relationships for dependent variables: problems getting needed healthcare, doctor visits, emergency room visits, overnight in the hospital, and obtaining prescription medication. Findings confirm that lack of coverage, competing needs, and difficulties in the health care system are significant in access health care. Subsequent implications and policy recommendations suggests the inevitability of short and long term health consequences unless changes are made to policies and programs.

The present study explores how children of Hispanic immigrants (CHIs) perceive life in the U.S., and how they view cultural diversity. Questionnaires were given to 92 non-U.S. born CHIs and one of their non-U.S. born Hispanic immigrant parents (HIPs) who have lived in the U.S. between 1 and 17 years (M yrs = 8.43); their views of the U.S. were assessed along with their acceptance of diversity, acculturative stress, and levels of acculturation. In this study, I found that CHIs generally hold positive views of the lives in the U.S. and also hold favorable views toward cultural diversity. Furthermore, this study hypothesized that HIPs significantly influence their CHIs attitudes toward both the U.S. and toward cultural diversity. Overall, my findings validated the theoretically based expectation that demonstrates the power of parental attitudes on their children’s attitudes. A significant correlation was found between HIPs’ attitudes toward the U.S. and their children’s attitudes, as well as, CHIs’ attitudes toward the U.S. correlating significantly with their perceptions of their parents’ attitudes toward the U.S. Multiple and stepwise regressions further confirmed the importance of parental attitudes toward their children’s attitudes toward the U.S. and their openness to cultural diversity. Findings from this study provide implications for future research.

This research study aims to support the enactment of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) and evaluate the political, economic and cultural effects of Hispanic population in American public policy. Every year, 65,000 illegal students graduate from American high schools and are not able to attend college due to their legal status. The DREAM Act proposes to modify current immigration legislation to allow illegal students who were brought to the United States under the age of sixteen to pursue a college or military career. This Act would also grant conditional legal residency that will eventually lead to attainment of citizenship. In addition, using textual analysis of other authors and scholars, this paper seeks to point out the Hispanic agenda for American public policy is the same as the policy agenda of non-Hispanic Americans. This study will also include critics of Hispanic immigration, culture and language. Through the understanding of the importance of the enactment of the DREAM Act non-Hispanic constituents might support the bill with their representatives in Congress. Furthermore, the findings on the Hispanic role in American public policy will perhaps influence the support of comprehensive Immigration Reform that could benefit American society and its economy while rewarding immigrants in their search for the American dream.

Subjective socioeconomic status (SES) has previously been shown to be correlated with a large number of health measures. In this study, the subjective SES measure is modified and translated to measure childhood SES. The subjective SES scale is examined in a participant's hometown, community, and nation. Both an immigrant Hispanic and a Caucasian sample were studied (31 Hispanic males; 42 Hispanic females; 38 Caucasian males, 40 Caucasians females). Childhood SES was the most significant predictor of self-reported health in both sample groups.