“Mirando adelante”: Assessing the Impact of Peer Role Models on Latinx Students’ Intentions to Persist in College

Abstract

Latinx students represent over half of all first-generation college students in the United States but continue to leave college without a degree at disproportionate rates. Previous research suggests that exposure to peers who are competent, encouraging, and similar (i.e., peer role models; PRMs) can improve students’ academic performance and experiences in college. The present study builds on this work by investigating the impact of PRMs on Latinx students’ intentions to persist in college, and whether these effects differ as a function of both the students’ and PRMs’ college generational status, as well as the PRMs’ race/ethnicity. Students read a fictitious profile of a female PRM who varied on generational status (first-generation vs. continuing-generation) and race/ethnicity (White, Black, or Latina). Results showed that Latinx students exposed to PRMs reported greater intentions to persist compared to those in the control condition. Notably, first-generation Latinx students derived the greatest benefit from PRM exposure, especially when the PRM was Latina, as opposed to Black or White. These findings have important implications for supporting Latinx students’ success in higher education and guiding college initiatives aimed at fostering persistence among these student populations.