Immigration issues continue to generate attention and vigorous debate at national and international levels; some of these discussions involve immigrant students and issues pertaining to higher education (e.g., DREAM Act). Camarota (2007) noted that from 2000 to 2007, 10.3 million immigrants arrived--the highest 7-year period of immigration in…

This article focuses on understanding how identity development is conceptualized in student affairs. The need to understand the person, context, and interactions between the two advances identity theories as relevant to student affairs practice. The more practitioners understand how students make meaning of their identities, the better they are…

This study focuses on understanding the developmental process that occurs when racist ideas are recognized as a part of college students' thought processes. Longitudinal data were collected from 29 Latino/a college students in order to illustrate how these students made meaning of racist thoughts when they began to recognize it. The framework of…

This longitudinal study of Latino/a college students considers the influence of Latino/a college student experiences and ethnic identity on holistic development. Findings indicate that although similar characteristics are seen among Latino/a students, the role of recognizing and making meaning of racism is a significant developmental task. This is…

This study presents the conceptualization and subsequent model fit analysis of a retention model for Latino/a students at urban commuter universities. The three institutions involved in the study represent different environments for Latino/a students. Two are Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) and the third represents a predominantly White…

The influence of cognitive development on ethnic identity development is investigated in the context of a qualitative longitudinal study of Latina/o college students. Findings indicate that when students reconstruct social knowledge their ethnic identity is positively influenced. Strategies and mechanisms for positively influencing identity…

Eighty-three first-year Latino students from seven institutions participated in this qualitative study of the familial influences on identity development. Using grounded theory methodology, the category of Situating Identity is further explored by looking specifically at the condition called Generation in the United States and Familial Influences…

In this qualitative study, I use grounded theory methodology to investigate the influences on the ethnic identity development of 10 Latino/a students during their first two years at a highly selective college. The findings indicate that two categories were salient in the first two years: Situating Identity (conditions: environment where they grew…

Explores the evolution of the relationship between researcher and participants in longitudinal, constructivist studies. Issues inherent in this evolving relationship are examined and the authors illustrate how the resolution of these issues influences the researcher. Asserts that the lessons learned can be applied to practice and advocate using a…

This study included 372 Hispanic college students from four institutions. The results of the study verify the Bicultural Orientation Model as a tool for identifying Hispanic college students' cultural orientation. The four cultural orientation quadrants are Bicultural Orientation, Anglo Orientation, Hispanic Orientation, and Marginal Orientation.…