Abstract
Latinos(as)/Chicanos(as) are one of the minorities least represented in graduate school (Ramirez, 2016). Although there are few studies that primarily focus on the limitations Latinos(as)/Chicanos(as) students encounter in undergraduate and graduate studies, the overall goal of this study was to focus on the strategies Latinos(as)/Chicanos(as) use to counteract these limitations. These areas of limitations fall into seven categories: educational programs, family support, stress, financial support, mentors, school involvement, and exclusion. A 70-question online survey was administered to those who met the following eligibility requirements: completed a PhD, reside in California, and identify as Latino(a) and/or Chicano(a). This survey analyzes the impact educational programs have on first-generation students in undergraduate and graduate school. The questions on family support compare first-generation and non-first-generation college students who completed a PhD program. The questions on stress analyze how the PhD holders overcame stressful situations. For financial support, the survey asks one to comment on the financial resources they utilized. The questions in the section about mentors analyze a mentor’s moral, academic, personal, and financial support. For school involvement, the questions analyze the campus resources utilized by respondents and the benefits of utilizing those resources. The questions on exclusion addressed three concepts: discrimination, feelings of not belonging, and gender disparity. In family support questions, results suggest that both first-generation and non-first-generation Latino(a)/Chicano(a) PhD holders received parental support during their undergraduate and graduate studies; however, first-generation PhD holders mentioned that parents would listen but not understand academic context, while non-first-generation PhD holders had academic conversations with parents.
Recommended Citation
Chavez, Karina
(2018)
"Advancements in Higher Education for Latino(a)/Chicano(a) Doctorates,"
McNair Research Journal SJSU: Vol. 14
, Article 5.
https://doi.org/10.31979/mrj.2018.1405
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/mcnair/vol14/iss1/5