<p> The purpose of this study was to collaboratively construct Mexican American adolescent males' counter-stories on resiliency and perseverance in life and school. The target population included five Mexican American adolescent males in their freshman year at the same suburban high school in the U. S. Northwest. The study obtained in-depth experiences and counter-stories by employing qualitative methodologies. Qualitative data analyses involved coding of semi-structured interviews to identify common themes and patterns shared among the Latino adolescent males. The researcher and participants analyzed the counter-stories separately, jointly, and collaboratively to identify emerging themes on resiliency and perseverance. Together, the researcher and participants constructed the counter-stories through a restorying process. </p><p> The underlying themes, revealed by this research, have implications for educators, students, and families. The participants identified their educational family value, <i>educación,</i> and support from significant family members through <i>consejos</i> (narrative advice or homilies) as reasons for why they persevered in life and school. The strong connections with family provided participants with a strong ethnic identity, responsibility to family, and access to significant family members as supports for success in school and life. The participants identified the themes of familistic orientation and strong ethnic identity development as the root of their resiliency. The interconnection of Bronfenbrenner's (1994) ecological systems provided a deeper understanding for why familistic orientation and strong ethnic identified development were critical in the adolescents' resilience. Most importantly, participants advised educators to get to know the students and families by building relationships in order to support the students' academic success in school. Participants shared counter-stories challenging dominant social order and most importantly legitimized their funds of knowledge as assets. </p><p> Educators wanting to support Latino adolescent males' success in schools can use the information in this study to better understand the importance of student voice in academic achievement. By hearing the multiple perspectives in educational environments, educators, students, and families create spaces where equitable outcomes are possible.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3559042 |
| Date | 23 May 2013 |
| Creators | Barreras-Brown, Koreen N. |
| Publisher | Lewis and Clark College |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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