This study examines the relationship between gender, acculturation, parenting, and adolescents' academic outcomes in Mexican-origin immigrant families. Self-report survey data were collected from adolescents attending three high schools in Los Angeles. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted on the 273 adolescents (M = 15.5) whose parents were both born in Mexico. Girls reported higher academic motivation and educational aspirations. Substantial support was found for the positive relationship between mothers' and fathers' behaviors (ability to help, monitoring, support) and adolescents' academic motivation. Substantial support was found for the relationship between mothers' and fathers' educational level, language spoken at home, and educational aspirations. Generation status was not related to the academic outcomes. Implications for researchers, practitioners, school personnel, and policy makers are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Alva, A. S. (1995). Academic invulnerability among Mexican American students. In A. M. Padilla (Ed.), Hispanic psychology: Critical issues in theory and research (pp. 288-302). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
2.
Arellano, A. R., & Padilla, A. (1996). Academic invulnerability among a select group of Latino university students. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 18, 485-507.
3.
Blair, S. L., Blair, M. C. L., & Madamba, A. B. (1999). Racial/ethnic differences in high school students' academic performance: Understanding the interweave of social class and ethnicity in the family context. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 30, 539-555.
4.
Brown, B. B., Mounts, N., Lamborn, S. D., & Steinberg, L. (1993). Parenting practices and peer group affiliation in adolescence. Child Development, 64, 467-482.
5.
Cohen, B. E., & Cohen, P. (1983). Applied multiple regression analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
6.
Curiel, H. (1991). Strengthening family and school bonds in promoting Hispanic children's school performance. In M. Sotomayor (Ed.), Empowering Hispanic families: A critical issue for the '90s (pp. 76-95), Milwaukee, WI: Family Service America.
7.
Delgado-Gaitan, C. (1992). School matters in the Mexican American home. American Educational Research Journal, 29, 495-513.
8.
Dornbusch, S., Ritter, P., Leiderman, P., Roberts, D., & Fraleigh, M. (1987). The relation of parenting style to school performance. Child Development, 58, 1244-1257.
9.
Fuligni, A. J. (1997). The academic achievement of adolescents from immigrant families: The roles of family background, attitudes and behavior. Child Development, 68, 351-363.
10.
Garcia, E. E. (1992). “Hispanic” children: Theoretical, empirical, and related policy issues. Educational Psychology Review, 4(1), 69-93.
11.
Garmezy, N. (1991). Resiliency and vulnerability to adverse developmental outcomes associated with poverty. American Behavioral Scientist, 43(4), 416-460.
12.
Gillock, K. L., & Reyes, O. (1999). Stress, support, and academic performance of urban, low-income, Mexican-American adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 28, 259-282.
13.
Gutman, L. M., & Midgley, C. (2000). The role of protective factors in supporting the academic achievement of poor African American students during the middle school transition. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 29(2), 223-248.
14.
Hao, L., & Bonstead-Bruns, M. (1998). Parent-child differences in educational expectations and the academic achievement of immigrant and native students. Sociology of Education, 71, 175-198.
15.
Henderson, W. R. (1997). Educational and occupational aspirations and expectations among parents of middle school students of Mexican descent: Family resources for academic development and mathematics learning. In R. D. Taylor & M. C. Wang (Eds.), Social and emotional adjustment and family relations in ethnic minority families (pp. 99-132). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
16.
Hubbard, L. (1999). College aspirations among low-income African American high school students: Gendered strategies for success. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 30(3), 363-383.
17.
Jacobson, K. C., & Crockett, L. J. (2000). Parental monitoring and adolescent adjustment: An ecological perspective. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 10, 65-97.
18.
Masten, A. S., & Coatsworth, J. D. (1998). The development of competence in favorable and unfavorable environments: Lessons from research on successful children. American Psychologist, 53, 205-220.
19.
Masten, A. S., Coatsworth, J. D., Neemann, J., Gest, S. D., Tellegen, A., & Garmezy, N. (1995). The structure and coherence of competence from childhood through adolescence. Child Development, 66, 1635-1659.
20.
Mau, W., Hitchcock, R., & Calvert, C. (1998). High school students' career plans: The influence of other's expectations. Professional School Counseling, 2, 161-166.
21.
McLaughlin, H. J., Liljestrom, A., Lim, J. H., & Meyers, D. (2002). LEARN: A community study about Latino immigrants and education. Education and Urban Society, 34(2), 212-232.
22.
Newman, B. M., Lohman, B. J., Newman, P. R., Myers, M. C., & Smith, V. L. (2000). Experiences of urban youth navigating the transition to ninth grade. Youth & Society, 31, 387-416.
23.
Newman, B. M., Myers, M. C., Newman, P. R., Lohman, B. J., & Smith, V. L. (2000). The transition to high school for academically promising, urban, low-income African American youth. Adolescence, 35(137), 45-66.
24.
O'Connor, C. (1997). Dispositions toward (collective) struggle and educational resilience in the inner city: A case analysis of six African-American high school students. American Educational Research Journal, 34, 593-629.
25.
Ogbu, J. U. (1986). The consequences of the American caste system. In U. Neisser (Ed.), The school achievement of minority children: New perspectives (pp. 19-56). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
26.
Okagaki, L., & Frensch, P. A. (1998). Parental support for Mexican American children's school achievement. In H. I. McCubbin, E. A. Thompson, A. I. Thompson, & J. E. Fromer (Eds.), Resilience in Native American and immigrant families (pp. 325-342). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
27.
Okagaki, L., Frensch, P. A., & Gordon, E. W. (1995). Encouraging school achievement in Mexican American children. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 17, 160-179.
28.
Pedhazur, E. J. (1982). Multiple regression in behavioral research: Explanation and prediction. New York: Hartcourt Brace College.
29.
Peterson, G. W., Rollins, B. C., & Thomas, D. L. (1985). Parental influence and adolescent conformity: Compliance and internalization. Youth & Society, 16, 397-420.
30.
Romo, H. D., & Falbo, T. (1996). Latino high school graduation: Defying the odds. Austin: University of Texas Press.
31.
Smokowski, P. R., Reynolds, A. J., & Bezruczko, N. (1999). Resilience and protective factors in adolescence: An autobiographical perspective from disadvantage youth. Journal of School Psychology, 37(4), 425-448.
32.
Wang, M. C., & Haertel, G. D. (1995). Educational resilience. In M. C. Wang, M. C. Reynolds, & H. J. Walberg (Eds.), Handbook of special and remedial education: Research and practice (2nd ed., pp. 159-200). Oxford, UK: Elsevier.
33.
Wang, M. C., Haertel, G. D., & Walberg, H. J. (1994). Educational resilience in inner cities. In M. C. Wang & E. W. Gordon (Eds.), Educational resilience in inner-city America: Challenges and Prospects (pp. 45-72). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
34.
Werner, E. E. (1993). Risk, resilience, and recovery: Perspectives from the Kauai Longitudinal Study. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 503-515.
35.
Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. (1982). Vulnerability but invincible: A longitudinal study of resilient children and youth. New York: McGraw-Hill.
36.
Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. (1992). Overcoming the odds: High risk students from birth to adulthood. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
