A mixed methods study of the two leading bilingual news publications in San Antonio, Texas, in 2009 reveals that the editors and journalists who are responsible for the content and direction of the publications have adapted the role of their publications to fit the evolving composition of the U.S. Hispanic population in San Antonio. This study incorporated content analysis based on 24 issues of two bilingual news publications and seven in-depth interviews with editors and journalists at the two publications. The results were examined within the frame of recent models of ethnic media functions and their use of assimilation and pluralism characteristics. The quantitative and qualitative findings show that the two publications utilize a convergence of both assimilation and pluralism elements within the content of their pages. The importance of research that combines the above elements centers on the central fact that the expanding Hispanic populace in America is characterized by its steady stream of newcomers combined with an existing population which often has many familial layers. This has created a need for a type of "foreign-language" press unlike any that preceded it. This press must meet the needs of both unassimilated newcomers and highly assimilated residents alike. The resulting picture that emerges is of a press that combines both assimilation and pluralistic functions, looking ahead while not forgetting the past.

<p> The search for effective teaching methods of Chican@/Latin@ students reached a new level of complexity when it was found that Chican@/Latin@ students who participated in the Mexican American/Raza Studies program (MARSD) in Tucson, Arizona were outperforming their White counterparts in academic achievement measures (Cabrera, Milem, Jaquette, &amp; Marx, 2014). Rather than praise the MAS program and direct educational researchers to learn and replicate the effective teaching strategies of the program, powerful educational stakeholders sent lawyers and passed legislation HB 2281 which created the legal rationale to terminate the program (Cabrera et al., 2014). This raises the question: How serious are we as a society, including the field of Education, about closing achievement gaps and learning about effective teaching strategies of Chican@/Latin@ students? History may have the answer. </p><p> We know that the field of Education has historically failed Chican@/Latin@ students and other working class students of color in general (Duncan-Andrade, 2005b; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Noguera, Hurtado, &amp; Fergus, 2013). Research in education of Chican@/Latin@/Chicano studies has extensive data illustrating school failure in the form of &ldquo;drop out&rdquo; or &ldquo;push out&rdquo; rates, low graduation rates, and low performance on academic achievement measures, for Chicano/a students (Luna &amp; Revilla, 2013; Yosso, 2006). When you add that in places like California, Chican@/Latin@ students represent more than 53% of students enrolled in public schools, understanding how to effectively teach the largest demographic population becomes an ethical concern (California Department of Education, 2013-2014). </p><p> This study examines effective teaching of Chican@/Latin@ students in Hope Valley (pseudonym). I use survey instruments to ask Chican@/Latin@ college students from Hope Valley Community College to identify the most effective teachers in their K-12 experience. This form of community nomination is unique in the educational research in that it honors the pedagogical knowledge of young adults, rather than the conventional sources of knowledge (e.g., teachers, parents, scholars, and other educational researchers). The results of the survey lead me inside the classroom of these community nominated teachers, where I use ethnographic methods to learn about their efficacy as identified by their former students. This study asserts that a strengths-based community responsive approach to understanding effective teaching of Chican@/Latin@ students increases local capacity for community members and educational stakeholders to build on the unique pedagogical strengths of their own community.</p><p>

The Texas Hispanic population is projected to grow to 18.8 million, almost tripling its number within the state, in only 30 years. This rapid growth is a concern for Texas higher education because this group has traditionally been under-represented in colleges and universities. Also, according to national, state, and local data, Hispanic students are retained at a lower rate than are other ethnic groups. Because of lower retention rates for Hispanic students and because the majority of Hispanic college students are female, an increasing number of Hispanic women are heads of households. Studying the attrition rates of Hispanic females could provide a better understanding of how the state can improve both the participation and retention rates of this population. This study utilized descriptive statistics and regression analysis to identify the correlations between and among the dependent variable of attrition and independent variables derived from (1) pre-college survey responses measuring college expectations and (2) early-first semester survey responses measuring actual college experience. Institutional data were used to confirm enrollment status at the beginning of the second semester. The sample of the study was all female, full-time, first-time-in college student survey respondents attending a public 4-year institution in Texas. This number included Hispanic females (n = 176), Caucasian females (n = 278), and African American females (n = 209). Although not a focus of the study, Caucasian and African American females were included to enhance the understanding of Hispanic females’ responses. The dependent variable of attrition in college attendance for Hispanic females correlated negatively with each two independent variables: (1) joining one or more campus organizations (r = -.252, p = 0.045) and (2) campus social life providing many opportunities for participation (r = -.272, p = 0.030). The dependent variable correlated positively with one independent variable, satisfaction with academic progress at the end of the freshman year (r = .301, p = 0.016). To have a positive impact on the attrition rates of Hispanic females, educators at Texas institutions of higher education must better understand Hispanic females’ college expectations.

