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Going to college is an expectation for many students, but this is not always the norm for many minority families. The decision to leave the comfort of home for college includes many family discussions and literacy practices that greatly affect a student. Studying family literacy practices such as storytelling and “cuentos y consejos” allows us to understand the concerns families possess as their daughters transition from home to college. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mexican American high school students ( = 24) were administered semistructured interviews about their psychological experience of ethnicity. The interview focused on individual, friendship, peer group, and family domains. Qualitative analyses of the interview transcripts revealed six domains including ethnic identity, socialization, intraethnic support and challenge, interethnic relations and attitudes, ethnic transcendence, and ethnic differences and similarities. These six domains were graphically depicted that differentiated ethnic self-concepts from ethnic identity processes and identified the intraethnic and interethnic influences of the ethnic self-concepts and identity processes. There were three ethnic self-concepts (i.e., cultural self, possible minority self, and self that transcends ethnic group boundaries). These basic three ethnic self-concepts are consistent with other researchers’ identification of analogous ethnic self-concepts and socialization messages across a wide range of contexts. Implications for future empirical and theoretical research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the self-reported average level of challenge of 793 students while in school and doing various school-related activities. Using multivariate regression models, the study examines whether Mexican American students report lower levels of challenge in school and during school-related activities as compared with students of other racial/ethnic groups. The findings suggest that in the general context of school, Mexican American students report the highest levels of challenge. In more specific contexts such as when in science class, Mexican American students report the lowest levels of challenge. Additional findings, implications for educators, and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative case study examines the educational struggles of Texas based Chicana/o high school migrant students and the noteworthy array of actions, responses, and relationship dynamics that result from the work of advocate educators. As migrant students move across our nation and enroll in high schools, they demand unique approaches that are rooted in educators' abilities to understand the migrant community and the curricular, instructional and support system needs of migrancy. Findings suggest that the participants included in this study had inherent and explicit understandings of the interplay between themselves and the Chicana/o high school migrant students they served. Likewise we also contend that they knew how to alter or circumvent detrimental schooling practices by acting as agents of change, developing alternative schooling experiences, and valuing the human resources found within the migrant educational community. The archetype of an advocate educator yields an approach and understanding that promotes an indispensable duality in serving Chicana/o high school migrant students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current controversy regarding the target marketing of alcohol billboards in Latino communities, alongside recent trends in alcohol consumption patterns among Mexican Americans, has led to concern about the impact of exposure to such advertising on the drinking behaviors of Mexican American youth. This study addresses this issue by evaluating the images depicted on alcohol billboards and examining the resultant relationship between exposure and beliefs. This relationship is examined within the framework of Bandura's social cognitive theory. To determine the prevalent themes on alcohol billboards surrounding a public high school in Chicago, Illinois, a content analysis was performed. Subsequently, the findings were incorporated into a survey examining beliefs and social perceptions regarding drinking among Mexican American high school students. Results suggest that one retention measure - brand exposure - and acceptance of positive themes related to drinking are associated with more positive attitudes toward drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the factors that contribute to the academic resilience and achievement among Mexican American high school students. Why Mexican Americans who are not living in poverty may still be at risk for adverse circumstances; Method used in the study; Purpose of the study; Roles of peers, family, teachers, cultural identity and the school environment as sources of support that can enhance resilience; Results of the study.

The present investigation examines the relationship of Spanish language background to achievement among first-, seconds-, and third-generation Mexican American high school seniors. The effects of students' and mothers' aspirations were also examined. The data used in this study were from the first phase of the High School and Beyond (Jones et al., 1982) study. Achievement measures included standardized tests of math, reading, and English vocabulary. Four Spanish language variables were also included. These were as follows: mother tongue, home language, oral proficiency in Spanish, and Spanish literacy. Socioeconomic background variables included both father's and mother's education and family income. Consistent with previous research, students' aspirations showed the strongest positive relationship to achievement for all generational groups. Although Spanish language background showed practically no relationship to achievement for first- and second-generation students, the linguistic variables showed mixed effects for third-generation students. In general, Spanish language effects on achievement were minimal, thus arguing against the position that Spanish impedes she academic achievement of Hispanic students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a study, which focuses on militancy among Mexican American school students. The present research ate tempts to identify some of the variables which serve to differentiate militant Mexican American youth from their non-militant counterparts. The study is based on a sample of a little over 2,000 Mexican American students in attendance at two high schools ma southwestern city. Militancy is a word the use of which in the media and in everyday conversation is so widespread that it almost seems that it could be treated as a primitive term. But most words in common use tend to acquire a variety of related but subtly different connotations. "Militancy" is no exception, so it will be helpful to specify its particular meaning in the present context. Militancy by a minority is conceptualized as the readiness to participate in collective action outside of channels which do not involve direct con- formation with the majority. The general purpose of such action is usually to promote or resist a change in the society of which the actors are a part.

Investigates the relationship between reading comprehension and oral storytelling abilities of Mexican American high school students with learning handicaps in the United States. Lack of relationship between the standard scoring protocol and reading comprehension; Correlation between story structure analysis and reading comprehension; Implications for language assessment of bilingual students.