Educational and Occupational Aspirations of Latino Youth and Their Parents

In-depth interviews of 10 rural Latino family triads (mother, father, and adolescent) investigated the educational and occupational aspirations of parents and youth, and factors affecting those aspirations. Using a content analysis of the interview scripts, several themes emerged that described these families’ experiences. In some instances, Latino parent aspirations were found to transfer to their youth. However, only one half of the parents were aware of their youth’s aspirations, and most had not discussed them with their youth. Youth and parents articulated several barriers to achieving higher educational or occupational aspirations. Implications for programmatic initiatives and research are delineated.