CITL Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning Listening to Parents’ Voices: Understanding Latino Parental Involvement and its Implications for Retention

CITLCenter for Intercultural Teaching and Learning

Listening to Parents’ Voices: Understanding Latino Parental Involvement and its Implications

for Retention in Higher Education

Preparate Conference 2009: Educating Latinos for the Future America (Orlando, FL - April 23, 2009)

Robert Reyes, Ph.D.

CITL Research Director

Getnet Bitew, Ph.D.

Visiting Research Fellow


Research Focus: Research Focus: The Nature and The Nature and

Process of Process of Intercultural Intercultural

Teaching and Teaching and LearningLearning

Curriculum Curriculum Innovation Innovation and Faculty and Faculty

DevelopmentDevelopment

Understanding Understanding the Social & the Social &

Demographic Demographic Context of the Context of the Local Latino Local Latino PopulationPopulation

Engaging the Engaging the Community Community

through Action through Action Research in Research in

Local SchoolsLocal Schools

Understanding Understanding the Higher the Higher Education Education

Experience of Experience of CITL StudentsCITL Students

CITL promotes and assesses collaborative internal and CITL promotes and assesses collaborative internal and external initiatives that aim to transform both our own external initiatives that aim to transform both our own

campus and the educational environment in our region. campus and the educational environment in our region.

ResearchResearch

Recruitment and Recruitment and RetentionRetention

Curriculum and Curriculum and Campus Campus

TransformationTransformation


Latino high school dropouts in Elkhart County


Context and significance of the study: Latinos in Elkhart County

•Majority (73%) are in the 18-35 age group•Earn $38,000 which is $10,000 less than the majority population•Migrate to Midwest for the purpose of attaining jobs available in the unskilled labor market, specifically food processing and light industry. •RV manufacturing was particularly popular, but the recession has cut employment by 15%•27% of Latinos have less than a high school education (total population 3.5%)

(Source: 2006 American Community Survey and Indiana Department of Workforce Development)


Context and significance of the study

• National status dropout rate for Latinos was 22.4% in 2005• Graduation rates of Latinos at:

•Goshen HS: 56%•Elkhart Central HS: 51.3%•Elkhart Memorial HS: 59.3%(Source: Indiana Department of Education)


Context and significance of the study: schools in Elkhart County

• Study was done at Elkhart Central, Elkhart Memorial and Goshen High Schools• Goshen High School has a higher percentage of Latino and Limited English students•Ranges of stats:

•Percentage of Latinos at schools: 14-32%•ISTEP passing scores: 55-63%•Free/Reduced Lunch: 48-52%•Limited English: 14-28%(Source: Indiana Department of Education)


Main themes of why Latinos drop out of high school from focus group

To go out and work Undocumented status discourages students Pregnancy Gang membership Didn’t like school Family problems Outlier: Don’t want to “be white”

Results of Latino dropout study


Undocumented status discourages students Pregnancy Work Family priorities Lack of motivation

Results of Latino dropout study

Main themes of why Latinos drop out of high school from key informant interviews


An Investigation of the College Experiences of Latino Students at Goshen

DIMENSIONS: OVERALL PROJECT


Purpose of the Overall Project: Higher Education Experiences of Latino Students

• Investigate the overall experiences of Latino students at GC.

• Assess their curricular, pedagogical & co-curricular experience.

• Explore their social adjustment, academic support & identity development

• Examine how these experiences match with their needs & previous background

• Investigate how the students are managing any cultural differences in the College

• Compare the college experiences of Latino & Non-Latino students on campus


• Mixed approach of quantitative & qualitative methodology.

• Online survey administered using Qualtrics.

• Qualitative interviewing, observation & documents.

• Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions are being administered to students, parents, teachers & administrative staff.

• The quantitative data will be entered in SPSS & analyzed using the appropriate statistical tools.

• The responses were transcribed & analyzed using thematic analyses.

Methodology: Overall Study


INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS

ParticipantsTarge

tInterviewed Transcribed

1st Year CITL Latino Sts. 14 13 13

2nd Year CITL Latino Sts. 7 7 7

Non-CITL Latino Students 10 10 10

Non-Latino Students 5 5 4

Teaching Faculty & Mentors 14 14 13

Administrative Staff 11 11 11

Parents 20 14 14

Total 81 74 72


SURVEY PARTICIPANTS

Participants TargetRespondents as

of 04/20/09

Latino Students 48 36

White Students about Latino Sts. 186 127

White Students about themselves 186 183

Teaching Faculty 90 54

Administrative Staff 70 62

Parents (Questionnaire by Mail) 60 9

Total 640 471


Parents Data: Understanding Latino Parental Involvement and its Implications for Retention

in Higher Education

FOCUS OF TODAY’S PRESENTATION


Learning Objectives of this Presentation

1. To illustrate how a moral/family capital approach operates in the life of families.

2. Through quotes and case study scenarios, participants will be able to explore these dynamics and consider their implications for retention in higher education.


