Central American Refugees and U.S. High Schools: A Psychosocial Study of Motivation and Achievement

Driven to escape war and deprivation in Central America, tens of thousands of Central American youths have entered the United States in the past decade. This study examines the experiences of a group of young people from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua in the high school system of a major US urban center. It attempts to discover why so many Central American immigrant children manage to stay in school and succeed, despite the many obstacles, and why their school success rate is greater than that of other ethnic groups who also face obstacles. The author finds the answers to these questions in a unique motivational pattern governed by two factors: the immigrants left behind a land of political violence and economic hardship, and they have relatives still residing in their native countries. A stern sense of duty to others, particularly family members who sacrificed to send them to safety, impels the students to 'become somebody', and educational achievement is seen as the key route to economic and social success. The students' motivation is not a simple wish for self-advancement and independence, but, rather, a hope that through study and hard work, they will achieve the means to repay the loved ones who remain behind or who work long hours in the US at low-paying jobs. The study employs the methods of social science to confront the more general problem of minority status and schooling in a pluralistic society. What problems do the students face in school? How do their prior experiences affect their school performance? How did they adapt to such profound changes? The author closes by exploring the implications of his research for studies of ethnicity, migration, and motivation.