Methodological Considerations in Investigating Undocumented Students' Postsecondary Access and Persistence

• In Event: 46.037 - Toward Justice: Role of Policy in Shaping Contexts, Praxis, and Higher Education Access for Undocumented Students

Abstract

Undocumented students represent one of the most underrepresented, overlooked, and underserved populations in higher education, which conceals many academic, economic, (Pérez, Espinoza, Ramos, Coronado, & Cortés, 2009) and emotional (Brabeck & Xu, 2010; Dozier, 1992-93, Suárez-Orozco, Yoshikawa, Teranishi, & Suárez-Orozco, 2011) barriers that restrict their pathways to college (Gonzales, 2009; Pérez, Cortés, Ramos, & Coronado, 2010). There are those who are beating these odds and demonstrate resiliency in spite of these barriers (Suárez-Orozco et al., 2011), yet, we still know very little about the diversity within the undocumented student population across the nation and the experiences of undocumented students in various postsecondary institutional types. The UndocuScholar Project is an action research national study focused on the experiences of ethnically diverse undergraduate undocumented students from various college settings (e.g., community colleges, four-year universities and colleges). The aim of the study is to explore undocumented students’ perceptions of their campus climates, families and communities to inform both local and national policy. Data are being collected through an online student survey examining the demographics, attitudes and experiences of undocumented immigrant undergraduates ages 18-30 across the US.

This presentation consists of researchers of the UndocuScholars Project. We will present on our effort to engage in this research through carefully navigating a series of methodological and ethical considerations (Suárez-Orozco & Yoshikawa, 2013) including: (a) creating a respectful and transactional research environment, and (b) exploring the complexity of diverse experiences by sampling beyond easily accessible populations. We will present on how we approach the research with these tenants central to our work as well as present on some key findings. Additionally, we will contextualize the findings with regard to the policies and contexts that shape undocumented students’ persistence and experiences of their institutional climates.

Authors

• Robert T. Teranishi, University of California - Los Angeles

• Cynthia Maribel Alcantar, University of California - Los Angeles