Influences of campus experiences on the academic success of community college Latino male graduates

The purpose of this qualitative collective case study, conducted through the constructivist paradigm, was to explore the perceived experiences of community college Latino male graduates who had completed their associate’s degree, and how their on-campus experiences influenced their academic success. In addition, of interest were their overall academic and social experiences with faculty and staff. Utilizing Harper’s anti-deficit framework, this study provides insights to policymakers and community college stakeholders on how faculty and staff influence Latino males’ academic success.
The setting for this qualitative study was an urban, public, associate-degree granting community college located in Central Texas. The participants in this study were 13 Latino male graduates from the study institution. Data collection for this study included the lens of the researcher, semi-structured interviews, field notes, and a reflexive journal. Data was analyzed through the constant comparative method and open and axial coding. The findings answered the three research questions that guided this study. The three themes that emerged to answer research question one included financial aid process inconsistencies, helpful student support services, and peer interactions influenced resiliency. The themes that emerged to answer research question two included friendly employees within campus culture, relatability with employees of color, and mentors can influence academic success but students may be unaware they are available. The themes that emerged to answer research question three included resiliency and overcoming barriers, the lack of understanding and limited parental involvement, and lack of personal commitment and time constraints. The results from the study suggest several implications and recommendations for higher education practice. The first implication for higher education practice is based on the finding that support services offered by the study institution were perceived by many of the participants had played an important role in their academic success. The second implication for higher education practice is based on the finding that participants sought specific guidance and support from employees at the study institution. The third implication for higher education practice based on the finding that participants wanted to be more engaged but had personal commitments and time constraints that prevented them from doing so. The recommendations for higher education practice are to develop a Latino male cohort program that is designed to support them throughout their freshmen seminar course, develop a structured employee mentorship program, and facilitate parental opportunities for Latino males throughout the year to educate parents on how to better support their children. Recommendations for future research include a similar qualitative collective case study utilizing semi-structured interviews of Latino male students at another community college. A qualitative collective case study should be conducted that examines Latino males’ perceived influences of mentorship programs at multiple community colleges. A quantitative research study that compares Latino males’ completion rates who participated in a mentorship program to those who did not would be informative for future higher education practice.