Acculturation and Planning for College among Youth of Mexican Descent

This research examined associations between acculturation, college planning, and college attendance in 410junior and senior high school students. Participants, of which three quarters were of Mexican descent and one quarter was of European descent, completed Cuellar; Harris, and Jasso's acculturation scale and a college-planning survey. Ten months later; 116 of the 148 participating seniors were interviewed to determine if they went to college and what resources helped them get there. Acculturation among Mexican American youth was not related to either wanting to go to college or engaging in practical actions to get there. For adolescents of both ethnicities, fathers' education influenced adolescents'college aspirations and their college-planning behaviors. Acculturation was predictive of college attendance among Mexican American adolescents.