No description available.

The existing research on Latino familialism draws a distinction between the attitudes associated with familialism and familialism-based action. Because attitudes tend to be more stable when considering variables such as immigration generation status, etc., social science researchers tend to employ measures based on attitudinal aspects of familialism, rather than action or behavior. Because of this preference, there is a lack of studies that examine familialism-based action and behaviors. This dissertation consists of three unique studies that examine actions and behaviors associated with familialism, while taking into account the methodological concerns expressed by previous researchers. The first study uses nationally representative U.S. data to compare the differences in the frequency of contact with various family members, among black non-Hispanics, Hispanics, and white non-Hispanics. The central finding of this study is that Hispanics maintain more frequent contact with family than white non-Hispanics, but there is no difference between Hispanics and black non-Hispanics, with the exception of contact with fathers. The second study, which employs qualitative data collected from a metropolitan area in the Southwest U.S., examines the locus of educational aspirations and expectations among a sample of Hispanics and white non-Hispanics. Among other things, this study finds that Hispanic females were more likely than other participants to make statements that suggest the aspirations or expectations of significant others were a strong influence in the decision to attend college. This study further argues that this tendency is related to the acquiescent nature of traditional Hispanic gender norms associated with the familial concept of marianismo. Using nationally representative U.S. data, the final study finds that, other things being equal, Hispanic college students are more likely than non-Hispanic students to attend a college or university that is within fifty miles of their permanent residence. The study further finds that this tendency mediates the gap between Hispanic students and white non-Hispanic students, in terms of the selectivity level of institutions attended.

Traditionally, the field of education has often adopted a negative perspective in their views of minority families’ contributions to the educational progress of their children. However, research embodying the theoretical framework of ‘funds of knowledge’ attempts to counter that model through its assertion that all families possess extensive bodies of knowledge that have developed through social, historical, and cultural contexts. Teachers carry out studies of familial funds of knowledge in order to understand how family experiences shape the knowledge that a child brings to the classroom. There is then, the potential to use that body of knowledge to create meaningful learning experiences that connect prior understanding and experiences to classroom practice. This research served as a case study of the funds of knowledge existing in the home of a Hispanic family and the connections that existed between that knowledge and literacy. The results indicated that the family possessed extensive funds of knowledge that developed through their historical, cultural, and social experiences. They often used family networks, as well as formal and informal literacy experiences to share this knowledge with their children. A key component of the literacy value system that they communicated resulted from a desire to maintain aspects of their culture and heritage through maintaining and improving their children’s reading and linguistic abilities in Spanish. Furthermore, along with their emphasis on Spanish literacy, they held aspirations for their children related to familial and educational values that often stemmed from their expressed desire for their children to lead lives with greater opportunities and positive examples than they had experienced.

Census information indicates that Latinos are the largest minority school-age population, yet they represent a very small percentage of the students earning post-secondary degrees. Some contend that institutional discrimination, intertwined with racial ideologies are preventing Hispanics from achieving higher levels of education. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Latinos are less likely to complete at least a bachelor's degree than their non-Latino peers, and to determine if there are variations in educational attainment among the different Latino subgroups. This study aims to discover if these propositions are true by analyzing the High School and Beyond data set available through the Inter-University Consortium of Political and Social Research. Findings show that the aggregate, Hispanics, are indeed less likely to complete at least a bachelor's degree in comparison to their White and Asian peers. However, the differences between Hispanics and Blacks or Native American is not significant. Additionally, in terms of the subgroup analysis, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans are less likely to go to college then their Cuban peers. Finally, Cubans do not differ significantly from their Asian or White peers. These preliminary findings begin to illustrate the dangers in using a pan-ethnic label. / Master of Science

This study provides a historical understanding of the adoption, adaptation and education of account planning in Hispanic advertising agencies. At the time of this writing, minimal academic research had focused on the discipline, and even less on the discipline in Hispanic advertising agencies. According to the United States 2010 census, the Hispanic population surpassed 50 million, making in the largest minority group in the country, accounting for over 15% of the population. Hispanic advertising agencies as a group are charged with reaching this market, and within these agencies, researching, strategizing and briefing are their account planners (also called brand planners, strategic planners, creative planners and research planners). Grounded theory was employed to interview twenty-nine account planners in five states who work, or at some point worked, in a Hispanic advertising agency. The results present a thorough explanation of the adoption and adaptation of account planning in Hispanic advertising agencies, as well as an overview of what account planners who want to work in this market should study. The findings suggest that account planning in Hispanic advertising agencies has experienced innovation diffusion and big brother syndrome, involvement, improvement, and fictive digital kinship. Study limitations, future research, managerial and educational implications are presented as well. / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed May 29, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-65).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 292-300).