Success stories: A qualitative study of women students of Mexican descent at Iowa State University
Date
1998
Authors
Nolasco Cedillo, Juana
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Hamrick, Florence A.
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Abstract
This qualitative study attempts to answer three questions: Who are the women of Mexican descent that enroll at Iowa State University? To what do the women of Mexican descent attribute their academic success? What are the experiences successful women of Mexican descent have at Iowa State University, a Predominately White Institution? Conclusions drawn from the study show that the women of Mexican descent are a complex and diverse subset of the Hispanic population attending Iowa State University. They come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, are various ages, have different levels of high school preparation, are completing or have completed undergraduate degrees, and can be characterized as independent.
For the women, a focus on educational attainment was the central reason for their success. The focus on educational attainment resulted from the women's high school education and family, two factors to which the women attribute their persistence towards educational attainment. Within the scope of educational attainment, success had three components: first, it was comparative; second it was based on goal achievement; and third it involved overcoming obstacles. Finally, the women's experiences at Iowa State were affected both negatively and positively by their ethnicity, while their success was marked by the same independence which enabled them during their high school years. Recommendations for practitioners and researchers are given. Forty-eight references cited.
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thesis