Foregrounding Family: How Salvadoran American Boys Interpret and Weigh Familial Factors Shaping Their College-Going Processes

• In Event: Latinx Students and Families Choosing College and Graduate School

Abstract

I utilize the voiced-perspectives of two cisgender U.S.-born Salvadoran American, 11th grade boys, attending one U.S. public school to consider how their families’ modes of support and financial needs, shaped their conceptualizations of college going. Employing both familial capital and social cognitive theory, I analyze how participants interpreted their families’ educational encouragement (e.g., through verbal urging and non-verbalized supports like shielding their children’s time for non-educational pursuits) while also weighing college going amidst perceived gender-based responsibilities. Revealed are college going dilemmas, which offer stakeholders insights into implementing more precise college-going interventions for first generation college students.

Author

• Roderick L. Carey, University of Delaware