| Description |
The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify some of the cultural wealth and resources that Chicano/Latino college students, families, and communities hold and share. By using Latino critical race theory (LatCrit) to conceptualize cultural wealth, it was possible to focus this study on an ethnic/racial group that has been marginalized in higher education. The study results showed how assets and cultural wealth exist and are enacted by students to enhance their academic achievement in college. Drawing from the epistemological and methodological strengths of LatCrit, this study extended the concepts of cultural wealth and funds of knowledge by Gonzlez et al., Valencia, Villalpando and Solrzano, and Yosso by presenting an exploration of their application to the cultural peculiarities of Utah Chicana/os. Using the concept of marginality as both oppression and transformation allowed for the study participants to be seen as active participants in their education rather than as people conforming to dominant cultural expectations. Through the findings of this study, valuable skills were identified that Utah Chicana/o college students use to successfully move through higher education. In addition, this study yielded policy and practical implications for how colleges and universities might create greater culturally appropriate programs and initiatives for Chicana/o students that do not attempt to ""fix"" them, but rather build upon the cultural wealth and resources they already possess. |
