Exploring Factors that Motivate Migrant GED Graduates to Pursue and Persist in Postsecondary Education
Date
2006-07
Authors
Castillo, Susie Mendez
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Abstract
This exploratory case study investigated the factors that motivate migrant students who graduate from the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) in the lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas with a General Educational Development (GED) certificate to move on to postsecondary education.
The results of the study indicate that the most salient motivating factor for enrollment and persistence was self-efficacy. Other motivational factors include the support received from family and teachers. Other findings indicate that the migrant lifestyle both hindered and encouraged matriculation. Additional findings detail a predisposition for choosing a career in the medical field due, in part to the shortage of medical personnel and the growing number of health facilities in South Texas.
Description
Keywords
children of migrant laborers, self-efficacy, postsecondary education, education, Texas case studies
Citation
Castillo, S. M. (2006). Exploring factors that motivate migrant GED graduates to pursue and persist in postsecondary education (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas.