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Identifying resiliency factors viewed by fourth and fifth grade teachers that foster academic success in elementary minority Hispanic students in Orange County

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Identifying resiliency factors viewed by fourth and fifth grade teachers that foster academic success in elementary minority Hispanic students in Orange County

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Content 1
Running head: RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS
IDENTIFYING RESILIENCY FACTORS VIEWED BY FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE TEACHERS
THAT FOSTER ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN ELEMENTARY MINORITY HISPANIC STUDENTS IN
ORANGE COUNTY
by
Elizabeth M. Leon
__________________________________________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
Ma y 2020
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Copyright 2020 Elizabeth M. Leon

Dedication
This dissertation is dedicated to my two amazing children, Nicole and Andrew Leon, who
were so supportive and my cheerleaders throughout the entire dissertation process. My hope is
that this experience will serve to inspire them to further their education, set ambitious goals, and
make an impact in the world.
I also want to dedicate this dissertation to my husband, Jesus, who had to take on
additional responsibilities as a father and husband these past three years as I set out to fulfill one
of my life goals. Thank you for your patience, love, and support throughout this dissertation
journey.
Last but not least, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my parents, Jesus and
Imelda Morales, who gave tirelessly throughout my life and always reinforced the importance of
a great education. Words cannot express the immense gratitude I feel that as a result of your
hard work and grit, I am able to accomplish my goals. I take great pride knowing this
accomplishment was made possible as a result of the collective efforts of my whole family.

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee: Dr. Rudy Castruita
(dissertation chair), Dr. John Roach, and Dr. Maria Ott for their never-ending mentoring and
guidance throughout the entire dissertation process.
I would like to thank my USC colleagues for their invaluable support during the entire
doctoral program. I want to especially acknowledge and thank Danielle Ramirez for her
continued support and motivation as we worked together to complete our classes and supported
each other with the dissertation process.
Lastly, I would like to thank the fourth and fifth grade teachers that took the time to allow
me to interview them and to the teachers that participated in my survey. Each and every one of
these incredible educators continues to make a positive difference in their students.

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Table of Contents
Dedication 2
Acknowledgements 3
List of Tables 6
List of Figures 7
Abstract 8
Preface 9
Chapter One: Introduction 10
Background of the Problem 15
Statement of the Problem 16
Purpose of the Study 16
Research Questions 17
Significance of the Study 17
Limitations and Delimitations of the Study 18
Definition of Terms 19
Organization of the Study 19
Chapter Two: Literature Review 21
Minority Hispanic Students: Demographics 21
Policies Targeting Hispanic Students 21
Definition of Resilience 22
Barriers to Explain Underachievement 25
Poverty 26
Language 26
Teacher Expectations 27
Influences on Resilience 28
School 28
Family 33
Resilience Theoretical Framework 34
Limitations in Previous Literature 36
Chapter Three: Methodology 39
Introduction 39
Statement of the Problem 39
Purpose of Study 39
Research Questions 40
Selection of the Population 40
Design Summary 41
Methodology 42
Mixed Method 42
Instrumentation and Protocols 43
Qualitative Instrument 43
Quantitative Instrument 43
Data Collection 44
Data Analysis 45
Validity and Reliability 46
Summary 46
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Chapter Four: Findings 48
Introduction 48
Research Questions 48
Response Rate 49
Quantitative Demographic Data 50
Qualitative Demographic Data 54
Research Question #1 55
Positive Parent Community Interactions 56
Positive Peer Interactions 58
Support Teams for At-Risk Students 58
Research Question #2 60
Family Factors 61
Supportive Relationships 62
Teacher Expectations 63
Research Question #3 64
Sense of Purpose and Future 66
A Positive Relationship With An Adult 66
Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills 68
Research Question #4 69
Trusting Environments 70
Learn from Mistakes and Successes 72
Teacher Expectations 73
Summary 75
Chapter Five: Conclusions and Implications 77
Introduction 77
Purpose of the Study 78
Research Questions 78
Methodology 79
Results and Findings 79
Research Question #1 79
Research Question #2 80
Research Question #3 82
Research Question #4 83
Implications of the Study 84
Recommendations for Future Research 85
Concluding Remarks 86
References 88
Appendices 95
Appendix A: Interview Cover Sheet & Protocol 95
Appendix B: Teacher Survey 98
Appendix C: General Recruitment Email Cover Letter 101

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

List of Tables
Table 1: Survey and Interview Selection Criteria of Fourth and Fifth Grade Teachers 41
Table 2: Quantitative Survey- Response Rate 49
Table 3: Quantitative Survey- Teacher Gender 50
Table 4: Quantitative Survey- Teacher Ethnicity 51
Table 5: Quantitative Survey- Teacher Age 51
Table 6: Quantitative Survey- Highest Degree Earned 52
Table 7: Quantitative Survey- Overall Teacher Experience 53
Table 8: Quantitative Survey- Teacher Experience in Current District 54
Table 9: Qualitative Interview: Characteristics for Teachers and Schools 55
Table 10: Teacher Rating of Strategies that Foster Resilience in Hispanic Students 56
Table 11: Teacher Rating of Formal and Informal Factors that Influence the
Development of Academic Resilience in Hispanic Students 60
Table 12: Teacher Rating of Preconditions that Influence the Resiliency in Hispanic
Students 64
Table 13: Teacher Rating of Elements that Are Important In a Classroom Learning
Environment To Promote Resilience in Hispanic Students 69

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List of Figure
Figure 1: Triangulation of the Data 46

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Abstract
Resiliency is one way that Hispanic students can combat negative academic
precursors. Common attributes of resilient students are a positive self-concept about personal
accomplishments, effective coping strategies, and socio-emotional competence (Merrell, Cohn,
& Tom, 2011).
This study explored the identification of resiliency factors that foster academic success in
elementary minority Hispanic students in Orange County schools through the lens of teachers.
By studying the resilient factors that teachers identified in elementary minority Hispanic students
may better prepare them for academic success in Orange County schools.
The research questions used to guide the study were: What strategies do resilient
Hispanic students in elementary schools employ to excel academically?; What formal or
informal factors do Hispanic students in elementary schools experience to develop resiliency to
excel academically?; What common preconditions exist for resilient Hispanic students in
elementary schools?; and What about the context of classroom learning environments promote
the resiliency in Hispanic students in elementary schools?
The methodology for this study was a mixed-method design. There were quantitative and
qualitative data collected and analyzed. Surveys were collected from 55 fourth and fifth grade
teachers in Orange County public school districts. From the surveys returned, purposeful
sampling was used to select five fourth and fifth grade teachers in Orange County public school
districts for one-on-one interviews.

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Preface
Some of the chapters of this dissertation were coauthored and have been identified as
such. While jointly authored dissertations are not the norm of most doctoral programs, a
collaborative effort is reflective of real-world practices. To meet their objective of developing
highly skilled practitioners equipped to take on real-world challenges, the USC Graduate School
and the USC Rossier School of Education have permitted our inquiry team to carry out this
shared venture.
This dissertation is part of a collaborative project with one other doctoral candidate,
Danielle Ramirez. We jointly created the survey and drafted the interview questions that were to
be directed to elementary teachers in Orange County, California. As a result, two dissertations
were produced by inquiry partnership (see Ramirez, 2020, for second and third grade; and Leon,
2020, for fourth and fifth grade).

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
According to United States Department of Education, National Center for Educational
Statistics (2003), the percentage of minority school age students has grown 16% in the past 30
years. If immigration continues at this pace, Whites will be the minority in every category of
public education by year the 2040 (Garcia, 2001). Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing
group of minority students (Hassinger & Plourde, 2005). Projections show that by the year 2026
the United States will have the exact inverse of student representation from 1990 when Whites
made up 70% of our K-12 enrollment, but with Hispanics students (Garcia, 2001). Garcia (2001)
also shared the following statistics:
● 200,000 Hispanics immigrate to the United States each year, this makes up 40% of all
legal immigrants.
● 200,000 Hispanics immigrate to the United States illegally each year.
● Hispanic population has grown 35% since 1990.
● Hispanics constituted 34% of public elementary and secondary school enrollment in
1999.
Several young Hispanics/Latinos do not participate in school readiness programs and are
usually not read to at home which causes them to be at a disadvantage in elementary school
(Hassinger & Plourde, 2005). Hispanics/Latinos students are more likely to repeat a grade level
than are White students and have the highest rate of non-school completion than any other
minority group (NCES, 2003). Retention refers to a student repeating the same grade they just
finished the academic year prior (Willson & Hughes, 2006). A strong correlation remains
between grade retention and dropping out of school before graduation. According to NCES
(2003), 27% of Hispanic students dropped out of high school in 2001.
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

In a study by Willson and Hughes (2006), the author was concluded that children who
enter school at an earlier age perform worse academically and socially than students who begin
at an older age. Hispanics/Latinos students tend to start school younger than White children
because the Hispanics/Latinos parents are less likely to delay their children due to low readiness
skills. It was also stated that Hispanics/Latinos students are less likely to attend preschool
compared to White or Black students (Willson and Hughes, 2006). Therefore, many Hispanic
students do not begin school with reading and mathematical readiness skills. Unfortunately,
many Hispanic students start school already at-risk of retention and have to play catch-up for the
remainder of schooling (Willson and Hughes, 2006).
The growing achievement gap for this population of students is even more troubling since
national testing results from 2005 indicate Hispanic students significantly lag behind in reading
and math performance (Fry, 2007). By fourth grade, 46% of Hispanic students scored in the
lowest category for math and by eighth grade, 71% scored in the lowest category for both math
and reading (Fry, 2007). The persistent achievement gap of Hispanic students begs the need to
investigate educational resilience factors that enable school success in an effort to adequately
meet their academic needs. Educational resilience refers to the “heightened likelihood of success
in schools and other life accomplishments despite environmental adversities brought on by early
traits, conditions, and experiences” (Wang, Haertel, & Walberg, 1994). Despite the rough start
with schooling, resiliency allows Hispanic students to continue on a positive educational path.
Resilience is the ability to mature, thrive, and increase competence in the face of adversity and
obstacles (Gordon, 1996). Resiliency can be separated into four categories: individual attributes,
use of time, family, and school (McMillian & Reed, 1994).
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Resiliency is one way that Hispanic students can combat negative academic precursors.
Gordon (1996) states that resilient people have the ability to thrive, mature, and increase
competence in the face of adverse circumstances and obstacles. Gordon (1996) completed a
study of 36 Hispanic high school sophomores from an urban city school. From her study, she
states that resilient Hispanic students all share the same core values: self-concept and motivation
(Gordon, 1996). She defines self-concept as beliefs about one’s abilities, environmental aspects,
control, and certain goals (Gordon, 1996). Gordon (1996) goes on to define motivation as
patterning of goals, emotions, and personal beliefs. Findings show that resilient Hispanic
students do not place heavy emphasis on belongingness. They do not feel it is important to have
close ties to others and, therefore, avoid most peer pressure. They also believe strongly in their
own ability despite the environment surrounding them. This self-belief keeps them focused on
their goals even when challenges and obstacles arise. Ultimately, Gordon (1996) adds in a third
element of school environment to Hispanic student resiliency. School environment provides
support, assistance, trust, and help to resilient and non-resilient students. Gordon (1996)
summarizes resilient Hispanic students into having all three parts: self-concept, motivation, and
school environment.
According to Hassinger and Plourde (2005), resiliency is the ability to handle adversity
and overcome challenging circumstances. Their case study was based on four Hispanic students
who were previously below grade level, but at the time of the study were at or above grade level.
Hassinger and Plourde (2005) do not state the grade level or age of the four students. The study
shows that these four resilient students all share similarities in the following areas: supportive
relationships, student characteristics, family factors, school factors, and teacher expectations
(Hassinger & Plourde, 2005). A supportive relationship refers to the students having at least one
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

supportive person who shows them compassion. The students shared similar characteristics like
high self-esteem, internal locus of control, and a positive disposition (Hassinger & Plourde,
2005). Family factors refer to close bonds with at least one caregiver who provide the student
with attention and support. School factors include participation in extracurricular activities and
the knowledge that school is a safe place physically and emotionally (Hassinger & Plourde,
2005). Finally, teacher factors refer to the teacher setting high expectations for the students and
being a good person for the students to talk to about anything (Hassinger & Plourde, 2005).
The literature on resilience gives promise to finding specific ways in which teachers can
enhance success among Hispanic students. According to research, promoting resilience in
schools among Hispanic students requires they have access to a variety of assets and promotive
factors in school to counter risks and promote positive adaptation (Henderson, DeCuir-Gunby
and Gill, 2016). Positive relationships with teachers and other school personnel play a
significant role in increasing academic and school engagement. Specifically, minority youth
such as Hispanics who received constant encouragement exhibited higher levels of self-efficacy
and self-esteem, both positive indicators for resiliency. Benard’s (1991) research further
supports the importance of caring relationships and identified high expectations and
opportunities to participate and contribute in classroom discussions that buffer academic risk and
promote resiliency in schools.
Teachers can improve classroom instruction to facilitate the promotion of resiliency
centers by employing explicit teaching practices. For example, Waxman, Padron, and Arnold
(2001) describe five explicit practices that have shown to have effective outcomes: cognitively-
guided instruction, culturally responsive teaching, technology-enriched instruction, cooperative
learning, and instructional conversations. Kitano and Lewis (2005) agree with Waxman et al.
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

(2003) and confirm the role teachers play in developing resilience by creating trusting
environments whereby students have the opportunity to exercise responsibility, make decisions,
and learn from their mistakes and successes. These authors further elaborate on the importance
of offering rich, rigorous, learner-centered curriculum and experiences with problem solving of
complex, real-life problems as contributing factors to the promotion of educational resilience
(Wang, Haertel, & Walberg, 1998).
Moreover, curriculum that effectively integrates culturally relevant instruction and
programs are particularly important for minority youth (Henderson, De-Cuir-Gunby & Gill,
2016). In their study, Henderson, De-Cuir-Gunby & Gill (2016) revealed higher levels of
academic achievement when teachers design curriculum and cultivate a classroom climate that
values the cultural traditions of minority youth and their families. In addition to supportive
teacher-student relationships and responsive curriculum, Brooks (2006) proposes teachers can
strengthen resilience by developing social competence, communicating high expectations for
students’ academic and social performance, increasing opportunities for meaningful participation
of students in the school environment, and creating partnerships with families and community
resources.
Waxman, Padron, Shin and Rivera (2008) revealed the significance of the amount and
quality of teacher and student academic interactions as two of the most influential variables that
promote student academic success. In their study, the authors found that in order to close the
achievement gap and reach academic equity for minority students, changes in the classroom
climate and procedures must be made. They offer teacher practices such as giving meaningful
feedback, using explicit teaching practices and understanding students on a social and personal
as ways to promote resilience in schools (Waxman et al., 2008). The research result showed a
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

