Exploring the nexus between community cultural wealth and the academic and social experiences of Latino male achievers at two predominantly White research universities

Abstract

Latino males are grossly underrepresented at four-year postsecondary institutions in the United States. This phenomenological study seeks to address this emergent educational crisis by focusing on the experiences of two Latino male achievers at predominantly White research universities. Community Cultural Wealth is used to explore how Latino male collegians with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) above 3.75 employed linguistic, resistant, and navigational capital to enhance their academic and social experiences during college. The reports offered by participants in this study are intended to advance knowledge regarding the experiences of Latino male collegians as well as to enhance research, policies, and practices that increase the educational attainment of Latina/o students within higher education.

Keywords:

• Latino male collegians
• achievement
• community cultural wealth
• Hispanic male undergraduates
• phenomenology

Funding

This research was supported by the NASPA Foundation’s Channing Briggs Small Grant.

Notes

1. The terms Latina/o and Hispanic are used interchangeably when referring to men and women of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central- and South-American descent. The use of the terms Latino, Hispanic, and other subcategories is determined by how they are referenced in the literature.

2. The pseudonyms, Private University and State University, will be used when referring to sites of this study.