THE ACADEMIC RESILIENCE OF MEXICAN-AMERICAN HIGH-SCHOOL-STUDENTS

This study sought to identify factors that contribute to the academic resilience and achievement among Mexican American high school students . High- and low-achieving students were selected from a database that included 2,169 Mexican American students in three California high scho ols. Resilient students (N = 133) reported receiving mostly A grades i n high school, whereas nonresilient students (N = 81) reported mostly grades of D or below. Variables were formed from items on a questionna ire that all students had previously completed items selected for anal ysis included role of family, teachers, and peers toward school; the s chool environment and belonging; and the importance of culture and fam ily. Regression analysis on student grade point average (GPA) revealed that a sense of belonging to school nas the only significant predicto r of academic resilience. An ANOVA revealed that teacher feedback was greater among resilient males in comparison to nonresilient males.