positive correlation between creating a positive classroom environment with the aforementioned
factors and an increase in motivation and achievement outcomes. However, the authors caution
against teacher perceptions that educational resilience is a fixed attribute of some students;
teachers need to see it as a process that can be developed and fostered in the classroom
environment (Waxman et al., 2008).
Researchers uncovered common attributes resilient students exhibit such as a positive
self-concept about personal accomplishments, effective coping strategies, and socio-emotional
competence (Merrell, Cohn, & Tom, 2011). Teachers, however, were found to be influential in
encouraging optimism and helping minority students process their bad experiences and use
effective coping strategies (Kitano & Lewis, 2005). These coping strategies involve assisting
students in developing attitudes and metacognitive skills such as self-talk to apply flexible
coping strategies to situations outside of their control. More work in this area is needed in order
to understand the impact teacher perceptions have on Hispanic student’s educational resilience.
Overall, there is consensus in the literature regarding the connection between
environmental factors such as classroom environment and the positive link to resilience.
However, Kitano and Lewis (2005) caution against the idea that all factors need to be present for
successful outcomes to ensue. Kitano and Lewis (2005) suggest that achievement among
minority students is probably a result of a combination of factors.
Background of Problem
According to research, promoting resilience in schools among Hispanic students requires
they have access to a variety of assets and promotive factors in school to counter risks and
promote positive adaptation (Henderson, DeCuir-Gunby and Gill, 2016). These researchers
revealed how positive relationships with teachers and other school personnel play a significant
16
RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

role in increasing academic and school engagement. Specifically, minority youth such as
Hispanics who received constant encouragement from mentors at school, exhibited higher levels
of self-efficacy and self-esteem, both positive indicators for resiliency. Benard’s (1991) research
further supports the importance of caring relationships and identified two more protective factors
that buffer academic risk and promote resiliency in schools. These include high expectations and
opportunities to participate and contribute in classroom discussions.
Statement of the Problem
America’s educational system is constantly adjusting to accommodate the growing
number and wide variety of ethnicities, yet Hispanic students are most at-risk with 50% of them
leaving school prior to graduation (Hassinger & Plourde, 2005). The issue is problematic, as
statistics show that it is vital to our country and our education system that Hispanic students
develop resiliency traits in elementary school Americans can no longer allow 27% of Hispanic
students to drop out of school before graduating high school (NCES, 2003). Our schools need to
equip Hispanic students with self-concept, motivation, and a positive school environment
(Gordon, 1996).
Purpose of the Study
This study seeks to identify the resiliency factors that foster academic success in
elementary minority Hispanic students in Orange County. In spite of repeated failure and
academic challenges, some Hispanic students rise above adversity and become successful
(Hassinger & Plourde, 2005). Waxman, Gray and Padron (2003) confirm that skills,
opportunities, and relationships promote resiliency in schools. Few studies have actually
examined resiliency in schools. Waxman, Gray and Padron (2003) focus on comparing resilient
and non-resilient students within the context of family and individual characteristics. The goal
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

of this study is to build upon the existing knowledge base and expand it to include classroom
processes that have been identified to foster resilience in an effort to recreate these factors for
Hispanic elementary students. Of special interest are the protective factors found in school
environments that contribute to successful school outcomes. Protective factors are processes or
characteristics that help buffer the effect of risk factors and counter the adverse outcomes
(Kazdin, Kraemer, Kessler, Kupler, & Offord, 1997).
Research Questions
The following research questions will guide this study:
1. What strategies do elementary teachers believe resilient Hispanic students utilize to
excel academically?
2. What formal or informal factors do Hispanic students in elementary schools
experience to develop resiliency to excel academically?
3. According to elementary teachers, what common preconditions exist for resilient
Hispanic students?
4. What classroom learning environments promote the resiliency in Hispanic students
in elementary schools?
Significance of the Study
The serious educational problems facing Hispanic students present educators with the
formidable challenge to meet student needs. This study will add to the existing broad resiliency
research to help explain why some Hispanic children succeed in the face of adversity. The
findings of this study could be used to help schools and teachers develop instructional practices
that promote academic achievement in Hispanic students in order to ensure their academic
success in Orange County public schools. Resilience research states that schools provide
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

students with assets, strengths, or skills to help students overcome risk factors out of the school’s
control (Garmezy, 1991). One advancement to understanding the contributing factors to student
success is to focus on the influence of the classroom teacher as well as characteristics of the
academically successful student.
Limitations
This study includes the following limitations:
1. The ability to gain access to fourth and fifth grade general education teachers with five or
more years of experience teaching at public schools with an English-learner population of
50 percent or more.
2. The ability or willingness of fourth and fifth grade general education teachers to provide
accurate responses.
3. Only interviewing fourth and fifth grade general education teachers in Orange County,
California.
4. Interviewing a small number of fourth and fifth grade general education teachers will not
be representative of all fourth and fifth grade general education teachers; therefore, the
study results may not be generalizable to a larger population.
Delimitations
This study includes the following delimitations:
1. Interviews were limited to fourth and fifth grade general education teachers who had
been in the position for at least five years.
2. The population was limited to fourth and fifth general education teachers’ specific grade
levels or schools and may not be generalizable to elementary general education teachers
across all K-5 settings.
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Definitions of Terms
For the purpose of this study, the following terms are identified as follows:
1. Resiliency- the ability to handle adversity and overcome challenging circumstances
Hassinger and Plourde (2005).
2. Educational resilience- focuses on why some students do well in school and are
successful while similar students from like disadvantaged circumstances are not
successful in schools (Waxman et al., 2008). Key concepts that emerged from the
literature review include educational resilience within the context of schools before
implications of practice are generated as to how to build resilience in schools (Liddle,
1994).
3. Social resources- teacher perception of students, educational support of teachers and
encouragement (Waxman, Gray & Padron, 2003).
4. Self-concept- beliefs about one’s abilities, beliefs about environmental facilitation, beliefs
about control, and beliefs about the importance of certain goals all contribute to a
person’s self-concept (Ford, 1992; Gordon, 1994, 1995).
5. Self-efficacy- achieved when teachers can provide opportunities for students to develop a
sense of ability to influence the environment for example by helping others in the
community or solving a real-life problem (Kitano & Lewis, 2005).
Organization of the Study
This study is organized into five chapters. Chapter one is an overview of the study and
provides a reason as to why it is important to conduct the research on this topic. Further, chapter
one describes the background and context of the problem. Chapter two reviews literature that is
current and relates to the research questions. The chapter concludes by providing comments of
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

the literature review and why there is a need to support the study of this topic. Next, chapter
three is the methods section where the purpose of the study and research questions is restated.
The rationale for the types of methods used, both quantitative and qualitative, will be discussed.
Chapter four is an analysis of the data collected from the surveys and interviews. Finally,
chapter five concludes the study by providing a discussion of the findings, implications, and
recommendations for identifying resiliency factors that foster academic success in elementary
minority Hispanic students in Orange County schools.

