THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF THE LATINX MENTOR AND THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY ...

235 Pages·2017·1.76 MB·English

by  Texas State User

THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF THE LATINX MENTOR AND THE ROLE OF
COMMUNITY CULTURAL WEALTH
by
Blanca Ursula Gamez, B.S., M.P.A.
A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Council o f
Texas State University in partial fulfillmen t
of the requirements for the degreeo f
Doctor of Philosophy
with a Major in Adult, Professional, and Community Education
December 2017

Committee Members:
Melissa A. Martinez, Chair
Kristina H. Collins
Joellen E. Coryell
Robert F. Reardon
COPYRIGHT
by
Blanca Ursula Gamez
2017
FAIR USE AND AUTHOR’S PERMISSION STATEMENT

Fair Use

This work is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94 -553,
section 107). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations
from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of this material for
financial gain without the author’s express written permission is not allowed.

Duplication Permission

As the copyright holder of this work I, Blanca Ursula Gamez, authorize duplication of
this work, in whole or in part, for educational or scholarly purposes only.
DEDICATION
I dedicate this work to my husband Mario, my mother, father, my sister, and
future son. In addition, to those who have supported me during this journey and to the
lifelong friends from Cohort 14 that I have made in this process. Thank you for always
believing in me and never letting me let go of this dream.
For the dreamers, always be yourself, do not forget to lead with your heart, find
your courage, never stop learning, and let your inner light burn as bright as your desires.
The light that you shine will be the guide for others to follow.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to begin by thanking my chair, Dr. Melissa Martinez. Without your
support, lasting patience,a nd guidance along the way, none of this would be possible.
You have truly changed how I approach my research, writing, and learning. Dr. Collins,
your passion for mentoring is a gift that I was lucky to have received. Your guidance and
constant reassurance in my work and meh as been incredible. I hope that one day I
become as good of a mentor as you are. Dr. Coryell, you took a chance on me during my
doctoral interview and selected me as an APCE Cohort 14 doctoral student. Thank you
for taking a chance and believing in my goals . Your constant direction and suggestions to
my writing have made me a better researcher. Dr. Reardon, thank you for your continued
support and encouragement. I knew that I could always count on you for suggestions and
ideas on how t o approach my research. To my entire committee, your belief in my
abilities and your unwavering support gave me the strength I needed to continue and
finish. I am eternally grateful to have each of you serve on my committee and for sharing
in this journey with me.
To my husband Mario, thank you for being my rock, best friend, and a shoulder to
cry on during stressful times. Without your constant love and continued support
throughout the program, I never could have done this. You saw me at my best, sometime s
at my worst, and yet you always found a way to encourage me and show that you love
me. You are my soul mate, my best friend, and I am so incredibly lucky to have you in
my life. May the next chapter of our lives be as important and crazy as this one!
v
To my mom and dad, my first role models, and my biggest cheerleaders. You two
are one of the main reason I took this journey. It is because of you two, that the word
“can’t” was never part of my vocabulary. It is because of you two that I went to college
and never stopped learning. Thank you for instilling in me a strong sense of confidence
that has allowed me to complete this journey. To my sister Valerie, the sky is the limit.
Thank you for always believing in me and especially for your constant reminder of being
a strong woman!
Lastly, to my future son, although you are a few months away from being born
you gave me the extra fire I needed to complete my journey and prepare for the next big
change in my life, motherhood. Always know that education is the key to a better life and
your ultimate happiness. I hope that you grow up to have a passion for education like me
and that you never stop learning.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. xi

LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... xii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................ xiii

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. xiv

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY.................................................................1

Statement of the Problem ...........................................................................4
Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................9
Theoretical Framework ............................................................................10
Forms of Capital ..........................................................................11
Researcher’s Perspective .........................................................................11
Research Questions ..................................................................................13
Significance of the Study .........................................................................13
Definition of Terms..................................................................................14
Organization of the Study ........................................................................16

II. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................18

Review Method ........................................................................................18
Criteria for Inclusion ................................................................................19
Postsecondary Educational Access for Latinxs in the United State .s........19
Postsecondary Educational Access for Latinxs in Texa .s.........................2. 3
Educational Debt for Latinxs ...................................................................28
Precollege Barriers for Latinxs .....................................................30
Undergraduate Barriers for Latinxs ..............................................33
The Role of Mentoring................................................................................35
Mentoring Relationship Characteristics ........................................37
Mentoring Support Structures .....................................................................38
vii
Academic Support Structures ........................................................39
Emotional Support Structures ........................................................40
Social Support Structures ...............................................................41
Latinx Mentors and the Academic Success of Latinx College Students ......43
The Latinx Mentor .........................................................................43
Yosso’s (2005) Model of Community Cultural Wealth ...............................44
Chapter Summary .........................................................................................51

III. METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................54

Qualitative Research Design .......................................................................55
Phenomenology ...........................................................................................56
Pilot Study ...................................................................................................58
Researcher’s Role ........................................................................................58
Study Setting ...............................................................................................59
Research Participants ..................................................................................60
Instrumentation and Preparation for Data Collection ..................................62
Interview Site Selection .................................................................63
Interviews .......................................................................................64
Initial Interview ...................................................................65
Follow up Interview ............................................................65
Archival Records ...........................................................................66
Field Notes ................................ ................................ .....................66
Researcher’s Journal ................................ ................................ ......67
Trustworthiness ................................ ................................ ...........................68
Thick, Rich Descriptions ................................ ............................... 69
Bracketing ................................ ................................ ......................69
Triangulation ................................ ................................ ..................70
Member Checks ................................ ................................ .............71
Data Analysis ................................ ................................ .............................. 72
Delimitations and Limitations ................................ ................................ .....75
Delimitations ................................ ................................ ..................76
Participants ................................ ................................ .........76
Institutional difference ................................ .......................76
Location of the study ................................ .........................76
Theoretical framework ................................ .......................76
Limitations ................................ ................................ .....................77
Length of the interview ................................ ......................77
Sample size ................................ ................................ ........77
Ethical considerations ................................ ................................ ....77
Informed Consent................................ ............................... 78
viii
Confidentiality ...............................................................................78
Chapter Summary .......................................................................................79

IV. THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF THE LATINX MENTORS ..................................80

Data Collection Review ...............................................................................80
Participant Demographic and Qualifying Survey ..........................81
Institutional Context ....................................................................................82
Mentoring Programs ....................................................................................85
Participant Portraits .....................................................................................86
Bromine-Br ................................ ................................ .................... 86
Summary ................................ ................................ ............88
Helium-He......................................................................................89
Summary ............................................................................91
Lithium-Li ................................ ................................ ...................... 92
Summary ................................ ................................ ............ 94
Nitrogen -N ................................ ................................ ..................... 95
Summary ................................ ................................ ............ 97
Fluorine -F ................................ ................................ ...................... 98
Summary ................................ ................................ .......... 100
Beryllium -Be................................ ................................ ................101
Summary ................................ ................................ ..........103
Hydrogen-H ................................ ................................ .................103
Summary ................................ ................................ ..........105
Carbon-C ................................ ................................ ...................... 106
Summary ................................ ................................ ..........108

V. FINDINGS ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 109

Findings ................................ ................................ ................................ .....109
Relational Capital’s First Characteristic: Compassion ................111
Hope ................................ ................................ .................114
Inspiration ................................ ................................ ........119
Relational Capital’s Second Charac teristic: Experiential ............126
Shared experiences................................ ........................... 128
Extension of family ................................ .......................... 133
The culture of the shared m eal ................................ .........136
Code switching................................ ................................ .138
Relational Capital’s Third Characteristic: Generativity ..............143
Understanding and utilizing networks ............................. 144
Skill building ................................ ................................ ....149
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Summary ...................................................................................................155

VI. DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................157

Summary of the Study ...............................................................................157
Discussion of Findings ..............................................................................158
Finding One: Relational Capital’s First Characteristic of
Compassion ..................................................................................159
Finding Two: Relational Capital’s Second Characteristic of
Experiential ..................................................................................162
Finding Three: Relational Capital’s Third Characteristic of
Generativity..................................................................................168
Implications ...............................................................................................173
Implications for Research ............................................................175
Implications for Policy .................................................................177
Review of the Significance of the Study ...................................................178
Recommendation for Future Research ......................................................179
Conclusion .................................................................................................179

APPENDIX SECTION ....................................................................................................181
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................198

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