The Effects of Social and Psychological Variables on the Academic Achievement of Children in a Southwest Community

摘要

This dissertation analyzes the social and psychosocial factors that influence second-generation children’s academic achievement (grade point average), in particular Mexican American children. I adapted the first survey from a longitudinal study conducted by Portes and Rumbaut (2001) with children of immigrants in the U.S. The present study was conducted in a major school district of a Southwest border town. The study participants were in 9th grade, and the data were collected by this researcher during the 2006-07 school year. The findings provide a comparison with, and an extension of, the findings from the Portes and Rumbaut study. Especially, the study assessed whether the segmented assimilation theory proposed by Portes and Rumbaut could also be applied to this Southwest population. The segmented assimilation model describes different possible outcomes of incorporation or adaptation to U.S. society by children of immigrants. The present study also proposes suggestions for policy change.