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
According to Garcia (2001), a projection states that by the year 2026 the United States’
K-12 enrollment will be made up of 70% of Hispanic students which is the exact inverse of
White student representation in 1990. Garcia (2001) also shared the following four statistics:
● 200,000 Hispanics immigrate to the United States each year, this makes up 40 % of all
legal immigrants.
● 200,000 Hispanics immigrate to the United States illegally each year.
● Hispanic population has grown 35% since 1990.
● Hispanics constituted 34% of public elementary and secondary school enrollment in
1999.
Several young Hispanics do not participate in school readiness programs and are usually
not read to at home which causes them to be at a disadvantage in elementary school (Hassinger
& Plourde, 2005). Hispanics/Latino are more likely to be retained in a grade level than are
White students and have the highest rate of non-school completion than any other minority group
(NCES, 2003). Retention refers to a student repeating the same grade they just finished the
academic year prior (Willson & Hughes, 2006). There remains a strong correlation between
grade retention and dropping out of school before graduation. According to NCES, 27% of
Hispanic students dropped out of high school in 2001.
Hispanics are the largest minority group in the country (Johnson & Fargo, 2014).
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, the number of Hispanic in the United States is projected
to double by 2050, growing from 15% of the total population to 29% (Johnson & Fargo, 2014).
Policies Targeting Hispanic Students
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Previous research attempted to address the underperformance of Hispanic students,
however, not at an acceptable rate (Garmezy, 1991). According to Garmezy (1991), many
Hispanic children overcome life’s difficulties, so it is critical to identify those “protective”
factors that allow individuals to circumvent life stressors. Garmezy (1991) adds there are only
hints in the literature that pinpoint variables which may be operative in less than opportunistic
situations, however, one of the dominant variables is the presence of resilience.
Quirk et al. (2013) concluded that Hispanic students with low levels of school readiness
show decreased odds of transitioning from a lower to a higher academic achievement outcome
(catching up academically to their peers) than students that entered kindergarten with high levels
of school readiness. Hispanic students enter school with low levels of academic readiness
(Quirk, 2016). Hispanic students who enter kindergarten with high levels of school readiness
had a 88% chance of achieving at or above average in 2nd-5th grade assessments compared to
39% of Latino students who start kindergarten with low levels of school readiness (Quirk, 2016).
Also, according to Diamond, Furlong, and Quirk (2016), the achievement gap would virtually
disappear for all Latino students if they had the same high levels of school readiness compared to
their White peers. Their study supports the need for increased efforts to provide high-quality
preschool instruction with emphasis on language development, including Spanish, for Hispanic
students (Diamond et al., 2016). As a result, policy advocacy for preschool instruction has been
a focus for many district servicing students from Hispanic backgrounds (Diamond, Furlong, &
Quirk, 2016).
Definition of Resilience
Winfield’s (1994) recognizes that in order to identify how some youth succeed despite
the overwhelming odds, administrators, teachers, and policymakers must understand the concept
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

of resilience. According to Winfield (1994) resilience is the individual's response to risk factors
and the ability to overcome adversity and succeed. In the research-based definition of resilience,
Winfield (1994) focuses attention on protective processes that foster resilience although she
recognizes resilience is an interaction between the characteristics of the individual and the
environment. It is noteworthy in her research that adult influence provides a protective process
for children.
Gordon (1996) claims resilient people have the ability to thrive, mature, and increase
competence in the face of adverse circumstances and obstacles. Gordon (1996) completed a
study of 36 Hispanic high school sophomores from an urban city school. The outcome of the
study noted resilient Hispanic students all share the same core values: self-concept and
motivation. Self-concept is defined as beliefs about one’s abilities, beliefs about environmental
aspects, beliefs about control, and beliefs about certain goals (Gordon, 1996). This researcher
goes on to define motivation as patterning of goals, emotions, and personal beliefs. Findings
show that resilient Hispanic students do not place heavy emphasis on belongingness. They do
not feel it is important to have close ties to others and, therefore, avoid most peer pressure. They
also believe strongly in their own ability despite the environment surrounding them. This self-
belief keeps them focused on their goals even when challenges and obstacles arise. Ultimately,
Gordon (1996) adds in a third element to Hispanic student resiliency- school environment.
School environment provides support, assistance, trust, and help to resilient and non-resilient
students. Gordon (1996) summarizes resilient Hispanic students into having all three parts: self-
concept, motivation, and school environment.
Resiliency is the ability to handle adversity and overcome challenging circumstances
(Hassinger and Plourde, 2005). A case study conducted by Hassinger and Plourde (2005) was
24
RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

