Pathfinders: A life history study of 10 academically successful Latinos from San Antonio.

摘要

With the study rise of the Hispanic population in the United States over the last 25-years there has been a languished progression of this populations' educational attainment. The purpose of this qualitative study was to tap into the "black-box" of ten academically successful Latino students from San Antonio by capturing the life history of their educational experience, and, the recollections of the factors that hindered or facilitated their attainment of a doctoral degree. In seeking an understanding of this phenomenon, this research utilized a phenomenological interviewing technique and a multi capitals theoretical framework underpinned in Bourdieu's cultural reproduction theory. The analysis of the narrative brought to light thirteen individual obstacles and eight institutional obstacles, resulting in a total of twenty-one themes. The thirteen individual obstacles include: Language Obstacles, Inner-ethnic Conflict, Deviance, Familial Obligations, Identity, Isolation, Preparation, Aptitude and Entrance Exams, Self-Doubt, Pressure and Fear, Academic Set-backs, Time Management, and a Hostile Social Environment. The eight institutional obstacles include: Economic Disparity, the Lack of Parental Education, the Lack of Parental School Engagement, Home-based Literacy to School-based Literacy Practices, Racism, Micro-Aggressions, a Hostile Learning Environment, and the Lack of Guidance.;Findings from the study indicate that academically successful Latinos from San Antonio were able to capitalize on various forms of social, cultural, linguistic, and economic capital en route to a doctoral degree. The list of capital includes: Economic Capital: Institutional Support, Community College, Spousal and Family Support, Employment, Loans, Age and Time as a Factor of Economic Capital; Linguistic Capital: Linguistic Capital in Early Childhood, Linguistic Capital in Adulthood; Cultural Capital: Sports and Extracurricular Affiliations, Campus Affiliations, Spiritual Affiliations; Social Capital: Social Capital in High School: Teachers, Social Capital in High School: Classmates and Peers; Social Capital in Undergraduate Studies: Professors, Social Capital in Undergraduate Studies: Classmates and Peers; Social Capital in Graduate Studies: Professors, Social Capital in Graduate Studies: Classmates and Peers; and Social Capital from other Latinos.