Mothers, Fathers, and the Road to College in Latinx Families

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 1:45 pm - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Family Matters: Parental Roles in Shaping Learning, Motivation, and Educational Pathways

Abstract

While Latinx students represent a vast population in the U.S., few studies consider how maternal and paternal involvement uniquely shape long-term college outcomes while also considering student gender. Using nationally representative data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (n = 2,217 Latinx students), this study explores how home-based involvement, school-based involvement, and parental aspirations relate to motivation, engagement, college enrollment, and degree completion—and how these patterns vary by students’ gender. Parental aspirations emerged as the most consistent predictor of educational outcomes, with maternal aspirations especially supporting Latina students’ college trajectories. Mother-reported involvement predicted educational expectations, school engagement, college enrollment, and degree attainment, whereas father-reported involvement did not. These findings highlight gender-specific pathways in parental influence.

Authors

• Madelyn H. Molina, Texas State University

• So Yeon Lee, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Yishan Shen, Texas State University

• Edna C. Alfaro, Texas State University

• Eunjin Seo, Texas State University