Family, culture, gender, and Mexican American adolescents' academic success

Abstract

Latinos are the largest ethnic minority group in the USA (14.5 %) and are predicted to make up 24 % of the US population by 2050 (Pew Hispanic Center, 2007). About 64 % of Latinos in the USA are Mexican American (Pew Hispanic Center). We use the term Mexican American (MA) to refer to those of Mexican national origin residing in the USA including both those born in the USA and immigrants. Unfortunately, Latino adolescents drop out of school at much higher rates than other groups (22 % as compared to 10 % for African Americans and 6 % for White non-Latinos; U.S. Department of Education, 2007). MA youth, in particular, appear to face significant barriers to educational success in the USA. MA adolescents show poorer performance compared to other ethnic groups and compared to other Latino groups in the USA on most measures of academic success (Driscoll, 1999).