CHALLENGES AND RESOURCES OF MEXICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS WITHIN THE FAMILY, PEER GROUP, AND UNIVERSITY - AGE AND GENDER PATTERNS

Systematic examination of age and gender patterns in both challenges a nd resources experienced by Latino students during the college years i s rare. In the present study, 100 male and female Mexican American und ergraduates (50 lower division and 50 upper division) completed a ques tionnaire that assessed their perceptions of five challenges to comple ting college, along with associated resources. Challenges included fin ancial difficulties, domestic responsibilities, academic discouragemen t, and racial and gender discrimination. Potential resources included individuals who helped students meet these challenges. No support was found for the hypothesis that upper-division students would report few er challenges and resources than lower-division students, nor for the hypothesis that females would report greater challenges with domestic responsibilities. However there was support for the hypothesis that ma les would report greater academic discouragement and racial discrimina tion.