The purpose of this study was to investigate what contributes to Hispanic student engagement and success. The research was twofold, and included 1) a review of highly-engaging and Hispanic-serving community colleges’ programs, practices, and services that contributed to Hispanic student success; and 2) an investigation of Hispanic students’ experiences and relationships that contributed to their success. This was a qualitative investigation to illuminate quantitative data on four colleges across the United States that scored above-average on three or more CCSSE Benchmarks in 2007. Eighteen Hispanic students who were near degree or certificate completion and transfer were interviewed. This research also included Recommendations for Research and Practice, all for the purposes of promoting Hispanic student engagement and success in community colleges. / text

The United States has undergone a dramatic demographic shift in the last 40 years, particularly in terms of the racial and ethnic composition of the country. Like the other racial and ethnic minority groups, the Hispanic population is also a rapidly increasing segment of the United States. These shifts have affected many of the country's social institutions. For example, primary and secondary education have experienced a dramatic demographic shift in terms of race and ethnicity in the last 20 years. Higher education has also been affected by demographic shifts in the U.S. Although the numbers of racial and ethnic minorities enrolled in college have increased, that growth has not been proportionate to the changing numbers in the United States' population. For example, in 1990 the census reported over 22 million Hispanics in the U.S., or 9% of the total population, yet the 724,600 Hispanic students enrolled in higher education represented only 6% of all students in college ("College Enrollment,", 1998; "We the Americanâ ¦Hispanics", 1993). These gaps between Hispanic growth in the general population and Hispanic college enrollment are due to several factors, including the college choice process. Currently, research on Hispanic college choice is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence the college choice process for Hispanic students. Data were collected by administering the College Choice Survey (CCS), an instrument designed specifically for this study. A total of 383 surveys were mailed and 144 surveys were completed and returned by respondents. This reflected a response rate of 38%. A total of 65 ANOVAs were run on the data elicited from participants. Five ANOVAs were run on the subscales, which included total College Choice Survey scores, Internal Search scores, Internal Selection scores, External Search scores, and External Selection scores. The dependent variables were gender, generational status, and ethnic background. A total of three significant differences were found among these five ANOVAs. The remaining 60 ANOVAs examined differences reported by respondents on the last two items in the survey. These items asked participants to rate the degree to which they used sources of support for both the search and selection processes. The ANOVAs were run for differences by main effect only (i.e. gender, generational status, and ethnic background). Results revealed a total of three significant differences on the sources of support participants used during the search process and a total of four significant differences among the sources of support respondents used during the selection process. In summary, this study was valuable because it contributed to the understanding of the college choice process of Hispanic students. The results of this study revealed both pragmatic and significant differences in the college choice process of Hispanic students by gender, generational status, and ethnic background. Higher education administrators may strive to better understand the differences in the college choice process of Hispanic students and consider these differences in designing recruitment and admissions efforts. / Master of Arts

This research project focuses on helping Hispanic students in the East Tennessee region excel in higher education with existing resources from various organizations. Hispanic high school students were identified to complete a survey. Findings showed that these students are facing legal, financial and social challenges when thinking about higher education. Even though these students are facing these challenges, they still want to pursue higher education in order to make a positive impact in their communities. The collective impact idea is proposed as part of the solution for this social complex problem. Since it is impossible for an individual to solve this alone, the goal is for these organizations to work together to help this population and their families. The conclusion of this project reminds us that data shows that the Hispanic population is growing in this region of Tennessee and that helping and educating this population is extremely important.

The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the educational experiences and leadership behaviors of five South Texas high school principals, in the context of the practice of multicultural education and Hispanic student achievement. Through the recounting of the principals’ personal stories, experiences, and artifacts, several themes emerged in the analyses of the data collected for this study: multicultural education, effective schools, and culturally Responsive Leadership. Subthemes for the study included high expectations, collaboration, relationships, empowering school culture, equity pedagogy, communication, vision for success, Hispanic principal leadership, and Hispanic student achievement. Findings for the study further revealed that: 1. Each of the five principals articulated, supported, and fostered a culture of high expectations. 2. Collaboration, among staff, students, and the extended learning community, was a designated priority in these high-performing schools. 3. Principals in each of the five high schools understood the significant value of developing, nurturing, and maintaining productive, caring relationships. 4. Principals understood the value of creating a school culture that empowered students and staff to aspire toward quality teaching and learning. 5. Principals understood and worked vehemently to provide equity pedagogy which addressed the needs of all students. 6. Principals understood the power of varied forms of communication in shaping and supporting the mission of their schools. 7. Principals in these high-performing schools developed and steadfastly articulated a clear vision of success for their schools. 8. Hispanic principals provided unique, relevant, and effective leadership in support of their Hispanic students. 9. Neither school/community demographics nor socioeconomic status determined the potential for Hispanic student success in each of the schools led by the study’s participants. While each of the principals in this study used a variety of means to create and support learning environments conducive to all students, each assumed personal responsibility for the success of his/her students, and each worked to empower their Hispanic students through his/her own personal histories and experiences. Thus, the significance of this study lies in the potential to impact Hispanic student achievement by developing school leaders and creating school structures that support culturally diverse students.

