Latina/o Students’ College Destinations: Gender, Generational Status, and College Sector Selectivity

• In Event: 70.036 - Higher Education Access and Choice for Latino Students: Critical Findings and Theoretical Perspectives

Abstract

This paper contributes to the gender gap discussion by examining the relationship between generational status and postsecondary institutional type as one possible explanation of this gap. Specifically, the chapter addresses the following questions: 1) What role does generational status play in the postsecondary enrollment of Latino (male) and Latina (female) students? 2) What is the strength and direction of secondary school effects on postsecondary destinations of Latino and Latina students? The authors use multinomial logistic regression to analyze data from the Education Longitudinal Study 2002-2006 panel to inform their study.
This study contributes to a broader discussion of Latino/a students’ college destinations, particularly considering gender and immigrant generation status. The literature indicates that in general among Latinos/as, recent immigrant students have higher educational aspirations than other generations (Crosnoe & López-Turley, 2011; Glick & White, 2003; Perreira, Harris, & Lee, 2006); our findings tease out gender differences within generational status. For example, results indicated second-generation status predicts increases in Latino students’ enrollment in selective four-year colleges, and predicts increases in Latinas’ likelihood of attending all college sectors (except for-profit colleges) relative to their third generation counterparts. We also found that the relationship between parental influence and college enrollment appears to be stronger for Latinos than for Latinas, as family composition and social capital were significant college enrollment predictors for Latinos but not for Latinas. The context of reception (COR; See Oakes [2003] for list of variables) appears to exert an influence on both Latinos/as, but among Latinos, COR variables are more predictive of their likelihood of attending a selective four-year college, while COR variables among Latinas are predictive of enrollment in broad access institutions. Lastly, attending a school with higher proportions of high school graduates going onto four-year colleges is influential in predicting enrollment in all of the college types except for-profits for Latinos but not for Latinas.
This study’s findings confirm well-known factors that influence Latino/a students’ college transition, including SES, advanced math course-taking, and students’ educational aspirations (Nuñez & Kim, 2012). Our findings also contribute to theory as we demonstrate how schools can operate as the context of reception for students and highlight the importance of the COR, specifically intensive supports, for both Latino/a students. Additionally, this study illuminates how some factors operate differently for men and women and may help to explain postsecondary destination differences. For Latinos, compared to Latinas, family structure and discussion about post high school plans with parents appear to have a stronger relationship with four-year college enrollment.

Authors

• Karla I Loya, University of Virginia

• Jihee Hwang, The Pennsylvania State University

• Leticia Oseguera, The Pennsylvania State University