Investigating Educational Aspirations of Latino/Mexican Adolescents in Eastern North Carolina and Mexico

• In Event: The Dynamics of Racial and Ethnic Inequalities in Schools and Neighborhoods

Abstract

This study compared the educational aspirations of Latino/Mexican adolescents in Eastern North Carolina to Mexican adolescent students in Veracruz, Mexico. In this study, 154 Latino/Mexican adolescents responded to a questionnaire comprised of 40 Likert items. The questionnaire included items concerning educational aspirations; parental influence; peer influence; attitudes toward school and education; financial capability; and self-perception of academic ability. A t-test revealed that the educational aspirations of Latino/Mexican adolescents in Eastern North Carolina are significantly lower than the educational aspirations of adolescent students in Veracruz, Mexico. Statistical analyses also revealed that Father’s education, ability to pay for higher education, a positive attitude toward higher education, and a positive perception of one’s academic ability combine to predict educational aspiration of Latinos/Mexicans.

Authors

• Diane Rodriguez, East Carolina University

• Kenneth J. Luterbach, East Carolina University

• Cathy D. Kea, North Carolina A&T State University

• Stanley C. Trent, University of Virginia

• Gloria Deetta Campbell-Whatley, University of North Carolina - Charlotte