Current Understanding of Parent Involvement & Education

Parent Involvement:

Def: Activities such as helping navigate through

the system, attending campus events,

communicating with student & institution

Obstacles

•Lower acculturation levels: Number of years in the U.S. & exposure to mainstream American culture

•Limited education

•Language Barrier

•Did not attend college

•Not knowing how to navigate the American k-16 system.

•Afraid to take a “risk” to come to campus.

•Work Responsibilities: heavy work schedules

•Responsibilities with younger children.

•Lower S.E.S.

Promoters

•Higher acculturation levels

•Higher S.E.S.

•English fluency

•College education

•Flexible work schedules


Conceptual Framework: Auerbach’s Description of Parent Involvement

Moral/Family Capital Verbal Actions at home between parent & child

• Moral Support- “Apoyo” not involvement

• The parent is the moral encourager/ supporter

• The student takes the lead in educational decisions

• Often takes place at home

• Setting limits on behavior

• Providing verbal encouragement

• Stressing the value of education & hard work: Transmitting the strong immigrant work ethic by applying it to school tasks. (Lopez, 2001)

• “Consejos” or advise: Generic moral messages

Hands-On ApproachDirect forms of help at home or school

• The parent is the role model & expert guide.

• Navigating through the process together: college planning, applying for, FAFSA, etc.

• Attending of school events.

• Volunteering

• Advocating for their children

• Keeping in contact with the school

• Helping with academics

Source: Auerbach, 2001, 2004a


Auerbach’s Theoretical Lens in Examining Moral Support

• Parent Involvement are structured by social class and race/ethnicity

• As well as mediated by cultural beliefs systems and parent-child relationships

• Components of this Process:– Social Location– Cultural Beliefs and Practices– Relational Factors– Ecocultural Niche or Habitat


SOCIAL LOCATION (i.e.,

demographic, economic, political

factors)

RELATIONAL

DYNAMICS

CULTURAL BELIEFS & PRACTICES

PARENT

INVOLVEMENT

Components of Moral Components of Moral Support in Auerbach’s Support in Auerbach’s

FrameworkFramework


The industrial employment patterns of immigrants are different than in other parts of the country. All three categories of immigrants work disproportionately in the manufacturing sector and the medical sector.

Immigrant employment in Indiana by sector

Naturalized citizens

Authorized immigrants

Unauthorized immigrants

Social Location: Employment & Immigration in Indiana

Source: Justin Heet – Sagamore Research Policy Institute


Naturalized

citizensAuthorized

immigrants

Unauthorized

immigrants

Education and legal status means that unauthorized immigrants work in the blue-collar and entry-level occupations.

Social Location: Employment & Immigration in Indiana

Source: Justin Heet – Sagamore Research Policy Institute


Source: Indiana Workforce Development Office


After years of sustained growth, Indiana’s immigrant populations has at least stagnated and possibly declined in size.

Naturalizedcitizens 49,312

199094,7272006

94,1202007

Authorizedimmigrants 32,524

1990

79,7742006

71,5482007

Unauthorizedimmigrants

11,0001990

92,1352006

91,4252007

Immigration in IndianaSource: Sagamore Research Policy Institute


Cultural Beliefs & PracticesThe Role of Cognitive Schemas

• Cultural Cognitive Schemas are native interpretive systems that can function as goals or “master motives” for how people think or act (D’Andrade, 1992)

• Cultural Schema of “Educación” (education)– For Latinos “educación” encompasses both moral training, based in the

home, as well as, academic training, based in school, with the former a condition for the latter (Auerbach, 2006 p. 278).

• A child who is “bien educado/a” (well educated, well-mannered) is a good person with correct behavior and a respectful manner (“respeto”) who follows the “buen camino” (right/good path) in life.

• With this schema, it is not surprising that many immigrant Latino parents see their role primarily as educational motivators and encouragers (Azmitia et al., 1996; Delgado-Gaitan, 1994; Valdes, 1996; Auerbach, 2006, p 278)


Cultural Beliefs & PracticesThe Role of Cognitive Schemas

• The Use of “Consejos” (Narrative forms of indirect teachings & nurturing advice)

• Types of “Consejos”– Hard Work Ethic

• This type of advice that applies the strong immigrant work efforts to school tasks.

