Date Approved

2022

Degree Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department or School

Leadership and Counseling

Committee Member

David Anderson, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Carmen McCallum, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Imandeep Grewal, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Mary Beth Leibold, Ph.D.

Abstract

It is indeed a fact that diversity helps to build a better economy, and diverse businesses are proven to be healthier and more successful, but the lack of diversity in the workforce and educational environment, shows that the pipeline is not moving Latinx people enough. Latinx community is the largest minoritized community in the United States, substantially impacting the country’s economy and society, but the United States Census Bureau (2020) estimates that out of the 2% of the population 25 years and older who have a doctorate degree only 0.11% is Hispanic of any race, including Latinx. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between students’ attributes before entering college as well as their college environment and the outcomes of career success and overall and academic resilience among the Latinx community. Three hundred and one Latinx students were surveyed, and a structural equation model (SEM) was created, suggesting a refinement of Tinto’s conceptual schema for dropout from college to better represent the Latinx community. This study showed that instead of exempting the educational institutions of their responsibilities, neglecting the importance of their supportive role by solely blaming the Latinx student and contributing to the historical actions of discrimination and oppression in the United States educational system, they should provide an equitable educational environment, address the deficit thinking experiences lived by Latinx students while in college, and understand the way Latinx students see themselves when compared to their non-Latinx peers (self-deficit thinking). These were the main environmental factors influencing Latinx academic resilience, overall resilience, and career success, and a new framework was observed to help stop Latinx oppression.

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