Doctoral Dissertation Research: Mexican-Americans and the College Attendance Gap

加州大学戴维斯分校拉丁裔是美国人口增长最快的部分，也是美国人口增长最快的部分。美国高中毕业率最低，高中成绩的性别差距最大。这些现实严重制约了集团？大学教育的潜力，尽管男性比女性更有潜力。在水流中？大学对于所有？教育成就的文化，是什么影响了墨西哥裔美国学生的不同高中后的途径，很大一部分拉丁美洲人口？ 本论文研究的影响，动机，愿望和墨西哥裔美国学生的期望和他们的潜在贡献的性别差异在他们的中学后途径。 该研究解决了以下问题，重点是了解过程中的性别差异，机制和结果：1）什么是教育的动机，愿望和期望的墨西哥裔美国高中毕业生？2)什么因素（包括激励和资源）导致墨西哥裔美国高中毕业生选择大学的道路？3)什么样的机制可以解释大学愿望的形成？4)墨西哥裔美国人认为完成大学学业的回报是什么？不同的看法是否会导致不同的愿望和期望？ 共同PI将采访50名墨西哥裔美国学生就读于旧金山弗朗西斯科湾区的高中。面试将在三个时间点进行，因为学生通过他们的高年级进展和过渡到他们的中学后教育或劳动力职业生涯。这些定性的研究结果将建立一个更全面的模型，墨西哥裔美国人？研究人员对中学后教育途径进行了评估，并使用2002年教育纵向研究（ELS）评估了该模型的普遍性。更广泛的影响。 该研究对种族/族裔群体之间的差异成就和教育不平等的学术和政策辩论具有影响。关注墨西哥裔美国人的性别差距将有助于制定教育政策，帮助整个群体，特别是墨西哥裔美国人的男性。该项目还将扩大代表性不足群体的参与，包括墨西哥裔美国学生作为研究参与者。论文研究将作为指导这些学生的一种手段，同时训练他们的实证研究方法。 最后，研究结果将在各种学术会议上传播，如美国社会学协会和美国教育研究协会年会。

SES-0828249Dina OkamotoSarah OvinkUniversity of California-DavisLatinos are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, and also have the nation?s lowest high school graduation rate and the largest gender gap in high school attainment. These realities severely restrict the group?s potential for college attainment, though more so for males than females. In the current ?college for all? culture of educational attainment, what influences the divergent post-high school pathways of Mexican-American students, a large proportion of the Latino population? This dissertation research studies the influences, motivations, aspirations and expectations of Mexican-American students and their potential contribution to gender disparities in their postsecondary pathways. The research addresses the following questions, with an emphasis on understanding gender differences in processes, mechanisms, and outcomes: 1) What are the educational motivations, aspirations and expectations of Mexican-American high school seniors? 2) What factors (including incentives and resources) lead Mexican-American high school seniors to choose a college-bound path? 3) What mechanisms can account for the formation of college aspirations? 4) What do Mexican Americans perceive as the returns to college completion? Do differing perceptions lead to differing aspirations and expectations? The co-PI will interview 50 Mexican-American students attending high schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Interviews will take place at three time-points as the students progress through their senior year and transition to their postsecondary educational or labor force careers. These qualitative findings will build a more comprehensive model of Mexican Americans? postsecondary pathways and evaluate the generalizability of the model using the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS). Broader Impacts. The research has implications for academic and policy debates on differential attainment and educational inequalities among race/ethnic groups. The focus on the Mexican-American gender gap will help to develop educational policy that can aid the group as a whole, and Mexican-American males in particular. The project will also broaden the participation of underrepresented groups by including Mexican-American students as research participants.. The dissertation research will serve as a means to mentor these students, while training them in empirical research methods. Finally, research findings will be disseminated at various academic conferences, such as the American Sociological Association and American Educational Research Association annual meetings.