Personality, Family Satisfaction, and Demographic Factors That Help Mexican American Students Succeed Academically

Abstract

This study examined 122 high academic achieving Mexican American seniors from 7 schools in South Texas. The results found that fathers’ education, families’ equal use of English and Spanish, family support of students’ growth into areas of their own particular interests, and students’ openness to experience had the highest correlations with achievement. The authors provide policy recommendations to increase adolescent reasoning over memorization, exploration over conformity, and responsible expressiveness over repression in the classroom, the community, and the home.