This qualitative study focused on the stories told by five, White, female teachers with a long-term commitment to teach at a predominantly Hispanic high school. The stories of these teachers' life experiences were part of a teaching journey that began long before their formal teacher preparation. Understanding the personal, practical knowledge embedded in the events and experiences of these teachers' journeys was important to study, as these teachers possessed an extremely positive personal and academic reputation with their mostly Hispanic students. This study shed light on possible reasons for these teachers' longetivity in the profession of teaching as well as their ability to bridge cultural differences potentially dividing them from their students.Data collection came from classroom observations, a questionnaire, and a series of three, semi-structured interviews. In a cross-case analysis of the narratives compiled from the data, three main types of stories were told: stories of cross-cultural experiences, difficult challenges, and conversations with students. The highs and lows of these unusual women's experiences provide cases for preservice teachers to consider as they prepare to teach an increasingly diverse student population. These cases also reinforce the importance of cross-cultural experiences and intimate knowledge of challenging issues facing Hispanic communities as a prerequisite both before and throughout teacher preparation programs. These cases also emphasize the importance of conversation as a cultural strategy in bridging the cultural divide with Hispanic students.

This study explored the topic of motivation for intermediate students combining both an objective criterion measure (i.e., standardized test scores) and the self-report of students on self-concept and value of reading. The purpose of this study was to examine how third grade reading achievement correlated with the motivation of fourth grade boys and girls, and, in turn, how motivation related to fourth grade reading achievement. The participants were fourth grade students (n=207) attending two public, elementary schools in Miami-Dade County who were of primarily Hispanic origin or descent. Data were collected using the Reading Survey portion of the Motivation to Read Profile (1996) which measures self-concept and value of reading in order to measure motivation and the Third and Fourth Grade Reading Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests 2.0 (FCAT 2.0) to assess achievement. First, a one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine whether motivation differed significantly between fourth grade boys and girls. Second, a path analysis was used to determine whether motivation mediated or moderated the association between FCAT 2.0 third and fourth grade scores. Results of the ANOVA indicated that motivation, as measured by the Motivation to Read Profile did not differ significantly by sex. Results from the path analysis indicated that the model was significant and that third grade FCAT 2.0 scores accounted for a significant amount of the variance in fourth grade FCAT 2.0 scores once motivation was entered. Results of the study demonstrated that motivation partially mediates, but does not moderate the relationship between FCAT 2.0 third and fourth grade scores. In conclusion, it can be determined that past student achievement for fourth grade students plays a role in current student achievement when motivation is also considered. It is therefore important in order to improve the quality of fourth grade student’s current performance to take into account a student’s motivation and past achievement. An effort must be made to address students’ motivational needs whether through school wide programs or at the classroom level in addition or in conjunction with cognition. Future research on the effect of self-concept in reading achievement is recommended.

No description available.

