Date of Award

Spring 5-1-2004

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Gregory Ulm

Second Advisor

Bradley Balch

Third Advisor

James B. Lane

Abstract

Research on the Hispanic students' educational experience has mainly focused on their lack of academic success and those factors that contributed to their shortcomings. With the United States' Hispanic population surpassing that of African Americans, it compounds the problem of the already extremely high Hispanic high school dropout rate. A paradigm shift began in 1988 with a study by Buriel and Cardoza, which examined the relationships of Mexican-American high school seniors' academic success in relation to the students' academic ambitions, the mothers' aspirations, Spanish language background, and socioeconomic factors. This study shifted the focus away from exploring why students failed, to why did at-risk students succeed. This change in direction was further defined in Scribner's 1989 study, which explored educational achievement in Hispanic high school students, whose socio-cultural backgrounds were associated with poor academic performance. The question then is why and how do atrisk Hispanic students succeed against what appear to be insurmountable socioeconomic and socio-cultural barriers.

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