(Ms.)Education in the borderlands of academia: gendered experiences of Mexican American women first generation college students

Suarez, Cecilia

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/50462 Copy

Description

Title

(Ms.)Education in the borderlands of academia: gendered experiences of Mexican American women first generation college students

Author(s)

Suarez, Cecilia

Issue Date

2014-09-16

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Dixson, Adrienne D.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Brown, Ruth N.

Committee Member(s)

• Dixson, Adrienne D.
• Barnett, Bernice M.
• Rodriguez, Richard T.

Department of Study

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Discipline

Educational Policy Studies

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Mexican American Women
• First Generation
• Intersectionality
• Critical Race Theory
• Borderlands Theory

Abstract

Literature about Mexican American student achievement focuses mainly on issues regarding educational support and retention of Mexican American students in higher education. These scholarly works often highlight reasons why Latino students struggle to succeed, without discussing the overarching power structures of race and using Critical Race Theory as “an analytical tool for understanding school inequity” (Ladson-Billings & Tate IV, 1995, p.47). Moreover, most of this existing literature rarely, if so briefly, discusses the differentiation and distinctive emphasis between Mexican American men and women, particularly the unique familial, cultural, and societal expectations that impact the lived experiences of Mexican American women who are first generation college students. When gender differences are discussed, the blame is placed on cultural practices, family income, and language deficiencies. This study analyzes the current academic struggles of Mexican American women pursuing higher education degrees in the United States. Furthermore, this inquiry gives visibility to Mexican American women students and the cultural and societal expectations they experience. Finally, this research challenges the current notions that view the Mexican American woman’s education struggle from a cultural deficit model and imposes a lens of Critical Race Theory that deconstructs normative practices in academia and society that inhibit the academic progress of Mexican American women first generation college students.

Graduation Semester

2014-08

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/50462

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2014 Cecilia Suarez

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