based on four Hispanic students that were once below grade level, but at the time of the study
were at or above grade level. The grade level or age of the four students is not known but the
study shows that these four resilient students all share similarities in the following areas:
supportive relationships, student characteristics, family factors, school factors, and teacher
expectations. A supportive relationship refers to the students having at least one supportive
person who shows them compassion. The students shared similar characteristics like high self-
esteem, internal locus of control, and a positive disposition. Family factors refers to these
students having a close bond with at least one caregiver that provided the student with attention
and support. School factors could include participation in extracurricular activities and the
students knowing that school was a safe place physically and emotionally. Finally, teacher
factors referred to the teacher setting high expectations for the students and being a good person
for the students to talk to about anything. Although this case study had a very small sample size,
it went into great depth with the methodology of interviews, observations, and documents
(Hassinger & Plourde, 2005).
Wang, Haertel, and Walberg (1994) defines educational resilience as the strong
likelihood of success in school and other life accomplishments despite environmental setbacks
brought about by early traits, conditions, and experiences. Alva (1991) used the term academic
invulnerability to describe students who maintain high levels of achievement in motivation and
performance, despite stressful events and conditions that place them at risk to perform poorly in
school and eventually drop out.
McMillan and Reed (1994) stated that positive interpersonal relationships, like high
expectations from family members, and individual factors, like high self-efficacy, goal setting,
intrinsic motivation, and an internal locus of control, play a role in developing resiliency. Family
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support encourages students to hold high expectations. Resilient students have specific and high-
level goals regarding their academic future (McMillan & Reed, 1994). Resilient students exhibit
high self-efficacy because they believe that they will successfully complete tasks that they set out
to accomplish. Resilient students participate in activities for self- interest, challenge, or
entertainment which results in intrinsic motivation. Resilient students have an internal locus of
control by believing that their efforts and hard work payoff. In addition, resilient students
believe that their actions directly affect their goals.
Rivera and Waxman (2011) state that a resilient child is one who experiences chronic
adversity, but improves or recovers more successfully than his or her peers. Resilient children
characteristics include: (a) building a positive relationship with an adult, (b) being good problem
solvers and learners, (c) ability to engage well with other people, and (d) have an area of
competence and perceived efficacy (Rivera & Waxman, 2011). Personal characteristics of
resilient children include high expectations, beliefs that life has meaning, goal direction, personal
agency, and interpersonal problem-solving skills. Moreover, resilient children display social
competence like responsiveness, autonomy, and a sense of purpose and future (Rivera &
Waxman, 2011).
Barriers to Explain Hispanic Underachievement
Several factors that serve as barriers associated with Hispanic underachievement
predominantly include poverty, language, and low teacher expectation barriers. Viadero (2000)
identified barriers to academic success such as (a) poverty due to inadequate health care and
nutrition, (b) few education resources in the home and neighborhood, (c) course work that is less
academically challenging, (d) underqualified teachers, and (e) teachers’ self-fulfilling
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prophecies. Fashola and Slavin (2001) also found socioeconomic status and English language
proficiency to be the biggest barriers to educational success for Hispanic students.
Poverty
All measures considered, more Hispanics live in poverty than any other non-Hispanic
population in the U.S. with 22.8.% vs. 7.7% for White Non-Hispanics (U.S. Bureau of the
Census, 2000b). U.S.-born children of Mexican origin are 2.5 times more likely to live in
poverty than non-Hispanic Whites. Many Hispanic students live in areas with a high
concentration of poverty and attend schools that are fiscally underfunded (Padron, Waxman, &
Rivera, 2002). The negative effects of poverty result in academic learning difficulties (Doll &
Lyon, 1998). It is no surprise that Latino students from low-income families perform worse
academically and are far more likely to drop out than students from middle or upper income
families (Knapp & Woolverton, 1995). Additionally, some schools may place students at risk of
academic failure if they are content to blame race, poverty, geography, or language for poor
learning, rather than evaluating and experimenting with teaching practices (Rivera & Waxman,
2011). Over-represented amongst those performing poorly in U.S. schools are limited English
proficient students who deal with both high levels of poverty and language barriers.
Language
A significant barrier to the successful educational attainment of Hispanic students is
limitations with English Language proficiency. Hispanic children may be at greater risk for
academic difficulties due to language barriers (Flores, Cicchetti, & Rogosch, 2005). There were
nearly 5 million English Language Learners (ELLs) in U.S. public schools in fall 2015,
according to the most recent available data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
This represented 9.5% of U.S. public school enrollees, an increase from 8.1% in 2000 (Bialik,
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Scheller and Walker, 2018). Bialik et al. (2018), also identified that most ELL students were in
elementary school grades. In 2015, two-thirds of ELL students (67%) were in grades K-5, while
just one-third (33%) were in grades 6-12 due to meeting the standards to be reclassified.
Some ELLs acquire English in one to three years while others might take from four to ten
years (Garcia, 2000). ELLs are given the same curriculum despite their language differences and
older students are stuck in a cycle of English as a Second Language classes in which they are not
exposed to adequate instruction to develop academic English or important content area concepts
(Freeman, Freeman, & Mercuri, 2003). The number of ELLs who do not make sufficient
progress on state language tests become Long Term English Language Learners creating a
pressing concern (Freeman, Freeman, & Mercuri, 2003). Given the discrepancy on the length of
time children with limited English reach proficiency, factors surrounding ELLs’ classroom
environment requires careful examination. Teachers play a critical role in the development of
language acquisition and consequently serve as gate-keepers to moving ELL students into
mainstream classrooms. However, ELLs are exposed to a lack of qualified teachers,
inappropriate teaching practices, and at-risk environments that contribute to the
underachievement of Hispanic students (Padron, Waxman, & Rivera, 2002).
Teacher Expectations
Another barrier for Hispanic students is exposure to low teacher expectations (Brooks,
2006). Whereas high expectations contribute to academic achievement and improved behaviors
among students, when expectations are lowered for less-talented students, those students are
likely to lose confidence in their ability to succeed in school (Brooks, 2006). It is especially
important to hold high expectations for at-risk students since “high expectations convey the
message that students can succeed” (Brooks, 2006, p.71). Waxman, Huang, and Wang (1997),
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investigated the classroom learning environment of resilient and non-resilient students from
inner city elementary schools. In their findings, these researchers revealed how non-resilient
students were exposed to whole class instruction with students working in teacher-assigned
activities, generally in a passive manner (i.e. watching or listening). Small group work was
limited or not observed at all in many of the classrooms. Furthermore, there was minimal
student active engagement in the classroom and the intellectual level of the curriculum was low,
with few instructional activities connected to students’ interests. The opposite was true for
resilient students along with getting more teacher attention and praise. Consequently, the
instructional and classroom learning environment differences were consistent with teacher
expectations and attitudes of who they perceived to be resilient students. In the review of
research on educational resilience, even when teachers could distinguish the resilient students
from the non-resilient ones in their classroom, few corrective actions were used to help students
(Waxman, Gray, & Padron, 2003). Teachers continued to perpetuate low expectations by not
altering their instructional practices and classroom learning environment, contributing to yet
another barrier Hispanic students need to overcome.
Influences on Resiliency
School
On the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 16% of Hispanic
students scored proficient compared to 43% of their White classmates (Johnson & Fargo, 2014).
Due to the recent surge in Hispanic student population, most science teachers have not been
provided professional development to learn how to address the needs of the growing,
underserved group (Johnson & Fargo, 2014). Jackson and Fargo (2014) studied the impact of
transformative professional development (TDP) on student achievement on the state-mandated
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science tests in elementary students. TDP was designed to focus on five core areas: content
focus, active learning, coherence, duration, and collective participation (Johnson & Fargo, 2014).
TDP includes integration of culturally relevant pedagogy within a professional development
model designed to increase effective science instruction, improve student learning, create
effective learning and working environments, and promote a shared vision through enhanced
relationships with students (Johnson & Fargo, 2014). The premise of transformative professional
development is that teachers with students of diverse backgrounds must understand the role that
culture or a students’ background, interests, values, beliefs, etc., plays in learning (Johnson &
Fargo, 2014). The results of the study showed that transformative professional development
made a significant difference on the increase of state-mandated science test scores (Johnson &
Fargo, 2014).
Existing literature describing what teachers can do to improve classroom instruction to
facilitate the promotion of resiliency centers on employing explicit teaching practices. For
example, Waxman, Padron, and Arnold (2001) describe five explicit practices that have shown to
have effective outcomes: cognitively-guided instruction, culturally responsive teaching,
technology-enriched instruction, cooperative learning, and instructional conversations. Kitano
and Lewis (2005) agree with Waxman et al. (2003) and confirm the roles teachers play in
developing resilience by creating trusting environments so students have the opportunity to
exercise responsibility, make decisions, and learn from their mistakes and successes. Wang,
Haertel, and Walberg (1998) further elaborate on the importance of offering rich, rigorous,
learner-centered curriculum and experiences with problem-solving of complex, real-life issues as
contributing factors to the promotion of educational resilience.
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Additionally, a curriculum that effectively integrates culturally relevant instruction and
programs is particularly important for minority youth (Henderson, De-Cuir-Gunby & Gill, 2016).
Researchers revealed higher levels of academic achievement when teachers design curriculum
and cultivate a classroom climate that values the cultural traditions of minority youth and their
families. In addition to supportive teacher-student relationships and responsive curriculum,
research conducted by Brooks (2006) proposes teachers can strengthen resilience by developing
social competence, communicating high expectations for students’ academic and social
performance, increasing opportunities for meaningful participation of students in the school
environment, and creating partnerships with families and community resources.
Resilience research conducted by Waxman, Padron, Shin and Rivera (2008) revealed the
significance of the amount and quality of the teacher and student academic interactions as two of
the most influential variables that promotes student academic success. Researchers found that in
order to close the achievement gap and achieve academic equity for minority students, changes
in the classroom climate and procedures must be made. They offer teacher practices such as
giving meaningful feedback, using explicit teaching practices and understanding students on
social and personal as ways to promote resilience in schools (Waxman et al., 2008). A result of
their research showed a positive correlation between creating a positive classroom environment
with the aforementioned factors and an increase in motivation and achievement outcomes.
However, they also caution against teacher perceptions that educational resilience is a fixed
attribute of some students, rather teachers need to see it as a process that can be altered or
mechanisms that can be developed and fostered in the classroom environment (Waxman et al.,
2008).
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Similarly, Waxman, Huang, Anderson and Weinstein (1997) examined effective
classroom processes in urban schools and identified several important findings. These
researchers echoed that the amount and quality of interactions between teacher and student made
a difference in promoting academic success. In effective schools, students were observed
interacting with their teacher 70% of the time via active student learning activities. Also,
instructional strategies like small group instruction and cooperative grouping were identified as
effective practices for minority students that lead to improved student outcomes (Waxman et al.,
1997).
School influences in the literature review also uncovered common attributes resilient
students exhibit such as a positive self-concept about personal accomplishments, effective coping
strategies, and socio-emotional competence (Merrell, Cohn, & Tom, 2011). Teachers, however,
were found to be influential in encouraging optimism and helping minority students process their
bad experiences and use effective coping strategies (Kitano & Lewis, 2005). These coping
strategies involve assisting students in developing attitudes and metacognitive skill such as self-
talk to apply flexible coping strategies to situations outside of their control. More work in this
area is needed in order to understand the impact teacher perceptions have on Hispanic student’s
educational resilience. Overall, there is a consensus in the literature regarding the connection
between environmental factors such as classroom environment and the positive link to resilience,
however, researchers caution against the idea that all factors need to be present for successful
outcomes to ensue. Kitano and Lewis (2005) suggest that achievement among minority students
is probably a result of a combination of factors.
The combination of factors in school programs can foster resilience by addressing the
school culture, policy, and structures in order to provide “protective processes” (Winfield, 1994).
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These include, but are not limited to, developing school programs to promote positive peer
interactions between and among students, parents and community members, extracurricular
activities that promote self-efficacy, provide professional development and support teams for at-
risk students and provide mentors for students to reduce risk exposure. Similarly, in the
qualitative research conducted by Hassinger and Plourde (2005) certain traits were universal to
the resiliently successful Hispanic students. Traits emerged out of important questions posed in
the research conducted such as what do these students have that is missing from other Hispanic
students? How did these students beat the odds stacked against them to become academically
successful? (Hassinger & Plourde, 2005). The findings of their research study identified
categories in the area of supportive relationships whereby an adult such as a teacher or counselor
was willing to help them in their struggles. Another had to do with student characteristics and
attributes including high self-esteem, internal locus of control and a positive disposition.
Teacher expectations were also an important factor contributing to students getting a sense that
teachers were approachable, caring and gave effective feedback coupled with adequate use of
praise. Finally, family factors including different levels of support emerged as a positive
influence (Hassinger & Plourde, 2005). Hassinger and Plourde’s (2005) research revealed how
most Hispanic resilient children had the opportunity to establish a close bond with at least one
caregiver who offered support and attention.
School was one of the factors that make children with tough lives resilient (Howard &
Johnson, 2000). During interviews, teachers focused on the importance of the social and
emotional skills taught in the school setting and barely mentioned formal learning at all. On the
other hand, students focused a lot on academic achievement and how the school provides support
for them with academic difficulties. Conversely, students spoke very little of the social and
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emotional support that schools provided them. According to Rivera and Waxman (2011), the
classroom learning environment can and should be a protective area for academic, social, and
psychological growth where resilience characteristics can be fostered and developed.
Family
Family is considered a social support within the index of resiliency in that it serves as a
stress-buffering function (Robertson, Harding, & Morrison, 1998). An individual with
appropriate social support or a sufficient number of individuals to fulfill functions of daily life
tend to be resilient in the face of stressful events and life conditions (Dubow & Tisak, 1989).
According to Robertson et al. (1998), family as social support may be an especially important
variable to examine for Hispanic students. Research findings suggest that for Hispanic students,
parents, siblings and other extended family members serve as a significant source of social
support to influence resiliency in youth (Robertson et al., 1998).
Clark (1983) conducted a study categorizing seventeen patterns in the homes of high-and
low-achieving children that outlined the differences in family activities. For high achievers,
these key nine differences proved to be effective:
1. Frequent school contact is initiated by parents.
2. The child has exposure to stimulating, supportive school teachers.
3. Parents expect to play a major role in the child’s schooling and expect the child to do
likewise.
4. Parents establish clear, specific role boundaries and status structures while serving as the
dominant authority.
5. Conflict between family members is infrequent.
6. Parents frequently engage in deliberate achievement-training activities.
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7. Parents exercise firm, consistent mentoring and rules enforcement.
8. Parents provide liberal nurturance and support.
9. Parents are able to defer to the child’s knowledge on intellectual matters (Clark, 1983).
Hassinger and Plourde’s (2005) research on family factors influencing resilient children
indicate that most resilient children had the opportunity to establish a close bond with at least one
caregiver who gave them support and attention. The conclusion of the study confirmed that a
strong supportive family unit marked by high expectations led to higher academic outcomes
(Hassinger & Plourde, 2005).
Howard and Johnson (2000) concluded from their study that students and teachers felt the
family played a very important role in promoting resilient behavior for students living a
challenging life. Teacher responses identified the important roles that families play by
maintaining supportive relationships, encouraging independence, and providing the basics for
students. Familial relationships between parents and students were pivotal, but so were
relationships with brothers and sisters, grandparents and other relatives as well (Howard &
Johnson, 2000).
Resilience Theoretical Framework
In their study, Hassinger and Plourde (2005) affirm how despite repeated failures and
early academic difficulties, some Hispanic students fight through the adversity and experience
success. Research examined the notion of resilience defined as the ability to cope with adversity
and overcome challenging obstacles (Hassinger and Plourde, 2005). Within their research,
Hassinger and Plourde (2005) reference resilience theory that identifies protective factors present
in the support system of troubled youth along with personal characteristic traits.
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McMillan and Reed (1994) identified four factors that relate to resilience: (a) individual
attributes, such as student motivation; (b) classroom and school factors, such as affiliation,
involvement, and satisfaction; (c) family attributes, like parent involvement; and (d) positive use
of time, like doing homework. Rutter (1987, 1990) identified four processes that can be
developed to facilitate resiliency: (a) reducing the risk impact and changing the risk exposure for
students, (b) reducing the negative reactions that follow exposure to risk, (c) increasing self-
esteem and efficacy for students, and (d) creating and opening up new opportunities for students.
Matsen (1994) describes four strategies for fostering resilience: (a) reducing risk and
vulnerability, (b) reducing stressors, (c) increasing available resources, and (d) mobilizing
protective processors. Swanson and Spencer (1991) named some suggestions for enhancing
resiliency processes: (a) increase access to academically challenging programs for disadvantaged
students, (b) create partnerships between churches, organizations, and businesses, and (c)
increase funding for early childhood programs.
Clark (1991) suggests that social identity and support networks are resilient behaviors
that need to be welcomed and developed by students. Kitano and Lewis (2005) define resilience
as the ability to survive and thrive in the face of adversity such as poverty, family and trauma.
They believe resilience improves a person’s ability to cope. As a result of their research, they
offer the need for social and emotional development and recommend a resilience framework
approach to best serve the needs of underrepresented populations. They suggest focusing on
“successful individuals from at-risk environments and the strategies they can share to make a
resilience framework particularly compelling” (Kitano & Lewis, 2005).
According to Cavazos et al. (2010), the resiliency framework is made up of the following
factors: goal setting, interpersonal relationships, intrinsic motivation, internal locus of control,
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and self-efficacy. An example of goal setting is that all the students had academic goals beyond
the baccalaureate level. Interpersonal relationships came into play with the support of the
students’ families. The families had high expectations and encouraged the students to meet these
expectations. Most all the students came from low-income families where they endured
hardships, but all the students described these challenges as game changing. The students gained
intrinsic motivation from their experiences because the challenges caused change. Lastly, most
students described self-efficacy as effort, perseverance, and self-belief. The students felt that
these qualities allowed them to be successful in college.
Henderson, DeCuir-Gunby and Gill (2016) also consider the family unit to be a critical
contributing factor for resiliency. Researchers offer socio-ecological protective factors of
resilience aimed at supporting ethnic minorities. They recommend the need for ties across the
family, school and community systems and the promotion of capacity building to shed light on
their “interdependence in promoting resilience to counteract education disparities” (Henderson et
al., 2016). The socio-ecological systems perspective of resilience reflects the presence of assets
and promotive factors (i.e. resources in the home, school, community) that contribute to positive
adaptation (Henderson et al., 2016). This resilience theory relies on building supportive
relationships across the systems and their role in providing adequate resources and mutual
assistance to transform trajectories for minority children (Henderson et al., 2016).
Limitations in Previous Literature
One of the limitations in resilience literature is the lack of focus on positive outcomes by
investigators who typically do not research persons who escape the cycle of disadvantage and as
a result little is known about these individuals (Garmezy, 1991). Gordon (1996) states that
resilient Hispanic students do not need to have close ties to others, but Hassinger and Plourde
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(2005) argue for the need of resilient students to have close relationships with others, family, and
teachers. Their study examined this further and measured the level of importance of
relationships in resilient Hispanic student lives and deemed them to be important for resilient
students (Hassinger & Plourde, 2005). In addition, Waxman, Huang, and Padron (1997) state
that variables, like peer-group support, problem-solving skills, and cognitive learning strategies
for students, need to be examined in future studies. Next, Gordon (1996) concluded that school
environment provides a safe and supportive place for students, but she does not discuss the
teacher’s role in a student’s life. The study outcomes pointed to the need to look heavily into the
teacher’s role with resilient elementary Hispanic students (Gordon, 1996).
Swanson and Spencer (1991) suggest that teacher training, recruitment, and retention
need to be addressed and altered, and parent involvement in schools needs to be increased. In
addition, teacher training needs to address the impact teacher expectations have on students to
foster resiliency (Swanson & Spencer, 1991). The research study concluded that “although
research on classroom learning environments has made significant progress over the past several
decades, there are still areas that need further investigation” (Waxman et al., 1997, p. 350).
Identified in the research was the lack of qualitative and quantitative data using multiple
measures or indicators of teacher perceptions and the awareness they have for creating
classrooms suited to promote resilient students (Waxman et al., 1997). Waxman, Gray, and
Padron (2003) further support the lack of and need for mixed method approaches to examining
educational resiliency that focus on teacher self-report data, along with administrator, and
student interview data to supplement survey data. Researcher outlined the lack of studies
investigating indicators of resiliency to see what processes can promote protective mechanisms
in the classroom learning environments (Waxman et al., 2003).
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Resilience is one important factor that has been documented in studies to be positively
associated with Hispanic students’ academic achievement. However, more research is needed to
explore the potential benefits in order to replicate the factors that foster educational resilience for
other Hispanic students. Resilience-building efforts in schools in which the school environment
is structured is a way to strengthen resilience (Brooks, 2006). Using schools to enhance
resilience builds developmental assets directly linked with greater academic achievement and
lower rates of school dropout (Benson, 2002). Cultivating positive environmental contexts
within schools can counteract risks in children’s lives (Benard, 1991; Benson, 2002). Having the
knowledge and understanding that resilience cannot be developed by sheer willpower within the
at-risk student rather it needs to be developed through the interactions within the school
environment, is an area of need in research (Brooks, 2006). This study aims to investigate the
interactions within the school classroom learning environments of resilient elementary Hispanic
students to shed valuable insight on the topic and contribute to existing literature.

