Belief in the Promise of Education: Latinas' Persistence in the Context of Canadian Education

• In Event: 45.093 - MTCC Roundtable Session 18
  In Roundtable Session: 45.093-11 - The Persistence of Women and Girls in Educational Settings

Abstract

This exploratory case study is about educational persistence. I drew on a critical feminist perspective to investigate female Latin American students’ persistence in the Canadian education system. I prioritize participants’ perceptions about their lived experiences of intersectional social identities and power relations within educational contexts. During semi-structured in-depth interviews, post-secondary students revealed their persistence despite individual, interpersonal, and institutional challenges. I engaged a Multi-Dimensional Model of Intersectionality (Núñez, 2014a) to guide analysis. Within the overarching theme of persistence, participants revealed tenacious belief in the promise of education. This research significantly contributes to the academic scholarship about Latin American immigrants and their families, in the context of Canadian education.

Author

• Phillipa Myers, University of Western Ontario