College-Prep Guide for the Latinx Community
Ingrid Morales-Ramirez & Chelsea Hoffman
Latinx adolescents, in particular high school students, face many barriers when attempting to pursue higher education. These limitations include a lack of education and guidance, financial insecurity, and language barriers, which minimize their opportunities to seek out college (Rodriguez et al., 2015). The purpose of this booklet is to provide a step-by-step guide for Latinx high school students on how to prepare and apply to college. In addition, the booklet provides information for undocumented students and information on scholarships, loans, and mentoring.
Social Justice Needs: Latinx Adolescents
The population we are working with are Latinx high school students who come from a low-socioeconomic status and whose primary language is Spanish. These students are members of the LISTO program at the Latino Hispanic American Community Center (LHACC). The LISTO program provides learning sessions about various topics such as team building, decision making, life skills, and career pathways.
Research has shown that Latinx adolescences experience multiple barriers such as lack of financial and language resources, negative peer influences, and discrimination from teachers, peers, and even within their own families (Mcwhirter, Valdez, & Caban, 2013). According to Rodriguez, Rhodes, and Aguirre (2015), Latinx individuals face many barriers on their way to obtaining a college degree. These barriers include the need for immediate financial stability, which may result in obtaining a job out of high school rather than pursuing further education. Other barriers include an overall lack of knowledge regarding the benefits of obtaining a college degree, how to financially plan for college, lack of guidance on how to obtain a college degree, and lower expectations on the Latinx population.
Literature substantiates that Latinx adolescences, in particular high school students, need guidance in pursuing higher education. In the booklet, we hope to deliver guidance on how to prepare for college during high school, how to apply for college (i.e., filling out essays, obtaining the necessary materials such as recommendation letters, taking the SAT, etc.), and how to obtain financial aid. In addition, the booklet includes information on mentorship and information for undocumented students. Our goal was to address as many information-based barriers as possible in order to assist these students in the best way possible. Furthermore, the booklet is translated in Spanish to diminish the language barrier that exists for these students (Mcwhirter et al.,2013)
Theoretical rationale: Gottfredson, Super, & Social Cognitive Career Theory
The theoretical explanation behind the development of the college-prep pamphlet in grounded in Gottfredson, Super, and Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT).
Gottfredson’s career development theory of circumscription and compromise aligns with pamphlet objectives. Circumscription is the process of ruling out careers as we develop our self-concept (Gottfredson, 1996). The first aim of the pamphlet is to achieve circumscription by assisting the students in developing their self-concept (i.e., the way they view themselves) with the information provided in the college-prep pamphlet. By researching colleges, majors, and careers with the resources given to them will result in the students screening out jobs that don’t align with their self-concept and choose careers that better suit them.
A second aim of the pamphlet is to limit the extent to which a student compromises and add to their cognitive career maps. Compromise is the process of adjusting parts of their self-concept with careers that are available (Gottfredson, 1996). However, compromise is challenging for Latinx adolescents, given the economic and educational barriers they encounter. Hence, compromise occurs daily for these students due to a lack of resources.
This assumption also ties into Gottfredson’s theory relating to the development of cognitive maps. Gottfredson argues that cognitive maps (i.e., schemas) for attainable careers are built on what is seen in a person’s environment. Given the difficulties that the Latinx community face (i.e., low socioeconomic status, lack of resources), the college-prep pamphlet serves as a tool to combat these barriers by expanding the students’ knowledge on opportunities available to them outside their immediate environment and limiting the compromise by adding resources they can use in their educational and social capital.
One assumption of Super’s career development theory posits that career pattern is determined by a person’s mental ability, socioeconomic status, skills, education, personality, and career maturity. Career maturity is an adolescent’s decision-making ability, relevant to same-aged peers (Savickas, 1999). Further, career maturity is culture-laden, as it is affected by language barriers, socioeconomic status, and accessibility to resources. A majority of the Latinx students in the LISTO program face these cultural barriers. For instance, most of the students come from households with a low-socioeconomic status, which can negatively affect their education (Manzano-Sanchez, Matarrita-Cascante, & Outley, 2019). Hence, because of the minimal allocation of funding for public schools, as well as their restricted skill set, career maturity will be limited due to their environmental circumstances and shortage of resources. In addition, some students have difficulty speaking and understanding English, which harms their career maturity. According to Super, if their career maturity is jeopardized, then their success is also jeopardized.
Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) centers on how academic and career interests manifest, how choices are made, and how success is achieved. Furthermore, contextual background variables- such as gender, ethnicity, social support, environment, perceived barriers- influence career choice and higher educational achievement (Manzano-Sanchez et al., 2019). Many adolescents within the Latinx community experience contextual background variables that influence their career and academic choices, which hinders their success. Research denotes that the most concerning barrier Latinx students face are a lack of financial resources and poor career guidance (Schneider et al., 2006). In a similar vein, Latinx students are the least likely to take college entrance examinations and apply to college (Schneider et al., 2006). These barriers partially explain why Latinx students have the lowest rates of college attendance (Sáenz & Ponjuan, 2012). Given that this population faces many obstacles, it was important that this college-prep pamphlet offered a solution to some of these barriers in order to support the students.
In addition, a facet of SCCT is grounded in social learning theory (e.g., vicarious learning). To help the students develop career interests and choose an appropriate academic path, the students in the LISTO program are matched with mentors who have careers that match the students’ career interests. Through continued activity exposure, practice, and feedback with the mentor, the students refine their skills, form a sense of their efficacy in particular tasks, and acquire certain expectations about the outcomes of activity engagement. To further support the students in understanding the purpose and expectation of mentorship, the college-prep pamphlet includes information with a focus on mentoring.
The booklet relies on change mechanisms from each of the three career theories. Overall, the main goal of the booklet is to provide psychoeducation and resources to support Latinx adolescents to reach their career and academic goals. Through the mentoring process, students will develop self-efficacy and a better understanding of outcome expectations relating to their career of interest. Finally, the booklet instills hope that achieving their goal in higher education is feasible.
Resources Needed
The facilitator or volunteer working directly with the students needs to be bilingual in both English and Spanish to reduce any possible language barriers. In addition, the facilitator or volunteer needs to show cultural competency when working with the Latinx community. These two resources are required to ethically deliver the booklet intervention and fully comprehend the barriers Latinx adolescents encounter.
Ideally, the facilitator or volunteer is strongly encouraged to have a general understanding of career counseling, including knowledge on the theories that the booklet is rooted in. Furthermore, the facilitator or volunteer should have college experience and knowledge on information surrounding financial aid, student loans. grants, scholarships, and the college application process. In addition, the facilitator or volunteer’s cultural competency will also aid in finding specific scholarships and grants geared towards the Latinx population.
Finally, the student or group that receives the booklet intervention is strongly encouraged to have access to a computer for internet access purposes. This resource allows the student to click the hyperlinks embedded in the booklet and find additional information. However, if internet access is unfeasible, the booklet should be printed to combat this technological necessity.
Delivering Services
The pamphlet was delivered via a PDF document, which will make downloading accessible across all technology and will not change the formatting. The pamphlet was also delivered as a Word document so that, if needed, edits can be made or information can be added as the booklet is utilized through-out future LISTO classes.
The facilitator at LHACC is planning to give this pamphlet to the students at the start of the new session beginning in May. LHACC is utilizing the pamphlet to provide education, keep the students on the college preparation course, and guide them on mentoring.
Expected outcomes: College Bound
To gauge the student’s success, we included general goals that should be obtained in each grade of high school to best prepare the student for college. At the end of each high school year, the student should meet with the program facilitator or volunteer to discuss the steps the student took to reach their goals.
During the freshman year of high school, students should meet with their guidance counselor to introduce themselves and begin creating a tentative plan for taking advanced placement (AP) courses in the upcoming years. Students should also get involved in extracurricular activities of their specific interests both in school and their community. Upon completion of these goals, students will have developed stronger relationships with peers, faculty, community members, and counselors. In addition, students will become better prepared for the rest of high school and have an understanding of what is expected of them.
In the students’ sophomore year, they should take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) and find a part-time job. Once these goals are achieved, students will have developed time management skills and be better prepared for taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), not to mention their likelihood of obtaining a high SAT score should become more feasible.
Once the students become juniors, they should officially take the SATs, continue flourishing in their AP courses, and begin recording any awards or honors they achieve to add to their resume. These steps will help the students stand out from other college applicants.
Finally, upon completion of the previously mentioned goals, the students will begin applying to the colleges of their choice. The final outcome will result in the students achieving their goal of being successfully accepted into college.
The Finished Product
The finished product included detailed information to guide students in achieving goals during grade levels 9-12th.The booklet provided step-by-step information regarding what the students need to accomplish and how to complete particular steps. Hyperlinks are attached to the booklet so that students can click the hyperlink and automatically be redirected to the website needed (i.e., FASFA, free SAT test materials, etc.). An appendix was also created that provided more detail on specific topics that were included in the main sections (i.e., loans, scholarships, free SAT materials, etc.). Two copies of the pamphlet exist- one in English and one in Spanish. This was done to minimize the language barrier.
College-Prep Booklet (English Version)
College-Prep Booklet (Spanish Version)
References
Gottfredson, L. S. (1996). Gottfredson’s theory of circumscription and compromise. In D. Brown & L. Brooks (Eds.), Career choice and development: Applying contemporary theories to practice (3rd ed., pp.179-232). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Manzano-Sanchez, H., Matarrita-Cascante, D., & Outley, C. (2019). Barriers and supports to college aspiration among latinx high school students. Journal of Youth Development, 14(2), 25- 45. https://doi.org.10.5195/jyd.2019.685
McWhirter, E. H., Valdez, M., & Caban, A. R. (2013). Latina adolescent’s plans, barriers, and supports: A focus group study. Journal of Latina/o Psychology, 1(1), 35. https://doi.org.10.1037/a0031304
Rodriguez, E., Rhodes, K., & Aguirre, G. (2015). Intervention for high school latino students in preparing for college: Steps for consideration. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 14(3), 207-222.
Sáenz, V. B., & Ponjuan, L. (2012). Men of color: Ensuring the academic success of latino males in higher education. Perspectivas: Issues in Higher Education Policy and Practice, 1, 1-12.
Savickas, M. (1999). The transition from school to work: A developmental perspective. The Career Development Quarterly, 4, 326-336.
Schneider, B., Martinez, S., & Owens, A. (2006). Barriers to educational opportunities for Hispanics in the United States. In M. Tienda & F. Mitchell (Eds.), Hispanics and the future of America. Panel of Hispanics in the United States (pp. 179-227). Washington, D.C: The National Academies Press.