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CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter includes a brief summary of the problem, purpose, and research questions
that were addressed in this study. In addition, this chapter examines an overview of the study
that includes participant selection, methodology, instrumentation/protocols, procedures for data
collection, data analysis methods, validity, and reliability. Lastly, this chapter concludes with the
research methodology and a preview of chapters four and five.
Statement of Problem
America’s educational system is constantly adjusting to accommodate the growing
number and wide variety of ethnicities yet Hispanic students are most at-risk with 50% of them
leaving school prior to graduation (Hassinger & Plourde, 2005). These statistics are problematic
and it is vital to our country and our education system that Hispanic students develop resiliency
factors in elementary school. We can no longer allow 27% of Hispanic students to dropout of
school before graduating high school (NCES, 2003). Our schools need to equip Hispanic
students with self-concept, motivation, and a positive school environment (Gordon, 1996).
Purpose of Study
This study seeks to identify the resiliency factors that foster academic success in
elementary minority Hispanic students in Orange County. In spite of repeated failure and
academic challenges, some Hispanic students rise above adversity and become successful
(Hassinger & Plourde, 2005). Waxman, Gray and Padron (2003) confirm that while research
emphasizes skills, opportunities, and relationships promote resiliency in schools, only a few
studies have actually examined resiliency in schools. These researchers go on to explain that
most of the research is limited with its focus on comparing resilient verses non-resilient students
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within the context of family and individual characteristics. The goal of this study is to build
upon the existing knowledge base and expand it to include classroom processes that have been
identified to foster resilience in an effort to recreate these factors for Hispanic elementary
students. Of special interest are the protective factors found in school environments that
contribute to successful school outcomes. Protective factors are processes or characteristics that
help buffer the effect of risk factors and counter the adverse outcomes (Kazdin, Kraemer,
Kessler, Kupler, & Offord, 1997).
Research Questions:
The following research questions were used to guide this study:
1. What strategies do elementary teachers believe resilient Hispanic students utilize to
excel academically?
2. What formal or informal factors do Hispanic students in elementary schools
experience to develop resiliency to excel academically?
3. According to elementary teachers, what common preconditions exist for resilient
Hispanic students?
4. What classroom learning environments promote the resiliency in Hispanic students
in elementary schools?
Selection of the Population
The researcher will interview and survey fourth and fifth grade teachers in Orange
County to better understand resiliency factors that foster academic success in elementary
minority Hispanic students. Identifying these resiliency factors from the interviews and surveys
will support Hispanic students throughout their educational journey to navigate and pursue the
highest form of academic accolades.
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Participants in this study were 55 fourth and fifth grade teachers teaching in Orange
County public schools during the year 2018-2019 school year. Table 1 displays the survey and
interview criteria for the participants.
Table 1
Survey and Interview Selection Criteria of Fourth and Fifth Grade Teachers
Survey Interview
Years of experience: 2 years or more Years of experience: 2 years or more
Serving in public school district with student
population from 2,500 to 70,000
Serving in public school district with student
population from 2,500 to 70,000
Serving in Orange County, California Serving in Orange County, California

