1. Vocational Aspirations of the Mexican-American and the Influence of Acculturation in Their Attainment.
- Author
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Caraveo-Ramos, Libardo Eduardo and Winer, Jane L.
- Abstract
To gain a basic understanding of some factors (i.e., community composition, family environment, and general retention of Mexican values) influencing the vocational aspirations of the Mexican American, several studies are reviewed. The literature reviewed disproves some of the common stereotypes as deterministic ethnic factors for the vocational attitudes of the Mexican American and empirically supports the fact that the level of acculturation and family style is one of the main determinants of the Mexican American's values and attitudes, specifically when dealing with vocationally related issues. The idea that ethnicity is not the single predominant determinant is supported. In spite of all argumentation in favor of or against a specific factor or factors which influence the vocational aspirations of Mexican Americans, no particular response seems to provide an adequate answer to the question. In general, research has found a lack of differentiation in the perceptions of vocational aspirations of Mexican Americans when compared to Anglo Americans. However, the attainment of aspirations appears to be greatly influenced by the level of acculturation rather than one's ethnicity. Therefore, the "level of acculturation" must be considered when providing vocational counseling to the Mexican American. (Author/NQA)
- Published
- 1982