Gang and College Knowledge: An Examination of Latino Male Students Attending Alternative High Schools

• In Event: Promising Scholarship in Education: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research

Abstract

Purpose and Research Questions
The purpose of this qualitative dissertation is to understand how 45 Latino male students acquire and make sense of gang and college knowledge in three alternative high schools in an urban area in Nevada. Less than 45 percent of Latino males graduate from Nevada high schools (Schott Foundation for Public Education, 2015). Alternative schools serve students who have been removed from traditional comprehensive schools for various school district policy infractions; the students have a combination of academic and behavioral issues that causes them to be suspended or expelled. The dissertation is guided by the following research questions: What are the college-choices processes for Latino male students who attend alternative high schools in an urban area in Nevada?; 2) How do Latino males in alternative high schools use their social and cultural capital related to college knowledge and gang knowledge to make postsecondary plans?; and 3) What is the role of school counselors and administrators in supporting Latino males’ postsecondary plans in alternative high schools?

Theoretical Framework and Research Methods
I use Bourdieu’s concepts of cultural capital and habitus and Coleman’s social capital to serve as the theoretical grounding for analyses of my dissertation. In this case, Bourdieu (1980, 1990) and Coleman’s (1988, 1990) work helps to consider how Latino males are taught how to perform in an appropriate or expected fashion in their communities, accrue benefits in their various social networks, and how these individuals’ social histories and experiences influences actions, perceptions, and values for the future. Data was collected in two phases over two academic years in Nevada. During the first phase, I conducted participant observations, document collection, and semi-structured interviews with 19 students in one school. During the second phase, I interviewed 26 Latino male students in two additional alternative schools. Each student was interviewed two times and was asked to write a short reflection on what they would tell their male family member about planning for their future after high school.

Preliminary Findings
Almost 80 percent of the students in this study are more aware of gang membership requirements than college admission requirements. Over 90 percent of the students want to attend a technical or vocational college and four-year universities. A majority of the students want to study art, automotive, or something related to the criminal justice system (probation officer, juvenile defense lawyer, or police officer). Less than five students are aware of the multiple methods to finance postsecondary education (e.g. FAFSA, student loans, scholarships, and federal and state grants). Most students believe their only college financing options are working full-time and student loans. Only one participant’s parents graduated from a four-year college or university, and less then 10 parents graduated from high school. For the students involved in gangs and graffiti crews, they want their male siblings, nephews, and other male family and friends to not follow in a similar life pathway, and instead want others to do well in school and go to college. Less than three study participants mentioned a teacher, counselors, or school administrator trying to actively help them prepare or share college information with them.

Significance of the Study
This dissertation is significant in three ways. First, the study examines the relationships between Latino males, college access, and gang involvement, which represents an area of research inquiry that has not been explored in depth. Second, the results of the study can help high school college counselors, college outreach professionals, and social services practitioners to develop better prevention strategies to alter or create earlier interventions that promote college-going cultures.

Author

• Adrian H. Huerta, University of California - Los Angeles