Education Commons^™

Capturing Awareness: The Perception Of Higher Education At An At-Risk, Urban Middle School, Kristen M. Upp

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study is to understand at-risk, urban middle school students’ perceptions of higher education through the minds of young students from a diverse, inner city schooling background. This study sought to understand barriers preventing students from attending college and the positive contributing factors encouraging them to do so. Written interviews were conducted in an 8^th grade urban middle school in the southern United States.

One hundred five (105) students voluntarily participated in the research study, writing their thoughts pertaining to higher education and their feelings on the topic. The following themes were found: Family Involvement, Financial …

Validation: Latino Voices In Higher Education, Krista Navarrette

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative study explored Latino men’s experiences in higher education and their capacity to succeed at a Predominately White Institution (PWI) in the Midwest region of the United States. The study focused on six participants as they navigate through college and how they viewed their validation as Latino males in college. The literature review discusses the current state of Latino/a’s in higher education and how they are lacking in the education race in regards to white students. The researcher used Validation Theory to investigate Latino males - deemed the “invisible population”—in order to find new implications for persistence, pursuit, and …

“Illegal” Alien Or “Latina” Alien: Latina-Based Sorority Members’ Perception And Expectations Of Anti-Immigration Law, Tegra M. Straight

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study is to determine the perceptions that Latina-based sorority members have on anti-immigration law. Specifically, this study addresses what changes to experience Latina-based sorority members anticipate, their perceptions on anti-immigration law, as well as what they think the university’s response should be to such initiatives. Interviews with five Latina-based sorority members, four undergraduate and one graduate, served as the primary form of data. Interviews centered on Latina-based sorority members’ perception of Legislative Bill 1070 from Arizona and Ordinance No. 5165 from Fremont Nebraska.

The findings indicate that Latina-based sorority members perceived anti-immigration law to be anti-Latino …