The Dissertation Process and Mentor Relationships for African American and Latina/o Students in an Online Program

To examine the problem of underrepresentation of minority students in doctoral programs, the author utilized a mixed-methods case study of an online doctoral program in which large numbers of African American and Latina/o students were enrolled. Themes uncovered in the study centered on specific academic and nonacademic challenges, the important role of mentors, and the impact of degree completion on students. Recommendations include effective mentor–mentee matching and increased sensitivity to particular challenges for underrepresented minority students in doctoral programs.     

La Ola Latina: Recent Scholarship in Latina/o and Latin American Rhetorics

For generations, critics have dismissed James Forman's “Black Manifesto” as a rhetorical failure. Such judgments tend to focus on the prophetic and retributive registers of the speech and fail to account for the full range of its ironic structuration. By examining the complex interchange of prophetic, retributive, and tragic registers through which the “Manifesto” is constructed, we can more fully appreciate how Forman created a space for his auditors to reflect and redirect the vengeful and violent sociohistorical drama seemingly otherwise implied. At the same time, it helps to explain why some black auditors embraced the leadership role Forman directed them to assume, while many whites reviled the supporting role to which they were consigned. Interpreting the speech in terms of the interplay of its multiple ironic registers invites us to focus attention on the ways in which ironic protest rhetoric operates in dialogue, holding both the ironist and the audience accountable for the productivity of their encounter.     

Capitalizing on Participation: Latina/o Adolescents and the Classroom Economy

Interactions with capital??how it is identified, accumulated and exchanged??occur within fields of action, and every field has its own set of rules, or habitus, shaping the ways in which these interactions unfold. Classrooms, the fields in which students interact in schools, shape and privilege certain ways of thinking and acting, thereby building (or neglecting) opportunities for students. Yet little research has focused on student perceptions of classroom interaction, and particularly whether or how classroom participation might be a form of capital for them. Deploying data collected through classroom observations and interviews with Latina/o students at a large urban high school, this study focuses on examining the ways in which distinct groups of Latina/o students (in a set of schools within a school) understand and experience classroom participation. Findings reveal that while a shared understanding of classroom habitus may be more common than previously thought, we cannot just tell students to participate, or merely depend upon a general belief in the value of participating. Instead, we must simultaneously and explicitly bolster student participation and the cultivation of student networks so that a shared habitus turns the promises of participation into meaningful and equitable praxis.     

Misspoken in Arizona: Latina/o Students Document the Articulations of Racism

This article reports on racism expressed by school personnel (administrators and teachers) and experienced by Latina/o students at a high school located in Tucson, Arizona. Students in a specialized social science research program, called the Social Justice Education Project (SJEP), documented personal encounters with racist articulations at their school. After students conducted observations of their own interactions on campus, they would write (weekly) field notes as part of a research assignment to document racism in education. Most verbal exchanges influenced by racism can be categorized into direct racist statements or racial microaggressions. Both of these racist articulations are tantamount to derogatory comments or slurs that attempt to make an individual from a marginalized group feel inferior to or different (in a negative sense) from the dominant group. This article focuses on the SJEP, implemented at one particular Tucson high school, during the 2010–2011 school year. Excerpts from the students’ field notes pr esent evidence of racist articulations. The article concludes with recommendations on how to ameliorate the educational experiences of students of color with culturally relevant and responsive policies and practices that will move the discourse on marginalized groups in a positive direction.     

Beyond the Hispanic/Latina/o Label: Counseling Students from Four Representative Nations

Clinicians working with students of Hispanic/Latina/o background may tend to categorize these students as Hispanic/Latino/a regardless of their or their ancestors’ country of origin. This article challenges the wisdom of using such broad terminology, because it masks considerable differences among Hispanic/Latina/o students, and proposes instead developing a more detailed knowledge about these students based on national differences. Due to space limitations, I will focus on four nationalities I am most familiar with: Chilean, Costa Rican, Mexican, and Spanish.     

Counseling Latina/o Students From an Ecological Perspective: Working With Peter

This case study describes the experiences of a Mexican American college student addressing difficulties with academic motivation and social adjustment to college. The authors present a counseling intervention that is ecologically focused and designed to help the student develop critical consciousness regarding ethnic and social class identity.     

Navigating Postsecondary Pathways: The College Choice Experiences of First-Generation Latina/o Transfer Students

The purpose of this study was to explore the college choice and transfer decision-making processes of six high-achieving first-generation Latina/o transfer students who began their postsecondary studies at a community college and later transferred to a four-year Hispanic Serving Institution. Utilizing interpretative phenomenological analysis, four themes emerged from data analysis to explain the factors that influenced participants’ decisions to enroll in community college: (a) Inadequate Guidance from School Personnel, (b) Financial Concerns, (c) Familial Factors, and (d) Community College as an Appropriate Match. Additionally, two themes related to the decision to transfer to a four-year institution emerged: (a) Access to Greater Opportunities, and (b) Support and Motivation. The findings of this study will aid researchers and educators alike in understanding and supporting the college choice decisions of high-achieving first-generation Latina/o students.     

