Luận án: Bịt lỗ hổng hệ thống giáo dục - Câu chuyện văn hóa về sức bật và trách nhiệm tập thể của Latina

The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects 2012 Sealing The Cracks of The Educational Pipeline: Counterstories That Reveal Cultural Resiliency and Collective Responsibility in Latinas’ K-16 Success Angela Shaw womangela2@yahoo.com Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.edu/diss Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Shaw, Angela, "Sealing The Cracks of The Educational Pipeline: Counterstories That Reveal Cultural Resiliency and Collective Responsibility in Latinas’ K-16 Success" (2012).edu/diss/35 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact repository@usfca. The University of San Francisco SEALING THE CRACKS OF THE EDUCATIONAL PIPELINE: COUNTERSTORIES THAT REVEAL CULTURAL RESILIENCY AND COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY IN LATINAS’ K-16 SUCCESS A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the School of Education International and Multicultural Education Department In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by Angela Leslie Shaw San Francisco May 2012 Copyright © Angela Leslie Shaw 2012 ii THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO Dissertation Abstract Sealing The Cracks of The Educational Pipeline: Counterstories That Reveal Cultural Resiliency and Collective Responsibility in Latinas’ K-16 Success The purpose of this qualitative research is to discover and describe the successes and institutional barriers along the educational pipeline for Latinas who are the first in their families to have successfully completed their undergraduate degrees.

No study to date has looked specifically at Latinas through each level of K-16 schooling. There is a lack of research that focuses specifically on Latinas’ experiences through each stage of development in the K-16 educational pipeline, particularly in elementary or secondary school, onto completion of an undergraduate degree. Due to the lack of literature that focuses specifically on Latinas, there is a need for research that includes the unique elements of gender such as gender role socialization and stereotyping under the context of student retention and successful completion of a baccalaureate degree. My methodological approach is qualitative narrative research using counterstories as a strategy of inquiry.

I utilized Critical Race Feminism (CRF) as my theoretical rationale as it serves as a tool to examine the complexities and fluid identities of Latinas’ stories. I had dialogues with nine Latinas who were the first in their families to have successfully completed their undergraduate degrees. The results of this study find that throughout childhood, many participants’ parents taught their children how to overcome race and socioeconomic barriers through their verbal encouragement, parents’ stories of struggles, role modeling of a strong work ethic, parents’ value of education, and parents motivating their children to have a more iii comfortable and financially stable life. Cultural resiliency gave participants the impetus to strive for success in education and also inspired a sense of collective responsibility to transcend obstacles they faced throughout the educational pipeline.

As college educated adults, the participants continue to be influenced by collective responsibility in their choice of careers, helping out their families and communities, and instilling the importance of higher education into their younger family members, friends, and peers in their respective communities. iv This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate’s dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone. Angela Leslie Shaw March 19, 2012 Candidate Date Dissertation Committee Dr.

Emma Fuentes March 19, 2012 Chairperson Date Dr. Shabnam Koirala-Azad March 19, 2012 Second Reader Date Dr. Elena Flores March 19, 2012 Third Reader Date v To Andre’ who faithfully nurtures and relishes my dreams as if they were his own To my Mamacita whose sacrifices, fierce determination and unconditional love inspired me to exceed my own academic aspirations vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am especially grateful for the members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Emma Fuentes, Dr.

Shabnam Koirala-Azad, and Dr. Their expertise, insights, and guidance undoubtedly made my research and work a richer experience. A special thanks to Dr. Emma Fuentes, whose nurturing and positive support always inspired and challenged me, whether it was in the classroom or through the dissertation process.

I am deeply honored that Alejandra, Bianca, Elizabeth, Gabriela, Gloria, Isaura, Kristina, Lori, and Sophia participated in this study. This research would not have been possible without their inspirational and poignant stories. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT.1 THE RESEARCH PROBLEM .1 Statement of the Problem .2 Purpose of the Study .9 Background and Need for the Study .16 Definition of Terms.18 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .20 Gendered Experiences: Theoretical and Historical Perspectives.21 The Miseducation of Latinos Throughout Education .24 Gender, Race, and Class Stereotyping in Education.36 Latinas’ Success and Barriers Through the Educational Pipeline .50 Navigating College: Latinas Activate Social Capital .61 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY .77 Data Collection and Analysis.82 Questions to Guide the Initial Dialogue.83 Profile of Participants .84 Profile of the Researcher .88 Protection of Human Subjects .90 CHAPTER IV FINDINGS .91 Parental Support: Teaching Cultural Resiliency .91 Heightened Aspirations Through Familial Reinforcement .103 Peers as Social Capital and Support.114 Parents Lack of Education .114 Fitting in With Peers .119 Lack of Information/Tracking.124 Traditional Gender Roles in The Home .125 Racist Experiences in School and Cultural Adjustments .129 Economic Obstacles and Educational Stability .138 Familial and Personal Empowerment .140 CHAPTER V DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND CONCLUSION .143 Barriers in The Educational Pipeline .143 Parents’ Lack of Educational Knowledge.144 Lack of Information/Tracking.146 Factors That Contributed to Latinas’ Success in School .146 Parents’ Teaching Cultural Resiliency.146 Giving Back to Families and Communities .150 Peers as Invaluable Resources and Support .151 The Impact of Gender, Race, and Class Through The Educational Pipeline .157 Socioeconomic Status Matters .158 Contradictions of Gender, Race, and Class Issues .160 Recommendations For Future Research .166 APPENDICES Appendix A: Email Approval of Human Subjects Request.178 Appendix B: Consent Letter .179 Appendix C: Informed Consent Form .180 ix 1 CHAPTER I THE RESEARCH PROBLEM As a Latina and the first in my family to earn a baccalaureate degree, I know the challenges of navigating through an unfamiliar academic system. Despite these challenges, I have been inspired to pursue a doctoral degree and teach at the collegiate level.