To conduct this study, the researcher used typical purposeful sampling because the
researcher wanted to interview and survey elementary teachers from public school districts. The
fourth and fifth grade teachers were chosen precisely because of their special experience and
competence (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The researcher used a mix of more and less structured
questions (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Design Summary
For this study, the researcher conducted a qualitative and quantitative research study so
that the researcher could interact with the participants in their natural setting to interpret how the
participants made sense of their Hispanic students and their experiences (Merriam & Tisdell,
2016). Furthermore, the mixed method approach was conducted to enable the researcher to
produce results and support evidence to verify the research questions (Maxwell, 2013).
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The researcher based the study’s design on Merriam’s (2009) and Creswell’s (2014) steps
for conducting a research study. Chapter one focused on the research problem and purpose of
the study. Chapter two reviewed the literature on Hispanic student resiliency. Chapter three
focused on how the data would be collected, and chapters four and five explained the analysis,
interpretation, and reporting of the data.
Methodology
The methodology included quantitative data from surveys using a questionnaire and
qualitative data from open-ended interview questions that were asked of fourth and fifth grade
teachers in Orange County elementary schools. The researcher used a semi-structured interview
protocol so that the interviews were less structured. This allowed the interviewer to utilize the
questions with flexibility depending upon how the interviewees responded (Merriam & Tisdell,
2016). In addition to understanding the resiliency factors that foster academic success in
elementary Hispanic students, it was necessary to interview and survey teachers to understand
how they used strategies to foster and create learning environments to promote resilience.
Further, teachers were interviewed and surveyed to understand the influence of formal and
informal factors they believe influence the development of academic resilience in Hispanic
students. The researcher also wanted to gain insight about the preconditions teachers believe
exist to influence resilience in students. All four research questions utilized qualitative and
quantitative designs and were addressed in both the interview and survey questions. A mixed
method approach was used to ensure that there was internal validity in the research study as well
as consistency of findings. Triangulation of data gathered from the survey, interview, and the
literature review was used as a checks and balances measure to see if methods with different
strengths and limitations all support a single conclusion (Maxwell, 2013; Creswell, 2014).
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Moreover, Culturally Relevant Teaching Theory was used to connect the findings with a larger
research-based perspective and capitalize on the explanation of respondent’s responses. The
interview questions are what you ask people to gain that understanding (Maxwell, 2013).
Instrumentation and Protocols
Qualitative Instrument
The qualitative data was gathered via interviews, and the interview questions were
designed to ensure they directly linked to the research questions. The interview protocol
consisted of 26 questions (see Appendix A). As a part of the 26 questions, there were additional
follow-up questions in numbers 10 through 13 and 22 through 25. Probes or follow-up questions
were valuable to the interview process to seek more information, obtain clarification and
elaboration (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Questions 19 and 20 are devil’s advocate questions
where the respondent was challenged to consider an opposing view and the interviewer had to
draw upon the respondents’ opinions and feelings (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The researcher
conducted face-to face interviews to capture detailed and descriptive data. The interviews
conducted were open-ended, semi-structured, taped and interview notes were taken during the
process (Creswell, 2014).
Quantitative Instrument
The quantitative data gathered for this study was a conducted using a survey. The survey
consisted of two parts with a total of six questions (see Appendix B). The first part of the survey
asked general demographic questions about gender, age, and years of teaching experience. The
second part of the survey are questions focused on the four research questions. The four
questions in the survey were written using a Likert-type scale to rank the respondent’s degree of
agreement on a continuum, “strongly disagree”, “disagree”, “neutral”, “agree”, and “strongly
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

