What Motivates Latinx Undergraduate Students to Persist? Exploring Latinx College Students’ Barriers, Expectancies, and Values

• In Event: Division D Graduate Student in Progress Research Gala

Abstract

To address the underrepresentation of Latino college graduates in the U.S. this research study explored first-generation Latinx college students’ experiences in higher education. The purpose of this research study was to understand the barriers Latinx college students experience when aiming to achieve a higher education in the U.S. This study further aimed to understand the meaningful factors that motivate students to persist in their education, despite the barriers they experience. To realize this investigative purpose, this research study was led by the following questions: ‘What are the barriers Latinx college students experience when aiming to achieve a higher education?’ and ‘Why are Latinx college students motivated to persist in their education?’ This study investigated these research questions acknowledging Latinx culture, exploring for barriers that had not been mentioned in previous literature, and identifying Latinx college students’ motivators to persist in higher education using two theoretical frameworks: Latinx Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) and Expectancy-value Theory.

Author

• Yessenia Castillo, Oklahoma State University