Throughout my educational experiences from elementary school through obtaining my undergraduate degree, there were many ways that educational institutions tried to push me out. In high school, I was discouraged from taking upper division math and science classes and encouraged to take typing and home economics classes as if to prepare me for impending motherhood or a future secretarial career. When I think of all the times when I could have failed and fallen through the cracks, I am reminded of my main motivation to persevere, my immigrant mother. She consistently struggled to make ends meet and stressed the importance of a good college education as a bridge to success.

Those efforts helped me on my own journey through the educational pipeline. When looking at the numbers of Latino/a youth who drop out somewhere along the educational pipeline, the statistics are astounding. Yosso (2006) defines the educational pipeline as a system of interrelated institutions where students move from one level to the next. The journey is varied and determined by school structures, policies, and culture.

Howard (2007) describes the educational pipeline as a metaphor: The idea of a pipeline in its most basic definition is that it is a mechanism that allows the successful matriculation of any material, object, or individual to pass through a particular area to another. The matriculation through the pipeline is contingent upon each of the areas of the pipe to be unobstructed and working in proper order, which allows for a free- flowing exchange from point to point. 18) 2 The successful culture of the school and its ability to reach underrepresented students depends on the lack of obstructions in the educational pipeline, which is key for student retention and completion. Yosso finds that: Only 26 of every 100 Chicana/o elementary school students continue on to college with 17 of the 26 students starting at community college.

Nationally, 70% of Chicanas/os who enroll in community colleges aspire to transfer to a 4-year college or university. However, one of these students makes it to a 4-year college. Only 7 students out of the original 26 graduate with a baccalaureate degree. 99) Furthermore, Latinas face greater odds due to a myriad of barriers related to gender, race, and class issues as well as sometimes being the first in their family to attend college.

My research focus is on those Latinas who are the first in their families to complete a baccalaureate degree and how they transcended past obstacles to achieve academic success throughout the educational pipeline. Specifically, this qualitative study hopes to uncover the various factors that lead to Latinas’ successful educational experiences, culminating in a collegiate degree. Statement of the Problem Latino/as encounter numerous barriers on the pathway to college. According to Yosso and Solórzano (2006), the leaks in the Latino/a educational pipeline are systemic and start with the inequities found in K-12 schools.

The authors emphasize the fact that many Latino/as attend racially segregated schools with new and often untrained teachers. Dilapidated buildings, a lack of resources for new classroom materials and inadequate bilingual programs exacerbate the obstacles Latino/as face in education. Additionally, Yosso and Solórzano have found that Latino/a students continue to be tracked in remedial and/or vocational classes. This in many ways sends the message to Latino/as that college 3 is not a viable option.

Valenzuela’s (1999) research found that a lack of resources, tracking, and lowered expectations set Latino/as up for educational failure, rather than success. Latinas are severely underrepresented in high school and college. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (2010a), Latinas have the highest high school dropout rate at 16. Additionally, Latinas’ college completion rates are 8.1 % in the 2008-2009 academic year, which falls significantly lower than White females at 71.5 % and Black females at 9.

Ginorio and Huston (2001) assert that a college education is a gateway to expanded career opportunities and increased financial possibilities. The researchers found that Latinas with baccalaureate degrees earned 82% more than those with high school diplomas. It is important to look at the obstacles Latinas’ face in completing undergraduate degrees and how societal racism and sexism contribute to these barriers. Latino/as who defy these odds and make it to college continue to experience institutional neglect.

According to Yosso and Solórzano (2006), many Latino/as begin their college studies at a community college with the hopes of transferring to a four-year college; however, less than 10% actually make it. Those who are able to transfer to a four-year university are often met with racial discrimination from peers and professors and a lack of resources and mentors to guide them through the college going process. These feelings of alienation are intensified when students are the first in their family to attend college and are trying to learn how to navigate the university system. Furthermore, Wycoff (1996) affirms that Latinas specifically may have a harder time 4 navigating the educational pipeline and succeeding in college, due to stereotypes and discrimination based on their gender and race.

Although there are studies that focus on the Latino/as experience along the K-16 educational pipeline such as Yosso’s (2006) investigation, there is a general lack of research that focus specifically on Latinas’ experiences through this same pipeline, particularly in elementary or secondary school. Due to the lack of literature that focuses specifically on Latinas, there is a need for research that includes the unique elements of gender such as gender role socialization and stereotyping within the context of student retention and successful completion of a baccalaureate degree.