High-achieving, low income, first-generation Latino community college students : cultural capital, social capital, self-perceptions, and college choice

Access restricted to the OSU CommunityThough an increasing number of Latino students is attending college upon graduation from high school, the vast majority of these students, even if they are high-achieving students who could attend a four-year college or university, choose to enroll into two-year community colleges. This study discusses the process by which high-achieving, low-income, first-generation Latino students make college choices. This study uses McDonough's college choice model and Stanton-Salazar's social capital framework on institutional and protective agents to analyze student interview data to help explain how social class, schooling experiences, families, and student perceptions impact college choices and opportunities for Latino students. The results of this study and previous research suggest educational practices and policies which would improve young Latino's access to four-year colleges