Academic Engagement and Achievement Among Latina/o and Non-Latina/o Adolescents

This article presents an exploratory study of the relation between academic engagement and academic achievement for Latina/o and non-Latina/o adolescents attending a predominantly low-income, Latina/o urban middle school in Southern California. A sample of 61 students (37 Latinas/os and 24 non-Latinas/os) participated in the study. The Latina/o students’ mean grade point average was lower than the non-Latina/o students’ mean grade point average. The study results revealed a significant interaction between academic engagement and grade point average for Latina/o students but not for non-Latina/o students. Findings are discussed in regard to the promotion of Latina/o adolescent achievement through increased levels of academic engagement.     

Skin Tone: An Examination of Trustworthiness and Innocence Among College Students

Skin tone research often addresses the effects of skin tone on prejudice and discriminatory practices. Empirical research has persistently investigated skin tone and its effect on prejudice, discriminatory practices, and sentencing outcomes. Using college students as raters, the present study examined the relationship between skin tone, trustworthiness, and innocence. A total of 139 college students at a Southern University observed 417 photos of capital murderers of varying skin tones to determine whether they appeared to be trustworthy and innocent. The study results revealed that college student raters, regardless of race, were more likely to rate dark-skinned individuals higher on both the trustworthiness and innocence scales than light skin individuals. The current study demonstrated that college students, in comparison to other groups, may respond less negative to skin tone variations.     

论动机在英语学习过程中的重要作用

动机在英语学习过程中起着十分重要的作用,从表层动机、深层动机两个方面分析了如何提高学生学习英语的兴趣,教师如何围绕提高学生动机水平而组织教学,从而提出了旨在全面培养学生英语应用能力的有效方法.     

Exploring Resilience in Latina/o Academic Outcomes: A Latent Class Approach

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between various protective factors with academic outcomes of Latina/o high school students. We use two groups of protective influences, individual and family, and their relationship to 12th grade mathematics achievement, dropout rates, and enrollment in post-secondary education. Latent class analysis was used to identify academic protective profiles, or latent groups/classes, among high school Latina/o students (N?=?1610) and assess group differences with respect to gender, SES, immigrant status, student’s native language, preschool attendance, and 10th grade mathematics. Results indicated the presence of four academic protective groups, which differed with respect to academic discussions with parents, and attitudes about mathematics. The four classes are compared with respect to academic outcomes and differences are discussed as well as implications for practice.     

Sexting and Sexuality in Romantic Relationships Among Latina/o Emerging Adults

In a sample of 114 Latina/o emerging adults, ages 18 to 29, this study investigated the frequency of sexting, and gender differences in this behavior, and if sexting was related to a range of sexuality variables, including sexual satisfaction, sexual experience, sexual pleasure, and sexual permissiveness. Results show that a total of 63 (55.26%) of the sample adults had engaged in sexting behavior in the past 6 months with their romantic partner. No gender differences were found on the sexuality variables. After controlling for acculturation and comfort with sexting, hierarchical multiple regression showed that the only variable significantly related to sexting was sexual behavior. Suggestions for future research on sexting among Latinas/os in relationships and how results of this study may inform sexuality education in this group are provided.     

Talking Spirituality with Family Members: Black and Latina/o Children Co-researcher Methodologies

Children in public schools challenge people’s conceptions of them by talking about their spiritualities and spiritual practices. Based on a one-year multicultural feminist critical narrative inquiry, this article examines how Black and Latina/o first grade children co-researchers interview family members to think about their beliefs, encourage others, and to acquire more spiritual knowledge. I provide three counterstories in which children choose a mother, an older sister, and a younger brother to interview. These counterstories demonstrate children’s diverse literacies and spiritual practices, and families’ involvement in children’s lives. I discuss implications for educational practices in support of Black and Latina/o children and their families. I highlight ways pedagogical practices can be critiqued and transformed in order to better support children.Dr. Nadjwa E. L. Norton is an Assistant Professor in the Literacy Department at City College, CUNY. Her scholarship focuses on multiple literacies practices, spirituality, teacher education, equity-oriented multicultural education, and collaborative qualitative research designs. Address correspondence to Dr. Nadjwa E. L. Norton, Department of Literacy NAC 6/207, The City College of New York, 138th Street & Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031, USA; e-mail: nnorton@ccny.cuny.edu.