Conceptualizing Latina/o College-going Behavior in High School

Authors

Victor B. Saenz Ph.D., University of Texas at AustinFollow
Anna P. Drake Ph.D., University of Central FloridaFollow
Claudia Garcia-Louis Ph.D., University of Texas at San AntonioFollow
Wonsun J. Ryu, The University of Texas at AustinFollow
Luis Ponjuan Ph.D., Texas A&M UniversityFollow

Abstract

This study examined the influence of participation in school and extracurricular activities on Latino males’ intention to pursue a bachelor’s degree in relation to their Latina peers. Using nationally representative High School Longitudinal Study data from 2012, researchers developed two factors and three dichotomous variables focused on academic, non-academic, or pre-college activities and ran multivariate regression models to determine the effect on intention to pursue a bachelor’s degree. After accounting for background characteristics, being female retained a strong positive effect on intention to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Two factors were positively associated with Latino males’ bachelor’s degree intention: Hours on School Work and College Planning and Preparation. Two dichotomous variables, Math Activities and Science Activities were positively associated; however, the other dichotomous variable, Non-academic Activities, was negatively associated. Most significantly, this study found that effects of high school activities and preparation for college are not constant across gender.

Recommended Citation

Saenz, Victor B. Ph.D.; Drake, Anna P. Ph.D.; Garcia-Louis, Claudia Ph.D.; Ryu, Wonsun J.; and Ponjuan, Luis Ph.D. (2018) "Conceptualizing Latina/o College-going Behavior in High School," Journal of College Access: Vol. 4: Iss. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jca/vol4/iss1/4