Prior studies investigating the association between acculturation and adolescent adjustment have often focused on specific acculturation domains rather than examining these domains collectively in a profile typology. Here, we investigate stability and change patterns in Mexican American adolescent acculturation profiles over time, using a two-wave…

This article examines a rural public school with an increasingly racially diverse and working-class student body as a site where inclusion and exclusion were negotiated based on popular beliefs about culture. I look at how the interpretation of particular behaviors as indicative of a cultural regard for the value of formal education created…

Hispanic children constitute the largest population of racial/ethnic minority students in the nation's public schools. By the year 2023, the Hispanic enrollment is expected to increase to 30% of the total school population (pre-K through 12) in the United States. Because cultural background affects student learning, family and consumer sciences…

Hispanics are a rapidly growing population that has sought resettlement in nontraditional locations across the United States. Movement in and out of cultural homogeneous communities has implications for an individual's perceived expectations for cultural change. Hispanics (N = 10) in two Southern states were asked questions using semi-structured…

This research evaluates the properties of a measure of culturally linked values of Mexican Americans in early adolescence and adulthood. The article discusses the items derived from qualitative data provided by focus groups in which Mexican Americans' (adolescents, mothers, and fathers) perceptions of key values were discussed. The focus groups…

The story of Latinas/os in higher education in the United States is often one of exclusion and erasure. In this essay, Arelis Hernandez argues that, from grade school to college, there is rarely an occasion for Latinas/os to learn their history and to produce scholarship based on their communities. Instead, they are pressured to subscribe to a…

The Latino population is the fastest growing group in the United States; thus, it is imperative that social workers and other mental health practitioners be knowledgeable about the current literature on how to effectively serve this population. This article elucidates key issues and knowledge, such as immigration and migration concerns; discusses…

This article describes the development of the Latino/a Values Scale (35 items, 14 reverse-worded). Evidence of reliability and validity are presented on the basis of three studies. An examination of the factor structure of the items suggests the presence of the following dimensions: cultural pride, simpatia, familismo, and espiritismo. (Contains 4…

This interview with Ilan Stavans addresses central experiences tied to the educational and immigrant experiences of Latinos in the United States. Culture, immigration, assimilation, and language are the prisms through which this experience is understood. Ilan Stavans responds to questions concerning cultural heterogeneity and cultural homogeneity.…

Investigates influences of acculturation, socioeconomic status (SES), and cultural health beliefs on Mexican-descent women's preventive health behaviors. In 5 focus group interviews sampling across levels of acculturation and SES, women expressing more traditional Mexican health beliefs about breast cancer screening were of lower SES and were less…

There is a growing ideological divide in the field of family literacy between programs that are striving to colonize families with middle-class European-American literacy practices, and those based on Freire's philosophy which works toward affirming diverse family literacy practices. The Freirean alternative includes "culture circles" for the…

Mexican American women have higher fertility rates and higher divorce rates than does the general population of the United States. In light of these data and the documented negative effects of marital distress and divorce on spouses, Mexican American women appear to be at risk for psychological stress. To provide some insight into the marital…

This document, divided into five chapters, describes and analyzes the role of Hispanics in American history. Chapter 1 presents an historical overview of Hispanic immigration to the United States, focusing separately on four groups: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Hispanics. Chapter 2 discusses the contributions of Hispanic immigrants…

Describes the underutilization of drug rehabilitation programs among Puerto Rican addicts because of the failure of the programs to consider Hispanic cultural differences. Six cultural values specific to Hispanics are evaluated for their psychological implications and suggestions are made for clinicians working with Hispanic drug addicts.…

The dropout problem among Hispanics may be less severe than it appears, since many Hispanics have arrived here very recently. Given time, funding, and a willingness to join the mainstream, Hispanics should progress as have other groups. (DM)