Con Ganas y Más: A Cross-Cohort Analysis of Factors Contributing to the Increase in Undergraduate Enrollment of Latinas

Clarissa Ozuna, University of Texas at San Antonio

In 1980, Latinas made up 2.2% of undergraduate students in the United States. By 2010, the percentage of Latina students had risen to 8.3% (Aud, 2012). This was the largest proportional increase by any male or female racial or ethnic group. The purpose of this study is to identify if changes occurred in social and educational experiences of young Latinas during this time that influenced their increased post-secondary enrollment. A series of National Center for Education Statistics longitudinal studies (HS&B, NELS:88, and ELS:02) are used to examine cross-cohort changes in the relationships between individual, social, and secondary education factors and Latina educational aspirations and enrollment in higher education. Data from nationally representative sophomore cohorts represent the beginning, middle, and end of this period. Data collected from students, their social networks, and schools during their sophomore year along with educational status collected four years later is analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling.