The Power of Latino Families: An Examination of the Role of Latino Parents in Their Daughters' Journey to College

Date

2021-12

Authors

Martinez, Cynthia M.

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Abstract

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to explore the role of Latino parents and their contributions to their daughter’s pursuit of higher education from the perspective of both the parent and the daughter. Yosso’s (2005, 2006) Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework served as a data analysis tool to explore the primary question guiding this study, which was: How do Latino parents' various forms of community cultural wealth contribute to their daughter's pursuit and attainment of higher education? The secondary research questions included: How do Latino parents perceive their role, involvement, or contributions to their daughter’s pursuit of postsecondary education? How do Latina daughters perceive their parents’ involvement or contributions to their academic pursuit of postsecondary education? How do Latina daughters perceive their role, responsibility, and involvement in their pursuit of postsecondary education? What forms of cultural wealth do Latino parents exhibit that contributes to their daughter’s academic pursuits and higher education? Six participants who self-identified as Latina, first-generation, undergraduate students were recruited from a university in the Southwest. Each participant was asked to select one English-speaking parent to participate in a separate interview for this case study. In total, there were six familial pairs who each participated in one, hour-long phone interviews. As Yosso (2005, 2006) explains, the various capitals of the Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework are not independent of each other and are often intertwined and build on each other. Therefore, the findings from this case study reflected this interconnected nature. The themes include: The Power of Belief, the Power of Overcoming Struggle, the Power of Support, and the Power of Interdependence. These themes were classified as powers because they highlight the asset-based paradigm of how Latino parents positively contribute to their children’s education. The four themes connect with Community Cultural Wealth to create empowered Latinas who are determined, resilient, and are persevering no matter the obstacles.

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Keywords

Community cultural wealth, Latino parents, Latina students, Postsecondary attainment, Parental involvement

Citation

Martinez, C. M. (2021). <i>The power of Latino families: An examination of the role of Latino parents in their daughters' journey to college</i> (Unpublished dissertation). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.

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