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AAHHE-ETS Outstanding Dissertation Competition Webinar: A Narrative Analysis on Latino Male Youth's Identity and Self-advocacy in Connection to Career Preparation

Presenter: Elena Sada, PhD

Wednesday, November 9, 2022, 12pm ET

A Narrative Analysis on Latino Male Youth's Identity and Self-advocacy in Connection to Career Preparation

Only half of the Latino male student population in the United States graduates from high school and pursues a 2- or 4-year career preparation program (Pew Research Center, 2015; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018). This phenomenon is problematic because the lack of career preparation jeopardizes this population’s ability to reach fulfillment and live above the poverty level, perpetuating social inequities and semi-caste systems (Flores-Gonzalez, 2002; Schott Foundation for Public Education, 2016). This study uses the postcolonial theory and systems-thinking approach to explore the problem, through Riessman’s (2008) thematic narrative analysis. It created and analyzed the stories of 10 Latino male 12th graders from the same urban school district and community where 5 of them are in post-secondary career preparation pathways, and 5 are not. The research addresses what is different between the narratives of Latino male students who are career prepared, and those who are not. And it analyzes the inflow and feedback-loops shaping Latino male adolescents’ identities and self-advocacy in connection to career preparation. Finally, it investigates how political policies and jargon or the Trump effect affect immigrant students’ image in relation to being inferior/superior, and the negative effect this has in their career preparation.

Nov 9, 2022 12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)