<p> This study examined the experiences of first-generation, economically disadvantaged, and disabled students’ utilization of TRIO Student Support Services and their perceptions related to factors associated with the services. The populace studied were Mexican-Americans, a subgroup of the Latin@ population as it is the fastest growing racial/ethnic minority group in the United States totaling approximately 12.5% of the nation and expected to almost double to 24% by 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Due to the abundance of Latin@s enrolling at community colleges (Fry, 2002; Tierney, 2005), it is important to do individualized studies on student experiences on their perspective of college interventions as a means to find ways to retain higher numbers of students, leading to higher graduation and transfer rates. </p><p> Using a qualitative, multiple case study approach, the researcher explored a border, rural community college. Social capital was used as the theoretical framework. Six, Mexican-American students served as the participants. The data collection methods were through semi-structured interviews over the course of the summer semester of 2013 at a Hispanic-Serving institution. The expected results were that students’ perceptions would validate the necessity for programs such as TRIO Student Support Services to serve as a tool for retention and completion at the two-year college or transferring to a university and completing.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3702543 |
| Date | 04 June 2015 |
| Creators | Garcia, Amada Angela |
| Publisher | The University of Texas at San Antonio |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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