Understanding Latino students' challenges and supports at the University of Delaware
Date
2018
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
In 2011, the University of Delaware underwent an evaluation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The evaluation raised concerns about the university’s lack of campus diversity, low five-year graduation rates for underrepresented minorities, and the potential decline in Latino student enrollment as a result of rising admissions standards. In an effort to understand undergraduate Latino students’ experiences and persistence to graduation at the University of Delaware, this executive position paper seeks to follow up and expand on the findings from the evaluation. To gain a broader understanding of Latino students’ experiences, this study used a convergent parallel mixed methods research design. The qualitative portion of the study consisted of four focus groups and one interview, totaling nineteen participants. In the quantitative portion of the study, 142 participants responded to a 60-question survey, which included 45 original questions and 15 questions from Pascarella and Terenzini’s instrument on Persistence/Voluntary Drop Decision Scale (1980). Four themes emerged from the qualitative data: familial motivation and betterment of self; challenge of finding a sense of belonging and understanding; support from family, friends, and on-campus organizations; and desire for more culturally-based initiatives from the university. The findings from the quantitative survey indicated that Latino students felt satisfied with their experience at the university and would choose the University of Delaware again. Overall, results demonstrated Latino students have varying opinions about their college experience; both negative and positive. Participants identified on-campus organizations and offices that supported them and also provided recommendations to the university. The results of this study contribute to the research on Latino student persistence at predominantly White institutions.
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Keywords
Education, Challenges, Latina, Latino, Latinos, Predominantly white institutions, Supports