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

Dina Okamoto Sarah Ovink加州大学戴维斯分校拉丁裔是美国人口中增长最快的部分，也是美国高中毕业率最低的国家-S高中毕业率最高的性别差距最大的国家。这些现实严重限制了S这一群体获得大学学历的潜力，尽管男性比女性更受限制。在当下？所有人上的大学？教育程度的文化，是什么影响了墨西哥裔美国学生在高中后的不同道路，墨西哥裔美国学生在拉美裔人口中占很大比例？本论文研究了墨西哥裔美国学生的影响、动机、抱负和期望，以及他们在中学后发展道路上对性别差异的潜在贡献。这项研究解决了以下问题，重点是了解过程、机制和结果中的性别差异：1)墨西哥裔美国高中生的教育动机、抱负和期望是什么？2)什么因素(包括激励和资源)导致墨西哥裔美国高中生选择上大学？3)什么机制可以解释大学抱负的形成？4)墨西哥裔美国人认为大学毕业后的回报是什么？不同的看法是否会导致不同的抱负和期望？联合PI将采访50名就读于旧金山湾区高中的墨西哥裔美国学生。面试将在三个时间点进行，随着学生在大四期间取得进步，并过渡到他们的高等教育或劳动力职业生涯。这些定性的发现将建立一个更全面的墨西哥裔美国人模型？并使用2002年的教育纵向研究(ELS)评估模型的普适性。更广泛的影响。这项研究对学术和政策辩论种族/民族群体之间的不同成就和教育不平等具有重要意义。对墨西哥裔美国人性别差距的关注将有助于制定能够帮助整个群体的教育政策，特别是墨西哥裔美国男性。该项目还将通过将墨西哥裔美国学生作为研究参与者来扩大代表不足的群体的参与。论文研究将作为指导这些学生的一种手段，同时对他们进行实证研究方法的培训。最后，研究成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.