Making the grade: Latino male students quest for academic achievement, cultural identity, and academic success.

摘要

Latino male students are considered extremely receptive and prone to exhibit the effects of their socio-psychological adjustment. The outcomes of their socio-psychological adjustment are deeply reflected on the way that they adjust, behave, and function in their attempts to integrate to the mainstream ethos as they strive to make the grade. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to identify the critical role of these factors in Latino male students' coping and adjusting, as they shape their social identity. These factors and predictors delineate students learning, academic achievement, and academic success. The methodology and the data involved the use of open-ended semi-structured interviews, observations, and focus groups discussions. Analysis and findings were organized into categories using a correlated typological data analysis as suggested by Hatch (2002), Patton (2002), and Creswell (2008), and Hatch. Topics and themes, as well as the study's conceptual framework were adapted from the research questions, other categories, and the teaching precepts and tenets of well-known researchers, educators, sociologists, and anthropologists, such as, Preissle's and Rong's and Ogbu's. The theoretical framework reflected: (a) the education of voluntary and involuntary minorities, such as immigrants, (b) their openness to accept and embrace the host culture, and (c) the right of voluntary and involuntary minorities to have equal opportunity to high-quality education. The setting was a predominantly multi-cultural inner school district. The population consisted of immigrant Latino male students. The findings indicated that immigrant student perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, educational and social experiences, and cultural identity underwent considerably socio-psychological changes as they attempted to adapt to the mainstream ethos. These changes ultimately shaped and molded their behavior and actions.