– Cautionary Tales • The type of advice meant to steer children away from parent’s own

example and motivate them to succeed in school (Gandara, 1995; Goldenberg & Gallimore, 1995; Stanton-Salazar, 2001; Treviño, 2004, Auerbach, 2006).

– Clearing out the Path (combination of advice and actions) • Some parents clear the way of potential distractions, such as family

chores or the need to work while in school.


Parent’s Views of Higher Education Study

• Results and Analysis of the Data


Parents’ Group Characteristics

• 14 Parents of Latino students (13 CITL, 1 Non-CITL Latino Student Parent)1st year student parent(9); 2nd year student parent(4); 3rd year(1)

• Gender:– 9 Females, 5 Males

• Ancestry: Mexico(10); Puerto Rico (2); White (2)

• Level of Education: – Never attended formal school (1);– Primary school (2); – Secondary school (3);– Secondary school + training (5);– College degree (2)

• Economic Status: – Low(8); – Lower Mid(1);– Middle(3)– Upper (1)


Findings: Why Goshen College?

• Proximity (8)• Recommended by family members, GC teachers/

staff or friends (8)• Faith-based institution (5)• Small campus (3)• Has department & facilities I am interested in (3)• Better scholarship package (1), including CITL (3)• Visited and liked it (2)• Safer (1)• Small class size (1)


Parents’ Perception of their Children’s

Curricular Experience

Academic Help at College

High School Preparation- Academic Help at home

Relevance to Future Career

Findings: Curricular ExperiencesExplained as a function of the following factors

Level of Complexity


Findings: Co-Curricular Experiences(How is their children’s participation in clubs, events, sports)

- Mostly in LSU (3) - Soccer (4)

- Salsa club (2) - Swimming (1)

- Worship service group (2)

Challenges to Participation:Lack interest (2)Needs to study hard /time/ (2)Has little money to participate in some events which

incur feesShy to participate (1)


Findings: Challenges of Parents & Students

• Financial problem (6); some lost their jobs– Difficult to help their children live on campus – Some of them are obliged to tell their children to work

• Their children did not get the “appropriate learning experiences, qualifications” in high school.

• Neither parents nor their children were informed about higher education appropriately.

• Required their children to put more effort than usual.• Language problem limited their interest to discuss

with their children’s teachers (4)


Student View of Parental Involvement

Lack of Parent’s Academic Support-

Really other than being parents…they don’t really do much. I mean they have four other kids that they have to worry about. It was

pretty much like that all of my life…they can’t really help me with my school work or other things like that unless it involves transportation, also because of the language barrier and the lack of education that they received.


Parent’s View regarding Educational Involvement

• Question: How do you contribute to your child’s education?– Parents reported serving as encouragers or providing

advice (6)– The talked to their children (5)– They push them or put pressure on their children to do

their work (4)– Contributing financially even if it was only minimally (3)– Provided support academically with their homework (3)


Presence of Moral Support Statements

• Question: What kind of “Consejos” or nurturing advice did parents provided?– Descriptions of Hard Work Ethic were often intertwined

with statements of encouragement.• “it’d be more as a coach, in helping her think through some of

her decisions, she has to find her direction & what her passion is…”

– Cautionary Tales was the most dominant type of consejos that was utilized by parents. (7)

– Clearing out the Path type of statements. There was no direct reference to the use of this type of “consejos” except when referring to parents working hard to provide for their children's education.


Types of “Consejos” Used by Parents

How do you contribute to your child’s education?

• Use of Cautionary Tales– Cautionary tales against being like me or ending up

like me.• “We just make more pressure on her to be in the school

every time & to have good grades. We are trying to help her more….. I am working in the RV company. I tell her my worst experiences & she needs to have a good career”.

• “Encouragement. I talk to her. I advise her. I explain to her the life I’ve lived. How I had to struggle to support her”.

• “Give him support & advice about our experiences as immigrants, we have a busy lifestyle, with more pressure. I tell him so he can analyze what we had lived & if he wants to be someone in life, he has to go to school.”



How do you contribute to your child’s education?

• Use of Cautionary Tales– Cautionary tales about the future that is coming.

• I say her “go forward, you’ll have a better life if you keep studying, if you get prepared, is for you & for your children”

• “I’m always saying to him, you can do it, you are intelligent & b/s he had to take me as a role-model since he was very little, I’m divorced & take care of them. I say him that he has to be the best & you have to do it faster, work harder, b/s a family will depend on you, you are going to be the base of a family”.



