Familismo in Latina/o Learning Communities: A Study of College Retention and Success Sandra M. Gonzales, Ed.D., Assistant Professor, Bilingual Education Ethriam Cash Brammer, Ph.D., Associate Director, Latino/a Studies Tamara Serrano Chandler, Program Coordinator, Latino/a Studies MI ACE Women’s Network Conference June 9, 2015

Familismo Saenz and Ponjuan (2008), describe Familismo as an important and enduring cultural value among Latinos in the United States that: Involves the strong identification and attachment to immediate and extended family. Embodies strong feelings of loyalty, responsibility, and solidarity within the Latino family unit Is accompanied by a strong desire to provide financial and emotional support for the family, a quality that holds constant across generational lines and immigrant status. In many respects, familismo among Latino families serves to define gender roles and expectations for family members such that sacrificing the needs of the individual over the needs of the family is commonplace” (62-63)

Familismo In Familismo in Mexican and Dominican Families from Low-Income, Urban Communities, Esther Calzada et’al (2013) describe the concept as two tiered: 1.Attitudinal familismo - refers to feelings of loyalty, solidarity, and reciprocity among family members, comprising four core components: (a) belief that family comes before the individual (b) familial interconnectedness (c) belief in family reciprocity (d) belief in familial honor. 1.Behavioral familismo - refers to the behaviors that reflect these beliefs, such as (a) family help with childrearing (b) taking care of elders Empirical studies often fail to distinguish these components, and more often, focus on attitudinal familismo while the behavioral component (e.g., living near or visiting kin, providing support) is neglected” ( )

Familismo as a Deficit Discourse Calzada et’al (2013) note: Family obligations can interfere with academic success as they put a toll on children’s time and energy that can lead to: School absences School dropout Lower rates of college enrollment Moreover, the intensity of family bonds may actually increase the negative impact of familial conflict when it occurs - conflict within family networks is predictive of individual psychological maladjustment These studies suggest that familismo has great relevance for understanding not only protective but also risk processes in Latino child development.

Familismo as an Assest-Based Discourse According to Saenz and Ponjuan (2008): “[T]he notion of familismo among Latino families should not be seen as a negative force working to perpetuate gaps in educational attainment between males and females. Indeed, scholars have noted that familismo can serve as a strong social network and form of social capital that can facilitate lifelong educational success (Suarez-Orozco & Suarez-Orozco, 1995; Valenzuela, 1999). Accordingly, familismo can work as a socio-cultural asset to assist young Latino males and females in navigating the educational system. The value of familismo can be an asset because of its correlation with strong social and family networks, which can ultimately be accessed to support their academic achievement (Valenzuela & Dornbusch, 1994)” (63).

The Problem The Educational Achievement Gap at WSU CBS ScholarsWSU FTIACsWSU White FTIACs %71.7%77.6% %69.2%74.9% %68.8%75.0%

The Problem The Educational Achievement Gap at WSU CBS ScholarsWSU FTIACsWSU White FTIACs %20.8%32.5% %17.8%28.7% %19.3%29.1%

A Possible Solution Closing the Educational Achievement Gap at WSU

A Possible Solution Closing the Educational Achievement Gap at WSU

What was the Catalyst for Change? *Findings indicated that entering ACT scores and H.S. GPAs were not a statistically significant factor in their retention/success. CBS Scholars Cohort YearAverage H.S. GPAsAverage ACT Composite

What was significant? Latino/a Learning Communities and Familismo Gabelnick, MacGregor, Matthews and Smith (1990) define a learning community as: “Any one of a variety of curricular structures that link together several existing courses—or actually restructure the material entirely—so that students have opportunities for deeper understanding and integration of the material they are learning, and more interaction with one another and their teachers as fellow participants in the learning enterprise.” Astin (1985) defines a learning community to be: “Such communities can be organized along curricular lines, common career interests, avocational interests, residential living areas, and so on. These can be used to build a sense of group identity, cohesiveness, and uniqueness; to encourage continuity and the integration of diverse curricular and co-curricular experiences; and to counteract the isolation that many students feel.”

Cultivating “Familismo” through High Impact Practices High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter 1) First-Year Seminars and Experiences 2) Common Intellectual Experiences 3) Learning Communities 4) Writing-Intensive Courses 5) Collaborative Assignments and Projects 6) Undergraduate Research 7) Diversity/Global Learning 8) Service Learning, Community-Based Learning 9) Internships 10) Capstone Courses and Projects (Kuh, 2008) Ensuring Quality & Taking High-Impact Practices to Scale 1)Performance expectations are at appropriately high levels. 2) Significant investment of time and effort by students over an extended period of time. 3)Interactions with faculty and peers about substantive matters. 4)Experiences with diversity, wherein students are exposed to and must contend with people and circumstances that differ from those with which students are familiar. 5) Frequent, timely, and constructive feedback. 6) Opportunities to discover relevance of learning through real-world applications. 7) Public demonstration of competence. (Kuh and O'Donnell, 2013)

Cultivating “Familismo” and Latina Student Outcomes 2010 Educational Attainment Rates RegionH.S. DiplomaBachelor’s Degree United States84.6%27.5% State of Michigan87.4%24.5% City of Detroit32.6%3.7% According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey, only 32.6% of Detroit’s year old residents have a high school diploma or GED. Furthermore, only 3.7% of this same demographic in the city of Detroit, went on to earn a four-year college degree (4% women and 2.5% men).

Cultivating “Familismo” & Latina Student Outcomes GenderNMean Std. Deviation tdfPEffect Size HS GPAMale Female * ACT MathMale *.52 Female Expected Family Contribution Male140$8, , Female 176$5, , Number of Development Courses Male Female There were twenty-four independent variables. Five variables surfaced indicating a statistical significant difference between females and males at the nominal alpha = 0.05 level. (A Bonferroni correction, based on the number of t-tests, adjusts nominal alpha =.002, and are identified in the Table with an asterisk.) At this level, there was a statistically significant gender difference for High School GPA and ACT math. Cohen’s d, a measure of effect size, are reported in the table. All effect sizes were of moderate or moderately low magnitude.

Cultivating “Familismo” and Latina Student Outcomes Regardless of incoming challenges, women were retained and graduated at the same rate as men Learning Community model/Familismo helped to mitigate whatever challenges were faced at entrance

Cultivating “Familismo” through Peer Mentors Creating Learning Communities: A Practical Guide to Winning Support, Organizing for Change, and Implementing Programs, Shapiro and Levine (1999) Peer Mentors Addition of Peer Mentors to help new students with their transition, as well as provide leadership opportunities and increase the self-efficacy of advanced students serving as mentors.

Cultivating “Familismo” Challenges FTIAC Latinas face: Taking care of siblings Taking care of household Domestic responsibilities Balancing work with school There is a need to challenge traditional assumptions with regards to under-preparedness.

Cultivating “Familismo” Student Narratives Student M Student R Students G & C

Cultivating “Familismo” through Mentoring Prevailing stereotype of submissive, quiet Latinas Traditional narratives – supposed no support from families Counternarratives – significant linguistic and culturally appropriate wrap-around family support services. Peer mentors Strong Latina Role Models Professional Mentoring

Cultivating “Familismo” in Learning Communities with High Impact Practices Helps to Bridge the Traditional with the Contemporary and Create Partnerships for Student Success