“As Soon as They Hear ‘Undocumented,’ They Stop Advising”: Theorizing a (Sub)conscious Evasion of Responsibility from Institutional Agents to Undocumented Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-286
Author(s):  
Liliana E. Castrellón
Keyword(s):  
Undocumented Students ◽  
Institutional Agents

scholarly journals Undocumented Students’ Experiences with Microaggressions during Their College Choice Process

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
H. Kenny Nienhusser ◽  
Blanca E. Vega ◽  
Mariella Cristina Saavedra Carquin
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
College Choice ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Undocumented Students ◽  
Institutional Agents ◽  
College Choice Process ◽  
Choice Process ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
Choice Processes

Background/Context Although millions of undocumented students are enrolled in and guaranteed free public K—12 education, their postsecondary education opportunities are stifled. Some of the barriers encountered by undocumented students include discriminatory public policies, limited availability of information and insensitive college choice processes, and fear of immigration status disclosure. Research Question The research question that guided this study was: How, if at all, do undocumented students experience microaggressions during their college choice process ? Research Participants A total of 15 undocumented immigrants were interviewed and consisted of 10 females and 5 males. Twelve identified as Latina/o and 3 as Asian. Two participants never enrolled in postsecondary education. Of the 13 participants who enrolled in postsecondary education, 12 enrolled in a New York State public institution (one attended a public out-of-state university). Nine of the interviewees initially attended a four-year college, and 4 originally enrolled in a two-year institution. Research Design This qualitative phenomenological study included in-depth semistructured interviews with 15 undocumented students who attended New York City high schools. Findings The findings identify nine themes in the area of microaggressions that research participants faced during their college choice process: discriminatory financial aid policies, restricted college choice information, constrained life opportunities, denial of college opportunities, insensitive behaviors, insensitive college choice processes, narrowed college expectations, fear of coming out, and undocumented immigrant blindness. Every respondent who participated in our study encountered multiple episodes of these microaggressions in their college choice process. We found that the participants faced cumulative and negative messages, behaviors, and environmental cues that pervaded their college choice process. Also, seemingly well-intentioned institutional agents often delivered many of the microaggressions encountered by students. Conclusions The authors conclude the need to eliminate discriminatory postsecondary education policies that shape the educational journeys of undocumented students. Also, they challenge education institutional agents to create environments and processes that better address undocumented students’ college access needs.

"Because We Feel the Pressure and We Also Feel the Support": Examining the Educational Success of Undocumented Immigrant Latina/o Students

2011 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 476-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Enriquez
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Immigrant Students ◽  
Undocumented Students ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Undocumented Immigrant ◽  
Educational Goals ◽  
Institutional Agents ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
K 12

Drawing from the educational experiences of fifty-four undocumented immigrant college students, Laura E. Enriquez seeks to uncover the concrete ways in which social capital is used to successfully navigate K–12 educational institutions and pursue a higher education. Enriquez argues that there is a need for a more grounded understanding of how marginalized individuals develop and use social capital. She finds that undocumented immigrant students receive emotional and financial support from multiple actors, including family members, peers, and teachers. Yet undocumented students require informational resources specific to their legal status, which tend to be provided by other undocumented students rather than by traditional institutional agents. Looking specifically at how these students utilize their social capital, Enriquez shows that undocumented immigrant students participate in patchworking, the haphazard piecing together of various resources, in order to achieve their educational goals. Additionally, their use of social capital is not dictated by expectations of direct reciprocity but, rather, by a more collectivist framework of empowerment. Ultimately,the findings from this study suggest that reconceptualizing one's social network as a"family" more aptly captures the nature of undocumented immigrant students' social capital while also providing an opportunity to empower marginalized communities.

Examining the Undocumented College Student Policy Implementation Environment Through a Contextual Interaction Theory Lens

2021 ◽  
pp. 016237372110092
Author(s):  
H. Kenny Nienhusser ◽  
Chelsea Connery
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Undocumented Students ◽  
Interaction Theory ◽  
Institutional Agents ◽  
Community College Administrators ◽  
Political Landscapes

The higher education policy implementation landscape has substantially shaped postsecondary education opportunities for undocumented youth, who are already negatively affected by discriminatory public policies, and institutional agents, who are often unprepared to address their needs. Guided by Bressers’s contextual interaction theory that identifies the role of contexts, actor characteristics, and social interactions among implementers in the policy implementation process, the researchers examined the experiences of 45 community college administrators in four states to understand how these elements shaped the participants’ role as implementers of policies for undocumented students. Implications are significant given current social and political landscapes and challenges higher education institutional agents encounter in implementing policies that affect undocumented students’ educational opportunities.

scholarly journals Role of High Schools in Undocumented Students' College Choice

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kenny Nienhusser
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
High Schools ◽  
College Choice ◽  
Undocumented Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Institutional Agents ◽  
College Choice Process ◽  
Educational Benefits ◽  
Education Benefits

In recent years, some states in the United States have enacted policies that grant some higher education benefits—primarily in-state resident tuition eligibility—to certain undocumented students. While in existence since 2001, little is known of the role of high school institutional agents in implementing such policies. This study describes the efforts of seven New York City high schools to educate their undocumented students about such educational benefits within their college choice process. It details five categories of activities that institutional agents developed to address undocumented students’ college choice needs. These college choice activities included: one-on-one counseling, presentations, outreach, scholarship, and curriculum. This study also examined the effects of institutional demographics on the process of educating undocumented students about their college choice. It discovered that those high schools that had higher percentages of undocumented students had a greater number of college choice activities and had organized their implementation in such a way as to make information more available to this student population. This article concludes with a section that is devoted to implications for research and practice.

Latino Continual Demographic Growth: Implications for Educational Practices and Policy

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-148
Author(s):  
Rogelio Sáenz
Keyword(s):  
Undocumented Students ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Community Survey ◽  
Ethnic Composition ◽  
Educational Practices ◽  
American Community Survey ◽  
Undergraduate Enrollment ◽  
Demographic Shifts ◽  
Demographic Growth ◽  
The U.S

Demographic shifts have transformed the racial and ethnic composition of the U.S. undergraduate population. Data from the American Community Survey are used to analyze Latino undergraduate enrollment as well as factors that contribute to the matriculation of undocumented Latino young adults. The article concludes with an overview of the implications of the growth of the Latino population and the experience of undocumented students on educational practices and policies.

“I Knew It Was Gonna Be Hard, but I Always Knew I Had Support From My Parents”: The Role of Family on Undocumented Students’ College Aspirations and Persistence

2021 ◽  
pp. 152102512110188
Author(s):  
Cinthya Salazar
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Undocumented Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public University ◽  
College Aspirations ◽  
Higher Education Research ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Postsecondary Success ◽  
States Experience

Literature shows that undocumented students in the United States experience significant challenges to and through higher education. Only a few studies have uncovered the mechanisms that undocumented students use to persist in college; in particular, the role that family plays on their postsecondary success is understudied. In this qualitative study, I examine the role that family plays on undocumented students’ college aspirations and persistence. Findings from a sample of 16 undocumented students attending a four-year public university show that their families are the stimulus motivating them to pursue higher education, as well as the support system they can rely on to manage college barriers. However, the data also revealed that for a few participants, their families are a source of stress, resulting in additional challenges they must manage as they navigate higher education. I present these findings using participants’ vignettes and conclude with implications for higher education research and practice.

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