School Social Context Effects on Gender Differences in Academic Achievement Among Second-Generation Latinos

Abstract

This study considers involuntary minority concentration effects on gender differences in achievement and finds increasing levels of involuntary minority enrollments decrease grade point averages and math scores for immigrant boys versus girls, net of individual and school socioeconomic status. Immigrant achievement declines in involuntary minority schools where a climate of apathy and failure inhibits performance. Yet, differences in gender roles and socialization renders girls less vulnerable to assimilation of adversarial attitudes and behaviors responsible for academic failure.

Strategic Transformation: Cultural and Gender Identity Negotiation in First-Generation Vietnamese Youth

“…The pattern of immigrant girls outperforming immigrant boys within the same ethnic group has been found to be consistent in smaller scale in-depth studies (Lopez, 2002;Rodriguez, 2003;Valenzuela, 1999b;Waters, 1996;Zhou & Bankston, 1994, 1998. In these different studies, researchers suggest that school plays an important role in shaping and perpetuating gender roles and racial stereotypes among immigrant students.…”

“…While many immigrant families and communities embrace traditional values regarding gender roles and expectations, which tend to restrict women's personal choices and movements, studies consistently show that young immigrant women have been excelling in school (Lopez, 2002;Portes & Rumbaut, 1996Qin-Hillard, 2003;Rodriguez, 2003;C. Suarez-Orozco & SuarezOrozco, 2001;Waters, 1996;Zhou & Bankston, 2001).…”

Supportive adult relationships and the academic engagement of Latin American immigrant youth

“…Thus, low support may exacerbate other risks experienced by boys, while highly supportive relationships with school adults may become especially salient over time. Indeed, although some have implied that boys are less oriented toward their teachers, research has also shown that boys of Latin American descent may be more likely to be responsive to school environment factors, including the student body composition and school climate (Rodriguez, 2003). Likewise, some research shows that boys may benefit more from teacher connection and teacher caring, although they may be less likely to experience such highly supportive relationships (Furrer & Skinner, 2003;Way & Chu, 2003).…”

The Centrality of Gender and Ethnic Identities across Individuals and Contexts

“…Furthermore, most research has typically examined individuals' social group identities in isolation from one another, often ignoring how an individual's gender and ethnic identities might interact with one another (Frable, 1997). This practice of examining group identities in a ‘social vacuum’ (Akiba et al., 2004) is especially problematic given evidence indicating that ethnic differences in parental socialization might lead to gender identity being differentially weighted within one's self‐concept depending upon one's ethnicity (e.g., Rodriguez, 2003; Valenzuela, 1999).…”