Latino Collegians and their Latina Mothers: Applying Chicana Feminist Theory to Understand Academic Identity and Leadership Development

• In Event: Parents, Families, and Community Cultural Wealth

Abstract

This study fills a higher education research gap by examining how Latino male college students conceptualize the role of their mothers on their educational trajectories. Twenty-four Latinos from four universities participated in a three-step interview process. Grounded theory methods led to the emergence of several themes, including the influence of mothers. We used Chicana feminist theory to analyze the ways Latinos discussed the influence of their mothers. Data analysis revealed that Latina mothers influenced their sons’: (1) educational trajectories, (2) academic identities, and (3) leadership development. This study has important implications considering the limited higher education research focused on the development of Latin@ mother-son pedagogies and the influences those may have on Latinos’ education.

Authors

• Jenesis Jasemin Ramirez, University of Pittsburgh

• Gina Ann Garcia, University of Pittsburgh

• Lisanne Hudson, University of Pittsburgh