"Don’t Be Like Me”: The Paradox of Strong Ethnic Identity Among Mexican American Youth in New York City

• In Event: Voices From the “New American Mainstream”: Lessons for the Teachers of Today’s Immigrant Youth

Abstract

This qualitative study of 107 Mexican-descent adolescents from 12-19 years old explores how relationships influence youth’s beliefs about their capabilities as students and their ethnic and academic identities. The data reflect how students make meaning of the actions and messages of others and ultimately internalize them as parts of their belief systems and identities. This study is unique because it presents data from a context where few studies have been done that examine the identity development of Mexican-descent youth, New York City.

Key findings garnered through inductive and deductive coding and analysis revealed that effort and the value of hard work were prominent themes in terms of student self-perceptions; further, these appeared to be the result of consistent messages that many students received from their parents about the importance of working hard in school. Students saw themselves largely as either hard working or lazy. The students appeared to have internalized their parents’ model of hard work, which was reflected in how they saw their academic success or failure as solely related to their own efforts. This Mexican cultural model of personal effort reinforced American cultural narratives about meritocracy and self-reliance. The result was that students did not blame bad schools, ineffective teachers, or low levels of academic support for their poor school performance; instead, they blamed only themselves, despite the strong presence of these obstacles to academic success.

Participants’ ideas around their academic identities and self-efficacy also revolved around their behavior, rather than their capacity to do well on assignments. While the latter focus on aptitude did occur, it was not seen very strongly in the qualitative data. As with previous research regarding Mexican-descent students in U.S. schools students emphasized their respectful nature as evidence of their ability to be good students. While respectful and compliant behavior is an important component of doing well in school, constructing an academic identity only on this dimension may undermine the need to focus on academic skills that can lead to greater access and achievement along the academic pipeline.

A theme that pervaded students’ self-descriptions was what not to be like. While parents served as models of hard work, they also used the work they engaged in as an undesirable example. This message may have been meant to encourage students to do well in school, so they did not have to suffer in low wage, physically demanding work, but it may not have always come through clearly. Instead, students displayed low perceptions of their academic abilities, disengagement from school, and even a poor view of what it meant to be of Mexican background. The practical significance of this research highlights the need to bridge the divide that exists between Mexican-descent students and schools. Schools must find ways to create meaningful connections between school staff and students and families that create a mutual respect for individuals and culture.

Author

• Francisco X. Gaytan, Northeastern Illinois University