Little is known about the academic and career decision-making process for college students with undocumented status. This study used a multiple case study approach to explore how academic and work-related decisions were made for 2 college students with undocumented citizenship status. Participants responded to a series of questions about their academic and career development. Data collected from these interviews were analyzed by a research team. After cross-case analysis, 6 themes emerged: (a) barriers; (b) emotional impact; (c) resiliency, supports, and coping; (d) discrimination; (e) familial and cultural influences; and (f) academic, work, and career factors. Findings suggest that counseling professionals should attend to systemic, academic, and work-related barriers that directly affect the educational and career decisions of students with undocumented citizenship status. Future research could expand on the present study by further exploring systemic and contextual factors that influence how undocumented students make academic and career choices using varied qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
Sociocultural influences may affect the academic and vocational development of first-generation college students; however, research in this area remains limited. The purpose of this study was to examine how contextual influences predicted academic and vocational outcomes for prospective first-generation college students. Participants included 142 (62 males and 80 females) high school students from low-income backgrounds enrolled in a college preparatory program. Path analyses tested the fit of a social cognitive career model examining how distal (e.g., ethnic identity) and proximal (e.g., parental support, perceptions of barriers) factors predicted vocational outcome expectations (VOE), vocational/educational self-efficacy, and student engagement. Results found an adequate fit for the social cognitive career model. Ethnic identity predicted VOEs and self-efficacy. Father support and perceived barriers predicted vocational/educational self-efficacy, whereas mother support (MS) predicted VOEs. Additionally, VOEs and MS predicted student engagement.Keywords prospective first-generation college students, ethnic identity, parental support, perceptions of barriers, vocational outcome expectations, vocational/educational self-efficacy, student engagementDespite increasing college enrollment rates at a national level (Aud et al., 2012), research suggests that students whose parents have no formal education beyond high school are less likely to attend and succeed in college (Choy, Horn, Nunez, & Chen, 2000). Approximately 27% of first-generation students enroll in college compared to 71% of students whose parents have a college degree (Choy
Undocumented student immigrants in the United States face substantial challenges in higher education including systemic, institutional, and cultural barriers that often impede access to and success in higher education. These barriers directly influence academic and work opportunities. The purpose of this article is to discuss the myriad of factors that affect the academic, career, and work development of undocumented college students. The three main objectives of this article are to (1) examine legislation that directly impacts access to higher education, (2) explore common barriers and systemic challenges undocumented college students face, and (3) review culturally sensitive interventions and resources for working with undocumented college students. Vocational psychologists and career counselors employed in higher education are in a unique position to provide culturally sensitive counseling services to undocumented students as well as to advocate for their academic and work-related needs.
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