Jeanett Castellanos

An Examination of Academic Nonpersistence Decisions of Latino Undergraduates

This study assessed the extent to which university comfort, social support, and self-beliefs were interrelated and subsequently predictive of academic nonpersistence decisions for 99 Latina/o undergraduates. The majority of the sample was female, traditional college aged, second generation, and of Mexican heritage. Previously used or specifically developed standardized instruments for Latina/o college students were implemented. The three constructs were significantly interrelated and predictive of academic nonpersistence decisions. Social support was the strongest predictor of academic nonpersistence decisions, followed by university comfort. Individual variables of perceived social support from friends, perceived mentorship, and perception of the university environment had the strongest predictive value. Implications for recruitment and retention of Latina/os and programming directives for university personnel are provided.

Perceived Educational Barriers, Cultural Fit, Coping Responses, and Psychological Well-Being of Latina Undergraduates

Given the unique educational experiences and disproportional representation of Latinas in higher education, this study examined how Latinas’ perception of educational barriers and cultural fit influenced their coping responses and subsequent well-being in college. Participants (N = 98) were primarily second-generation Mexican-heritage women who were highly motivated to pursue advanced graduate training. Differences by generation and educational characteristics were not found. Cultural congruity and the coping response of taking a planned, positive action were the strongest predictors of psychological well-being accounting for 31% of the variance. The study’s findings challenge stereo-types of Latina students in higher education, as they valued higher education, believed that they could overcome any barriers to achieve their educational goals, and used active coping responses, which informed their positive and healthy functioning.

Examining the Ethnic Minority Student Experience at Predominantly White Institutions: A Case Study:

The researchers of this qualitative study conducted four focus groups to explore the college student experience of ethnic minorities in an institution of higher education. The purpose of the study was threefold: (a) to examine the experiences of ethnic minority students at a predominately White institution, (b) to discuss the similarities and differences of the experiences among the four groups, and (c) to identify student perspectives on the delivery of student services in the institution. The study examined African American, Asian-Pacific American, Chicano/Latino, and Native American student experiences at a research institution.

Research Considerations and Theoretical Application for Best Practices in Higher Education: Latina/os Achieving Success

This scholarly article addresses the Latina/o undergraduate experiences proposing a (re)definition of educational success. Discussing strength-based practices of familia, mentorship, cultural congruity, and professional development from a psychosociocultural (PSC) approach, the article presents practical recommendations and directions for university personnel. The authors centralize culture through use of common dichos and everyday examples to illustrate effective and Latina/o student-focused practices. Resumen: Este artículo académico se ocupa de las experiencias de latinas/os de pregrado y propone una re-definición del éxito educacional. Se discuten prácticas de apoyo familiares, tutoría, congruencia cultural, y desarrollo profesional desde una perspectiva cultural y psicosocial (PSC). Se presentan además recomendaciones prácticas y direcciones para el personal universitario. Los autores materializan la cultura a través del uso de dichos comunes y ejemplos diarios para ilustrar prácticas efectivas enfocadas en estudiantes latinas/os.

Desafíos y Bendiciones: A Multiperspective Examination of the Educational Experiences and Coping Responses of First-Generation College Latina Students

Taking a multiperspective approach, seven Latina students, two student services personnel, and one mental health service provider are interviewed to gain different stakeholder perspectives regarding Latina first-generation college educational and coping experiences. Familial involvement and connections with family, peers, and university personnel are critical to the educational coping of Latina first-generation college students. The students provide consejos for other Latina first-generation students to navigate college successfully. Practice implications and directives for future research are provided.

Student Affairs Professionals' Self-report of Multicultural Competence: Understanding Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills

Pope and Reynolds’ (1997) theoretical model of multicultural competence for student affairs was empirically tested with 100 student affairs professionals. The domain subscales of awareness, knowledge, and skills revealed high internal consistency and intercorrelation. Males reported significantly higher multicultural awareness in their interactions with students than females. No differences by sociorace were revealed. Regression analyses indicated that knowledge predicted the majority of the variance (75%) of skills, while awareness accounted for a smaller portion (4%). Directions for future research and practical implications for increasing multicultural competence of student affairs professionals are discussed.

The reliability and validity of the cultural congruity and university environment scales with Chicana/o community college students

Abstract Following the calls for increased research on the educational experiences of Chicana/o community college students, and the development of culturally applicable measures for communities of color, this study examined the utility and the applicability of the Cultural Congruity Scale (CCS) and University Environment Scale (UES) for use with Chicana/o community college students. Applying a psychosociocultural framework, the reliability, construct, and criterion-related validity of the scales for use with a sample of 110 Chicana/o community college students was examined. Results demonstrated adequate reliability and construct validity, with indication of applicability of these scales for the study’s sample. Overall, the study challenges normative practices in educational research that students—despite their race/ethnicity, backgrounds, and histories—face similar educational experiences. Implications are discussed.

Mentoring Matters: Racial Ethnic Minority Undergraduates’ Cultural Fit, Mentorship, and College and Life Satisfaction

This study examined the degree to which cultural fit (cultural congruity in combination with perception of the university environment) and the dimensional noncognitive processes of mentoring predicted college satisfaction and life satisfaction for 238 racial and ethnic minority undergraduates from two university contexts. Group differences as well as differences in strength of relationships emerged by site and mentor status. Perception of the university environment was the strongest positive predictor of college satisfaction, whereas cultural congruity was the strongest predictor of life satisfaction. Limitations, future research directions, and implications of the study’s findings are discussed.

Assessing Latina/o Undergraduates' Depressive Symptomatology: Comparisons of the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale, and the Self-Report Depression Scale.

The use of depression scales as screening tools at university and college centers is increasing and thus, the question of whether scales are culturally valid for different student groups is increasingly more relevant with increased severity of depression for students and changing student demographics. As such, this study examined the reliability and validity of three commonly used depression scales with 203 Latina/o undergraduates. The scales varied in item response, assessment, reliability, convergent and construct validity, and detection of sex and class standing differences for the study’s sample. The strengths and limitations of implementing the scales with Latina/o undergraduates are addressed for research and within practice settings.

The association between multidimensional feminine norms, binge drinking and alcohol-related problems among young adult college women

Alcohol consumption among women has steadily increased over the past 30years, and womens drinking behavior is now similar to that of mens. The escalation of alcohol use among women highlights the critical need to examine gender issues and motivational factors that contribute to binge drinking and related problems within this population. Feminine norms or the socially constructed beliefs, messages and attitudes about what it means to be a woman may contribute to within-group differences in drinking patterns among women. The current study examined the relationship between multidimensional feminine norms and binge drinking and alcohol-related problems among 1910 college women. Participants completed a self-report measure of binge drinking, alcohol-related problems, conformity to feminine norms, alcohol expectancies and descriptive norms. Controlling for the covariates descriptive norms, positive alcohol expectancies, and sorority membership, adherence to feminine norms related to sexual fidelity and belief that one needs to be sweet and nice were negatively associated to binge drinking, while adhering to investment in appearance was positively associated to binge drinking and alcohol-related problems. Distinct feminine norms also had a significant indirect effect on alcohol-related problems through binge drinking. This study significant contributes to the literature by elucidating the theoretically gender-relevant risk and protective aspects of feminine norms in relation to binge drinking and related problems, and provides important information that might be used in clinical and prevention efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm among a vulnerable group: college women.