Voices from the pipeline: high school completion among rural Latinos

Journal of Cultural Diversity, Summer, 2003 by Mary D. Lagerwey, Elizabeth Phillips, Kathi Fuller

RESULTS

Female participants in the group interviews outnumbered males by about 3 to 2. Participants ranged in age from 12 to 24. Two thirds were currently enrolled in school. While all spoke both Spanish and English, all indicated that Spanish was spoken at home, and one group indicated greater proficiency in Spanish.

Thematic and Narrative Data Analysis

The researchers took extensive notes on the group discussions. Bilingual research assistants translated occasional comments in Spanish. Researchers and the bilingual research assistants reviewed notes from the interviews. Only those statements which all agreed were written as the youth stated them were included in data analysis. Participants were then invited to power point presentations of findings (in Spanish and English), held at the same locations at which the interviews were held, and verbally concurred that the quotes were accurate.

Three categories emerged from the data: school, family, and peers. Within each category, factors emerged reflecting perceived supports and challenges to high school completion.

Supports for High School Completion Narratives Schools

Subjects identified several ways in which schools supported high school completion. Interviewees told about teachers and counselors who encouraged them to remain in or return to school:

   "Teachers encouraged me and told my parents I was
   a good student."

   "Everyone was good to me. I credit counselors and
   teachers, especially the bilingual teacher. Without
   her I wouldn't be where I am."

Subjects also described involvement in organized groups and activities. They specifically mentioned sports, a multicultural club, and a trip to a migrant meeting in Kentucky. One school gives clear and regular information about preparing for college:

   "There are public announcements about things like
   ACT tests."

   "You get motivated when teachers encourage you
   to go to college."

Family. Subjects most frequently identified family members as crucial sources of support. They spoke of being more closely integrated with their families than their schools, but also found that family provided a base from which they could bridge home and school:

   "I want to stay in school for my father."

   "I want to help my parents with a future, to make
   them proud."

Some spoke of parents encouraging their children to turn dominant expectations, for non-completion into challenges and motivators:

   "Our parents talk about it. They value education.
   We can't prove anything to the whites by not graduating,
   only by finishing."

   "My dad said you can't prove anything to the gringos
   by fighting but you can by graduating."

Other parents may have used actions to reinforce their messages:

   "My dad took us to pick blueberries so we could
   learn what work is really about and said if you don't
   like it you need to stay in school ... If, you want to
   better yourself you need to graduate."

Family members also demonstrated ways of working successfully with the schools and overcoming challenges: