The purposes of this study were twofold: (1) to compare rates of delinquency between Mexican American and European American adolescents, and (2) to test the application of a model of delinquency designed to be especially relevant to Mexican lll American adolescents. The study is one of the first attempts to advance knowledge about delinquency among Mexican American adolescents through the development and test of a comprehensive model of delinquency. The model constructed as part of this study-labeled the psychosocial strain model-was unique in that it integrated variables from different theoretical perspectives and its construction was guided by knowledge of cultural and demographic characteristics of Mexican Americans. The study used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a large and nationally representative sample of adolescents. Analyses indicated that Mexican American adolescents engaged in a disproportionate amount of delinquency. Mexican American adolescents also tended to engage in delinquency at a greater and more serious level than European American adolescents. Results of path analysis used to test the psychosocial strain model revealed that the model explained a statistically significant amount of the variance in delinquency for both males and females. However, not all paths in the model were statistically significant. In addition, the results revealed important gender differences in the applicability of the model. Implications of the study findings and future research directions are discussed.

The relationship between physicians' perceptions of Mexican American patients at risk for Type 2 diabetes and the subsequent care they provide was studied. Primary care providers responded to questionnaires about their health promotion practices. A 2x2 analysis of variance was used to identify differences in reported treatment of patients that accounted for both ethnicity and risk. Results indicated Hispanic patients received less time with their providers than Caucasian patients regardless of risk for Type 2 diabetes. Both groups received about the same reported care in terms of information gathered for diagnosis, diagnosis made, and treatment regimen prescribed. Data also suggested that providers' scores for treatment regimen and information gathered were disappointingly low, which may not only account for the lack of statistically significant findings, but may reflect a larger issue within the medical care field.

This research explored the self-concept of Chicanas in terms of their lived experiences and how those experiences influenced the shaping of their identity. It examined the multiple labels Chicanas use to self-identify and the context or situations in which they use specific labels. Moreover, it took into account the influence of gender, ethnicity, language, race, and culture on their concept of self. My study employed interpretive and collaborative research methods and included my own narrative story as part of the analytical process. It draws on a Chicana femenista (feminist) pedagogy that is heavily influenced by an Indigenous perspective as the conduit for the construction and transmission of knowledge. My objectives during the course of the study were to explore the many facets of Chicanas' experiences and challenge prevailing notions about our identity. The chief method for collecting data was interactive, dialogic interviews with five Chicana participants. During the loosely structured interviews, the women were asked to narrate their life stories as they related to the shaping of their concept of self. The women's detailed narratives and personal reminiscences as well as my own provided the data that was analyzed and interpreted to examine Chicana identity. The women were co-participants in "making sense" of the data. They provided guidance, expressed opinions, and helped to construct the meaning of their lived experiences. The results of the interpretation process indicated that culture and the intersecting factors of gender, language, age, ethnicity, and race shaped the participants' concept of self. Hence, their identity was culturally learned and mediated via their perceptions of the world. In turn, their worldview was influenced by the aforementioned factors. The women's narratives also suggested that they used multiple identity labels and that they were contextual. Thus, identity can change or evolve over the course of one's lifespan and through one's lived experiences. As such, Chicana identity is not fixed. As Chicanas we are constructing our own identity rather than allowing it to be imposed by others. Moreover, we are extending the possibility that we continually construct our identity. / Graduation date: 2004

Low completion rates have created serious "leakage points" (Astin, 1988) and "severe hemorrhaging" (Lango, 1996) in higher education to a large number of Hispanics. Traditional research on college persistence, which has blamed the students' culture for low performance, is inaccurate. Little research has specifically investigated academic persistence from a cultural perspective. Spirituality is a dynamic dimension among this cultural group. It is an untapped richness that Hispanic students bring with them to higher education. The study focused on six participants' understandings of spirituality from a cultural perspective. The purpose of the study helped participants voice the influence of their cultural spirituality and critically reflect the university's role regarding this cultural dimension. The research question was: What does spirituality, from a cultural aspect, mean in the context of persistence by Mexican American Chicana (o) students who transfer from a community college to a small liberal arts university? Critical theory, emphasizing phenomenology and critical consciousness, was the epistemological perspective. An indigenous methodology was used. Such a critical perspective and indigenous methodology embraced the participants border knowledge. Three data collection methods were used. A 43-Item Likert Survey, twenty-four diaolgos (individual conversations), and three circulos de cultura (group discussions). Data was interpreted with the following findings. The majority of the participants' survey responses indicated that matters of the spirit are important and significant to them. Through the di��logos the participants expressed interpretations and critiques by indigenous modes of language that spirituality did influenced their persistence. In the circulos the participants developed insights interconnecting spirituality and persistence. Spirituality was expressed through various images: "a push," "passion," "a driving force and desire," "an inner force," "La Virgen," and a "quiet inner strength." Most importantly, their persistence was influenced by a family-centered spirituality grounded in their cultural heritage. This qualitative study highlighted the six voices. Each case consisted of an interpretation of the participant's phenomenological understanding and growth in critical consciousness. The co-investigators' enriched the analysis by their cultural intuition and bicultural understanding. The following themes emerged from participants' visual and written summaries: 1) Family. 2) Quien Soy Yo? (Who Am I?) 3) Quiet Inner Strength 4) Recognizing My Background. 5) Encouraging Me to Persist. 6) Critical Consciousness of the Interrelationships of One's Culture. Study concluded with testimonies from the co-investigators. Researcher proclaimed: it is important to listen to students voice why they persisted from strengths within their culture. / Graduation date: 2002

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-228).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This study was a qualitative study that explored the lives of Mexican American female educators with more than 25 years of experience teaching in South Texas border schools. The purpose of the study was to explore the participants' views and perceptions regarding their educational experiences, both formal and informal, within the contexts of community, political climate, family, religious, and educational institutions. A nonrandom, purposeful sample of five classroom teachers was used. Data were collected through extended interviews with participants. Data were unitized, coded, categorized, and compared to yield emerging themes. The narrative data yielded stories of overcoming barriers such as prejudice, classism, racism, and segregation. The participants identified family members and teachers as persons who most impacted their own lives as teachers. Guided by the participants' constructions of educational experiences, the study revealed stories of a collective struggle for educational equity. Through constant comparison analysis, major constructs emerged, specifically, the participants' resiliency in the face of difficulties and barriers and protective factors in their lives. This study concluded that the participants used resiliency traits to reach their education goals. These traits included social competency, a sense of purpose, positive expectations for the future, autonomy, and strong religious belief. The protective factors were: (a) families' high expectations despite difficult economic situations, (b) opportunity for responsible participation at home and at school, and (c) autonomy/strong religious faith and evidence of a strong caring adult in their lives. The participants' stories of struggle provided a backdrop upon which they voiced their perceptions regarding education and educating Mexican American students.

Thesis (M. Des.)--York University, 2007. Graduate Programme in Higher Education. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 36-38). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004 & res_dat=xri:pqdiss & rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation & rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR32035.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Texas at Arlington, 2008.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.