The impact of family support on student retention of low-income, first-generation Latino males at a four-year university

The current trend in research focuses on the academic journey of Latino males throughout K-12 and college and is designed to look at what educational systems can provide to retain and graduate Latino men (Fry, 2002). The research shows Latino males are more likely to drop out of college than their white and gendered counterparts. As first-generation, low-income, and neglected men, they face a series of disadvantages (Alfaro, Umaña-Taylor, Gonzales-Backen, Bámaca, & Zeiders, 2009). As a result, educating parents on how to help their children navigate the educational system is crucial to the student's success (Benmayor, 2002). The goal in the majority of limited educational research on Latino parent engagement is discovering the role of the Latino male in the dynamics of the family and how that affects his experience as a college student. Researchers hope to find out how to properly support Latino parents prior to their children attending college and how to support the Latino men during their college years in order to improve the retention rates in higher education. Statement of the Problem The purpose of this research was to look at how family support affects first-generation Latino males. Currently, first-generation Latinas are more likely to graduate from college (Saenz & Ponjuan, 2009) and only 39% of first-generation Latino men succeed in attaining a bachelor's degree (Saenz & Ponjuan, 2011). Overall, what role do Latino parents play in their students schooling that significantly more Latinas than Latinos are graduating from 4-year universities? The researcher collected data through an online survey sent to first-generation Latino males in the Educational Opportunity Equity Program offered by California State University, Sacramento. The sample for this study included 18 Latino men from the EOP program. EOP serves low-income, first-generation students and provides support for students who come into the university at a disadvantage. The researcher aimed to identify how the students perceived support from their families. Latino men are being swept under the rug now more than ever. At a young age, they are marginalized by a school system that reacts with punishment rather than understanding. Latino parents need to ensure they reach out to their child's school, and schools need to ensure parent outreach is accessible to low-income parents. As social and cultural capital rises for Latinos, Latino and Latina graduation rates will grow.