Early college high school (ECHS) is a dual enrollment program that allows high school students to earn college credits while in high school. ECHS was developed with the intention of attracting students to pursue a 4-year college degree, especially students who might not attend college without intervention. The program targets students from low-income families, students who have low academic achievement, and students from minority groups including Hispanics, African Americans, and Native Americans. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and opinions of Hispanic students about their experiences in an ECHS, and to better understand how their ECHS experiences affected motivation to engage in academics. The expectancy theory and college-going culture provided the theoretical framework for this case study. Semi-structured interviews captured the experiences of the participants. The study focused on 10 Hispanic students, 5 seniors and 5 juniors, enrolled at an ECHS located on a community college campus in Texas. The study found that students with higher motivation to work at high school and college courses had several reasons for choosing to attend ECHS. The reasons included a chance to earn a high school diploma and associate’s degree simultaneously, free college tuition, and an accelerated program to get through college. The students also identified rewarding outcomes for completing college. Those outcomes included satisfying career, personal satisfaction, ability to provide for their family and making their family proud as the first high school graduate and college attendee. One student had a lower motivation to work at high school and college work. He chose to attend ECHS to seek more freedom than a traditional high school. He was not certain about graduating from high school and doubtful about college graduation. This study contributes to the ECHS literature by providing details on students’ experiences at an ECHS. Using the qualitative method of an interview allowed the researcher to discover the richer picture of students' experiences.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect generational status had on the overall college adjustment experiences of Hispanic community college students. A total of 75 Hispanic students enrolled in their 1st year of study at a comprehensive community college located in south Texas agreed to participate in the study after being recruited using a convenience sampling method. Participating students were asked to complete a brief demographic questionnaire and the self-report Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ). Mean difference scores across the 4 subscales of the SACQ were compared using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) design. The results of the MANOVA analysis indicated significant differences existing between first-generation and continuing-generation students on 2 of the 4 SACQ subscales, with social adjustment and institutional attachment being the only areas in which significant differences did not exist after applying the Bonferroni correction. Results are interpreted in terms of their impact on community college leaders’ efforts to retain and support minority students. In addition, considerations for future research are presented and discussed.

In 2005, the nation's minority groups totaled 98 million, or 33% of the country's total population. According to the U.S Census Bureau News (2007), Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the country with 14.8% of the total population and 44% of the minority population. The same report indicated that the Hispanic population accounted for almost half (48%) of the national population growth between 2005 and 2006, yet, students from minority backgrounds, including ethnically diverse students for whom English is their second language, exhibit lower academic achievement when compared to the majority group (Lyon et al., 2001). Low academic achievement among students from minority backgrounds can influence their school placement. Approximately 37% of all students receiving special education services in 2002 were ethnically diverse (National Center of Educational Statistics, 2002). Concerned with the significant gap between the achievement of children from minority backgrounds and students from the majority group, Congress amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2001. NCLB requires public schools to demonstrate acceptable progress for all students, including those who are culturally and linguistically diverse and those with disabilities. NCLB also promotes and supports greater parent involvement (Wright, Wright, & Heath, 2004) and requires schools to report on students' progress by subgroup (i.e., ethnicity, disability, English language learners, and low-income). Because the majority of students from diverse ethnic backgrounds are Hispanic (Capps, Fix, Murray, Ost, Passel, & Herwantoro, 2005), a high percentage of students with disabilities are from minority groups (Hosp & Reschly, 2004), about 77% of English language learners are from Hispanic descent (Klingner, Artiles, & Barletta, 2006), and approximately half of school-age children of immigrants are from low-income homes (Hernandez, 2004), it is important for schools to take a closer look at the specific needs of Hispanic families of children with disabilities in order to promote their participation in the education of their children. The purpose of this study was to research the influence of components incorporated into a series of workshops specifically designed for Hispanic families of children with disabilities and to study the effect that participating in the workshops would have on parents' knowledge about their children's Individualized Education Program (IEP) and on their level of involvement in their children's education. TENFEE: Talleres en Español para las Necesidades de Familias en Educacion Especial (Spanish Workshops for the Needs of Families in Special Education) delivered five workshops where a series of components were provided to counteract the most frequently identified barriers in the involvement of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) parents in the education of their children with special needs: (a) complexity of disability, (b) language barriers, (c) cultural differences, and (d) socioeconomic status (Fix & Passel, 2003; Kalyanpur & Harry, 2004; Quezada, Diaz, & Sanchez, 2003). Thirty-seven parents or primary caregivers of students receiving special education services in three school districts in central Florida participated in the study. Before and after the workshops, participants completed a three-part survey in which they gave demographic information, responded to 50 multiple choice test questions related to the IEP process, and answered 10 open-ended questions related to their involvement in their children's education. Participants also completed an evaluation at each of the workshops indicating which of the workshop's components influenced their decision to participate. Finally, participants' children's teachers completed the Parent/Family Involvement Index (P/FII) before and after participating in the workshops. The P/FII is a measure of parent involvement in their children's special education services as perceived by their children's teachers. Following data collection, quantitative statistical analysis was completed using descriptive statistics to examine if TENFEE's components supported the participation of the targeted population to the workshops. A Paired Sample t-test was calculated to evaluate any differences in participants' IEP knowledge survey test scores before and after the workshops as well as differences in teachers' P/FII scores before and after the workshops. Multiple Regressions were conducted to determine if participants' demographic characteristics influenced IEP knowledge survey test scores and/or P/FII scores.