A study examined family influences on reading motivation in Latino children. Surveys and interviews with 18 Latino students in an urban southwestern elementary school and their parents indicated that as domestic workload increased, the value children placed on reading decreased. The more time families spent together and on religious literacy…

The University of New Mexico provided extracurricular activities in space science education to predominantly Hispanic middle-school students participating in New Mexico MESA (Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement). After exposure to the space science program, students displayed significantly more positive attitudes toward science and…

Investigated how Hispanic American and white students from rural and urban high schools differed in their perspectives on postsecondary plans according to grade level, ethnicity, and urbanicity. Surveys and focus groups illustrated differences in attitudes and behaviors depending on urbanicity. Students' ethnicity affected high school experiences.…

Interviewed high school students to determine whether teachers used instructional strategies that students believed helped them master new materials, noting whether the match between learning style and instructional format differed depending on student gender and race/ethnicity. Male Latinos reported more mismatches between learning and teaching…

Investigates what language minority and language majority high school students believe about various issues related to bilingual education programs. Data from student surveys and narratives indicate that bilingual education programs appear to be effective, with many language minority students learning to speak English, though some students found…

Using a theory of resiliency, this study provides a Chicana student's perspective of the role of parents in the development of college aspirations. Qualitative interviews with Chicana high school seniors shed light on the different ways these students perceive and come to understand the manner by which their parents influence and shape their…

Latino/Latina children who are considered to be limited-English proficient may be unwilling participants in unique and difficult personal and school-related experiences. The inherent differences in their native culture and language may lead to special academic placements in English-as-a-second-language programs. Participation in a…

The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) survey of California Latino youth perceptions of college financial aid reveals: (1) Ninety-eight percent of respondents felt it was important to have a college education; (2) Thirty-eight percent of respondents did not feel the benefits of college outweigh the costs; (3) Not being able to work and incurring…

A study investigating the factors most important in creating and maintaining English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs for Hispanic women in prison is reported. The study was undertaken by an ESL teacher who was also an inmate in a maximum security women's correctional institution. Introductory sections describe the prison, inmate population,…

Interviews with four Latinos who attended college as a result of college preparation and support from a federal TRIO program yielded several themes: consistent parental support for a college education, low expectations of secondary teachers and guidance counselors, difficult transition to college because of poor secondary preparation, and the…

Students in an organizational behavior course were surveyed concerning personal and collective self-esteem and discriminatory attitudes before and after a 16-week diversity intervention. After the intervention, Anglo women showed the most positive changes in attitudes, while Anglo men became more negative in attitudes toward women. Hispanics'…

Investigated the relationships between perceived ethnic injustices and processes of psychological disengagement among White, African American, and Hispanic American college students, examining perceived ethnic injustice and academic performance as predictors of devaluing and discounting. Student surveys indicated that broader beliefs about social…

Surveys of 242 Hispanic students attending New Mexico Highlands University and California State University, San Bernardino, examined students' political attitudes, political activism, and attitude toward bilingual education in relation to students' choice of ethnic label (Hispanic, Chicano, or Mexican American), level of acculturation, income, and…

Teachers and peers have a unique impact on Latino students' math and science perceptions and performance. (Contains 4 figures and 3 notes.)

The joys and woes of teaching middle school children are well documented and effective middle school teachers are aware that they must address their students' social and emotional needs to ensure they succeed academically. Hispanic, white and Asian American students were interviewed on their experiences in their first year of middle school and…