Date of Award

2012

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Sociology

Abstract

There are very few studies that investigate the low educational attainment rates of Latinos, and even fewer that consider the role culture may have on educational attainment. In particular, Latinas have been neglected in academic studies regarding their academic pursuits and performance. This study aims to fill this void in the academic literature. It is based on interviews with 13 Hispanic women who were enrolled in a Chicago area adult high school. The women shared their personal narratives, describing in detail various life events and sharing their thoughts of how these may have lead them to make decisions that ultimately affected their educational trajectories. Their narratives provide valuable insight regarding the Hispanic culture's role in shaping not only their identities, but their educational values and subsequent decisions. Understanding that this ethnic group is shaped by its cultural heritage aids in understanding the factors other than those found at the structural level that interfere with the educational attainment of Latinas. The issue of the low educational attainment levels of Hispanic women is important and deserves attention from the academic community because it is a waste of talent and important role models for successive generations of Latinas who wish to pursue academic and professional careers.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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