Understanding the Cultural and Social Capital of Latina/o Transfer Students

• In Event: Roundtable Session 30
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Race Theory and a Transfer-Receptive Culture: Examining the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Community College Partnerships

Abstract

Higher levels of education are strongly connected to increased potential earnings as well as cultural capital acquisition (Carnevale, Rose, & Cheah, 2011; Lareau & Weininger, 2003). Much sociological education research focuses on the connection between traditional forms of capital and college access, ignoring the cultural wealth that communities of color possess. In this context, a strong connection between the value of a baccalaureate degree and its capital function in society are held as common truths. Thus, a bachelor’s degree is the valued source of capital that grants access to profitable careers. As such, baccalaureate degree attainment is a widespread goal for many groups in the U.S. For Latina/os in this nation, such degree attainment goals are no different than their peers.

Latina/os who enter postsecondary education through community college have high aspirations but low transfer rates. For two-thirds of Latinos, community colleges are the leading point of entry into postsecondary education (AACC, 2013; Ornelas & Solórzano, 2004). Despite high aspirations for baccalaureate completion, transfer rates for Latinas/os range from 10 to approximately 20 percent nationwide (Adelman, 2005; Adelman, 2006). Thus, building college aspirations seems to be less of an issue than assessing whether they recognize the dominant social and cultural capital that commands the transfer process from 2-year to 4-year institutions.

This study employs a Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework (Yosso, 2005, 2006) to better understand what types of social and cultural capital is identified by a cohort of 2013 Summer Intensive Transfer Experience (SITE) participants at UCLA. The CCW framework clarifies that while many first-generation, Latina/o students may not possess the dominant capital that is valued in schools, they possess community cultural wealth. CCW is comprised of six forms of capital: aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant capital.

Through a case study method, this study seeks to analyze the experience of one cohort of Latina/o, low-income, first-generation community college SITE participants. Data collected for this study include participant observation, archival data, focus groups, and interviews. The study explores whether this cohort recognizes their social and cultural capital before participating and how they operationalize their social and cultural capital after participating in the program. This study expands our understanding of how Latina/o community college students view the role of social and cultural capital in connection to their postsecondary pursuits (Bergerson, 2010; Tierney & Hagedorn, 2002).

Preliminary findings suggest that participants enter the program valuing their family and heritage; unable to draw the connection between the strength that their CCW carries in their academic pursuits. Programming, curriculum, and mentorship offered throughout the weeklong program serves a powerful role in establishing the connection between their cultural wealth and the successful navigation of postsecondary education. Findings from this study significantly contribute to an understanding of how outreach programs can facilitate college access by promoting the connection between traditional forms of capital and cultural capital. This study offers a unique contribution to the understanding of the experience of community college students and the process of connecting their CCW to their academic pursuits.

Author

• Llanet Martin, University of California - Los Angeles