This exploratory study examines the persistence patterns of Latino students attending a two-year college in North Central Massachusetts. Thirty-three persisting students participated in this study. They answered a questionnaire developed in English and translated into Spanish. Questionnaires were administered by the researcher who is bilingual and bicultural. Individual interviews were conducted with nine departing students. These interviews were analyzed using Ishikawa's (1982) fish bone charting techniques. The methodology, utilized by Japan's industries for problem-solving identification, was used in this study to generate cause-and-effect relationships and prioritize solutions. Results of this study conclude that Latino student persistence at Mount Wachusett Community College is affected by external and environmental factors, namely, health, and financial and family responsibilities. These factors affect goal-oriented and non-goal oriented students at the same rate. Role models of the same ethnic and cultural backgrounds impact students in ways that result in decreased isolation at the institution. Most salient recommendations for future institutional policy include: comprehensive support services delivered by ethnically compatible staff; increased on-campus job opportunities to increase students' institutional integration; block programming of academic courses during the freshman year; academic achievement recognition; and individual tracking using cause-and-effect charting.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:dissertations-8368 |
| Date | 01 January 1992 |
| Creators | Mas, Vanessa Rivera |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest |
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