Abstract
Santa-Ramirez highlights the counter-stories of six undergraduate students at a public Research I predominantly White institution (PWI) in the Southwest, US. The author applies critical race and sense of belonging theoretical frameworks to investigate the support systems first-generation Latina/x students utilize for persistence while navigating a racially hostile campus climate. Three themes emerged from the data: (1) Culturally-based academic program, (2) Peer and professional staff support, and (3) Ethnic student organization involvement. The findings of this study assist in providing a greater understanding and awareness of the negative impacts hostile racial tensions on college campuses have on many Latina/x students and the importance of institutional support systems and services during these challenging and transitional times.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Anzaldua, G. (1990). Haciendo caras/making face, making soul: Creative and critical perspectives by women of color. San Francisco, CA: Aunt Lute Press.
Baker, C. N. (2008). Under-represented college students and extracurricular involvement: The effects of various student organizations on academic performance. Social Psychology of Education, 11(3), 273–298.
Bennett, S. M. (1999). Self-segregation: An oxymoron in Back and White. In K. Freeman (Ed.), African American culture and heritage in higher education research and practice (pp. 121–131). Westport, CT: Praeger.
Brown, L. M., & Gilligan, C. (1992). Meeting at the crossroads: Women’s psychology and girls development. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.
Clandinin, J. (2006). Narrative inquiry: A methodology for studying lived experience. Research Studies in Music Education, 27(1), 44–54.
Davis, M. (1997). Latino leadership development: Beginning on campus. National Civic Review, 86(3), 227–233.
Delgado, R., & Stefancic, J. (2017). Critical race theory: An introduction (3rd ed.). New York, NY: NYC Press.
Delgado-Romero, E., Hernandez, C., & Montero, H. (2004). Mapping the development of Hispanic/Latinx student organizations: A model at the University of Florida. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 3(3), 237–253.
DeOnis, C. M. (2017). What’s in an “x”? An exchange about the politics of “Latinx”. Chiricu Journal, 1(2), 78–91.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY: Continuum International Publishing Group.
Harper, S. R., & Hurtado, S. (2007). Nine themes in campus racial climates and implications for institutional transformation. New Directions for Students Services, 120, 7–24.
Hernandez, J. C. (2002). A qualitative exploration of the first-year experience of Latino college students. NASPA Journal, 40(1), 69–84.
Hurtado, S., & Carter, D. (1997). Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial climate on Latina/o college students’ sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70, 324–345.
Hurtado, S., & Ponjuan, L. (2005). Latino educational outcomes and the campus climate. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 4(3), 235–251.
Johnson, S. (1997). Ethnic/cultural centers on predominantly White campuses: Are they necessary? In K. Lomotey (Ed.), Sailing against the wind: African Americans and women in education. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Krogstad, J. M. (2016, July). 5 facts about Latinos and education. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/28/5-facts-about-latinos-and-education/.
Labov, W. (1972). Sociolinguistic patterns. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Leech, N. L., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2008). Qualitative data analysis: A compendium of techniques and framework for selection for school psychology research and beyond. School Psychology Quarterly, 23(4), 587–604.
Love, D. (2009). Student retention through the lens of campus climate, racial stereotypes, and faculty relationships. Journal of Diversity Management, 4(3), 21–26.
Mason, M. (2010). Sample size and saturation in PhD studies using qualitative interviews. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 11(3). Available from http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/1428/3027.
Montelongo, R., Alatorre, H., Hernandez, A., Palencia, J., Plaza, R., Sanchez, D., et al. (2015). Latina/o students and involvement: Outcomes associated with Latina/o student organizations. In D. Mitchell Jr., K. Soria, E. Daniele, & J. Gipson (Eds.), Student involvement and academic outcomes: Implications for diverse college student populations (pp. 93–106). New York: Peter Lang.
Museus, S. D. (2014). The culturally engaging campus environments (CECE) model: A new theory of college success among racially diverse student populations. Higher education: Handbook of Theory and Research, 29, 188–227.
Nunez, A. M. (2009). Latino students’ transitions to college: A social and intercultural capital perspective. Harvard Educational Review, 79(1), 22–47.
Parra, R., Rios, V., & Gutierrez, A. (1976). Chicano organizations in the Midwest: Past, present and possibilities. Aztlan, 7(2), 235–253.
Patton, M. Q. (2002). Two decades of developments in qualitative inquiry: A personal, experiential perspective. Qualitative Social Work, 1(3), 261–283.
Perez Huber, L. (2009). Challenging racist nativist framing: Acknowledging the community cultural wealth of undocumented Chicana college students to reframe the immigration debate. Harvard Educational Review, 79(4), 704–729.
Rankin, S., & Reason, R. (2005). Differing perceptions: How students of color and White students perceive campus climate for underrepresented groups. Journal of College Student Development, 46(1), 43–61.
Reyes, D. I. V. (2012). Latino student politics: Constructing ethnic identities through organizations. University of California, Irvine. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.
Rhee, B. (2008). Institutional climate and school departure: A multinomial multilevel modeling approach. The Review of Higher Education, 31, 161–183.
Rios Vega, J. A. (2015). Counterstorytelling narratives of Latino teenage boys. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.
Salinas, C., Jr. (2017). Transforming academia and theorizing spaces for Latinx in higher education: Voces perdidas and voces de poder. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 30(8), 746–758.
Schlossberg, N. K. (1989). Marginality and mattering: Key issues in building community. New Directions for Student Services, 1989(48), 5–15.
Solorzano, D., & Villalpando, O. (1998). Critical race theory, marginality, and the experience of minority students in higher education. In C. Torres & T. Mitchell (Eds.), Emerging issues in the sociology of education: Comparative perspectives (pp. 211–224). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Solórzano, D. G., & Yosso, T. J. (2002). Critical race methodology: Counter-storytelling as an analytical framework for education research. Qualitative Inquiry, 8(1), 23–44.
Solórzano, D. G., Ceja, M., & Yosso, T. J. (2000). Critical race theory, racial microaggressions, and campus racial climate: The experiences of African American students. The Journal of Negro Education, 69, 60–73.
Stearns, C., Watanabe, S., & Snyder, T. D. (2002). Hispanic serving institutions: Statistical trends from 1990–1999. Darby, PA: Diane.
Strayhorn, T. L. (2008). Sentido de Pertenencia. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 7(4), 301–320.
Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). College students’ sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students. New York and London: Routledge.
Thayer, P. B. (2000). Retention of students from first generation and low income backgrounds. The Journal of the Council for Opportunity in Education, 3–9.
Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Ward, L., Siegel, M. J., & Davenport, Z. (2012). First-generation college students: Understanding and improving the experience from recruitment to commencement. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Yosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69–91.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Santa-Ramirez, S. (2018). “Mi Familia”: Counterstories of First-Generation Latina/x Students Navigating a Racially Hostile Campus Climate. In: Soria, K. (eds) Evaluating Campus Climate at US Research Universities. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94836-2_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94836-2_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-94835-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-94836-2
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)