• Use of Cautionary Tales– Reminder of utilizing education as an

opportunity to become “someone”.• “I’m pushing him, come on, do your HW, try to be a

better person & that’s the only way I can get involved.”

• “Give him support & advice about our experiences as immigrants, we have a busy lifestyle, with more pressure. I tell him so he can analyze what we had lived & if he wants to be someone in life, he has to go to school.”


SOCIAL LOCATION (i.e.,

demographic, economic, political

factors)

RELATIONAL

DYNAMICS

CULTURAL BELIEFS & PRACTICES

PARENT

INVOLVEMENT

Components of Moral Components of Moral Support in Auerbach’s Support in Auerbach’s

FrameworkFramework


Interaction between Social Location and Cultural Beliefs and Practices: Influence of

Economic Challenges

Ecocultural Niche or Habitat

– Definition: “The idea that structural forces and environmental conditions combined with cultural beliefs in particular social contexts (or ecocultural niches) guide people’s choices and activities” (as cited by Auerbach, 2006 p. 286)

– “I’m in the mid of conflict between letting her go and keeping home, it’s hard to choose; keep her home safe or sending her [to] college and I don’t know what and how she is doing. Is she taking her medicine or is she eating right.”



Economic Challenges

• Shifting in Mindset among Parents: Interaction Between Support for Education and Ability to Address Economic Challenges.

• Views regarding the interaction regarding the value education and economic constraints.– Support for Education over Work, “no matter what”– Support for Education over Work, “if we can pay”

(state of flux)– Support for Work over Education



Economic Challenges

• What is your views on students working part-time while going to college?

• Support for Education “no matter what”– Not working, I cover everything for her. She tried to have a part-time like

other students when she’s in the high school. But, we talked with her. The better way to have good grades is to have time to study. If you start working, you waste your study time. Just study. Also, if you work & get money, you probably have more chance to continue to work & say that I don’t need to go to college b/s I have money already.

– he is very worried b/s he wants a job, but I say to him, you have to study, I will pay for this, I don’t know how, but I’m going to pay that money, get the books, I will pay for them, b/s I am the only support for them since he was 8 years



Economic Challenges


• Support for Education “if we can pay”

– She’s not working. But, I asked her to get a job today. Trying to make her work right here at the school. I said her “I don’t have money, you have to work.” Before I, was always trying to feel like a good life that she focus in the school & study the best that she can b/s I know that she needs more hours than another kid. First I said her “study hard, I’ll take care of your bills.” But, now I told her, “You know, honey, you have to work. I don’t know how you’re going to do it, but you have to work. By this, you can help yourself”

– he doesn’t work; he’s focused in his school. Sometimes when he’s not satisfied with the things we give him, he tells me that he wants to work, I tell him it’s your choice. It is my responsibility to support him so he can move forward related to his studies. But, we can help him a little, & until now he didn’t need to work but I don’t know, you see the economic crisis, may be later, we won’t have enough money, maybe he has to leave the school b/s we can’t afford his books, pay his tickets, to give him for his lunch, I don’t know.



Economic Challenges


• Support for Work– She works b/s I am not working & she needs the

money. She also wants to be independent.

– She is working. We’re trying to help her out a little bit right now. Because I lost my job here last September, it’s kinda hindered us. That’s what’s hitting us right now. But, with any money coming, I try to help, some, but not a whole lot right now.


Advantages & Limitations of Moral Capital Model Alone

Advantages

• It is foundational to student’s success

• It is natural to Latino Parents way of rearing their children.

• Provides students with perseverance to achieve goals.

Disadvantages

• The parents’ Moral support is necessary but not sufficient to help first-generation Students.

• There is no guarantee that students can navigate the college pathway alone.

• It works well for students who are self-motivated & on-track for college.

• Parents feel “clueless” and unable to provide information.


Conclusions:Recommendations for Action

What types of school support are most helpful for Latino Parents?

• Honor the ways Latino parents are involved• Find culturally appropriate ways to provide parents support, rather

than trying to “fix” them. (Auerbach, 2006)• Make them feel appreciated and comfortable• Provide connections to other parents and educators• Provide a climate of dialogue & mutual support• Engage parent in learning about college pathways• Most valuable source of information is personal narratives of college

planning and college life by college students, educators, professionals, and fellow parents who look like them. (Auerbach, 2004b)


Discussion Questions

What type of issues do you see at your academic institutions or agencies as you work with parents? What is your experience?

• How do you think we may be able to use “moral support capital” in advancing retention efforts at our academic institutions?

• For more information contact me at [email protected]

Thank You

Documents

CITL Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning Listening to Parents’ Voices: Understanding Latino Parental Involvement and its Implications for Retention