Poster #78 - Improving the Educational Opportunities of Recent Immigrants in High School: Youth Voices Participating in an After-School Program

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Education, Schooling

Integrative Statement

Participating in after-school activities could have multiple benefits for immigrant youth, whose families often have little knowledge of the U.S. school system (Camacho & Fuligni, 2015). Generally, extracurricular activities provide immigrant youth with opportunities to build relationships with peers and educators who may help them adjust to and navigate through U.S. educational institutions. These new relations can promote resilience, socioemotional development, and academic success (Fredricks & Simpkins, 2012; Martinez, DeGarmo, & Eddy, 2004). To examine the role of after-school programs in fostering the adaptation of recent Latinx immigrant youth, we draw from social capital theory—i.e., the social relationships from which individuals can obtain resources and/or support to facilitate certain action (Coleman, 1988; Stanton-Salazar & Dornbush, 1995). According to that theory, this type of programs could facilitate immigrant youth understanding of schooling shared norms, values, and expectations as well as sanctions—which are the mechanisms that help maintain social network functioning and, at the same time, reinforce cohesiveness and trust (Coleman, 1988).
Our mixed-methods study stems from a summative evaluation of an after-school program aimed at supporting Latinx immigrant students’ college and career readiness. We take a multi-source approach to integrate the perspectives of both organizational stakeholders and students involved in this program. Specifically, the present study examined interviews with leaders of the after-school program (4 leaders) and participating students and their mothers (15 dyads) who had recently arrived to the U.S. in order to answer the following questions: (a) What kind of support does the after-school program provide to recently arrived immigrant Latinx youth? and (b) To what extent does the after-school program affect students’ academic performance and development? Our qualitative data analyses show that the after-school program afforded immigrant high schoolers the opportunity to establish important relationships with both program leaders and peers—that is, the program allowed students to increase their social capital. One immigrant youth shared: “[At the program, the teachers] help you. They pay attention to you and respect you and others. Teachers are there, with you, to help you and to explain [things] in more detail. Teachers in the regular schools don’t [do that]”
Through this capital, students affirmed positive identities and received the socioemotional support needed to manage their educational experiences in unfamiliar school settings. Relationships with program leaders and peers also provided important academic support as participants received systematic homework support. The study findings shed light on the positive effects of interpersonal relationship on immigrant students’ development and contribute to education practitioners and researchers’ understanding of forming co-ethnic networks in extracurricular activities. It also identifies potential areas for improvement on how to provide the best experiences for immigrant students, particularly hiring personnel with expertise in multiple subject areas as well as providing students with personalized learning support and resources.

Authors

• Claudia L Galindo, University of Maryland
  Non-Presenting Author

• Angelica Montoya-Ávila, University of Maryland
  Presenting Author