agree”. SurveyMonkey was the survey instrument used and was made available to 90 teachers
public school teachers working with Hispanic students in Orange County, California. The
survey design provided the researcher with a numeric description of the trends, attitudes and
opinions of teachers who work with Hispanic students (Creswell, 2014). From sample results,
the researcher can generalize or make inferences for the population (Creswell, 2014).
Data Collection
Data collection steps for this study followed Creswell’s (2014) and Merriam and Tisdell’s
(2016) methods of conducting research: (a) identify individual and site, (b) work to gain access
and establish relationship, (c) sample purposely, (d) gather data and record information, (f) find
solutions for field issues, and (g) securely store data. To collect the quantitative data, online
surveys were emailed out to 120 fourth and fifth grade public school teachers in Orange County,
California. An introduction letter accompanied the survey and stated the purpose of the study
(see Appendix C). A total of 55 surveys were completed by the teachers.
Interviews with fourth and fifth grade teachers were conducted to collect qualitative data.
In order to best answer the research questions and address the purpose of the study, the
researcher used typical purposeful sampling to find interview participants that met the selection
criteria. Merriam and Tisdell (2016) state that researchers observe people to find out what
cannot be directly observed.
All interviewees were asked a month in advance as to what day and time would be
convenient for them. Bogden and Biklen (2007) state the importance of providing enough notice
to the interviewees to ensure their comfort level with the interview process (Bogden & Biklen,
2007). Lastly, the researcher informed the participants that the interviews would be tape
recorded and the researcher would be taking notes during the interview. To begin each
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

interview, the researcher asked the participants if they minded being tape recorded during the
interview. All interviewees should be asked this question to ensure their comfort level during the
interview process (Bogden & Biklen, 2007). All interviews lasted approximately 45 minutes
each. When needed, follow-up phone calls were placed to clarify any key information needed to
target the research questions. The researcher transcribed and reviewed each interview.
Data Analysis
In this study, the researcher used a mixed-method approach incorporating quantitative
data from the surveys and qualitative data from the interviews. All questions within the surveys
and interviews directly aligned to the study’s research questions. As a result, the research
questions guided the data analysis for this study.
Once the data was collected from all the surveys and interviews, the researcher wrote two
reports documenting the findings from the qualitative and quantitative data sources. Responses
from all interviews and surveys were transcribed and coded. According to Merriam and Tisdell
(2016), coding assigns shorthand designations to different aspects of the data for easy retrieval.
Data analysis involves consolidating, reducing, and interpreting what participants have said and
what the researcher has seen and read (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). In addition to qualitative
interviews and quantitative surveys, the researcher used triangulation (see Figure 1) to increase
credibility or internal validity for the study (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Culturally relevant
pedagogy was applied to this study as a method of bridging the findings to larger perspectives.

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Figure 1. Triangulation of the Data.

Validity and Reliability
Throughout the entire study, the researcher made every effort to question the validity of
biases and fact check for reliability. Validity consists of the researcher conceptualizing threats
and strategies to use to discover if the actual research situation is plausible (Maxwell, 2013).
The researcher used the following strategies to ensure validity and reliability: triangulation,
member checks, adequate engagement in data collection, researcher’s position, peer review, and
audit trail (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Summary
In this study, the researcher used a mixed-method approach; quantitative data from
surveys and qualitative data from interviews. The data collected from the fourth and fifth grade
47
RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

public school teachers in Orange County, California were transcribed, coded, and analyzed to
target the study’s four research questions: strategies of resilient Hispanic students, formal or
informal factors developed by resilient Hispanic students, common preconditions of resilient
Hispanic students, and the context of classroom learning environments that promotes resilience
in Hispanic students. The findings will be presented in chapter four, with a discussion of the
outcomes in chapter five.

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS

Introduction

Chapter four presents an analysis of the data collection from the study that aimed to
identify the resiliency factors viewed by teachers that foster academic success in elementary
minority Hispanic students in Orange County schools. The research findings have the potential
to assist current and aspiring teachers with strategies to support the academic achievement of
Hispanic students. Additionally, this study will contribute to the existing knowledge base and
expand to include classroom processes that have been identified to foster resilience in an effort to
recreate these factors for Hispanic elementary students. Of special interest were the protective
factors found in school environments that contribute to successful school outcomes. The
research attempted to answer four key questions used to guide this study.
Research Questions:
1. What strategies do elementary teachers believe resilient Hispanic students utilize to
excel academically?
2. What formal or informal factors do Hispanic students in elementary schools
experience to develop resiliency to excel academically?
3. According to elementary teachers, what common preconditions exist for resilient
Hispanic students?
4. What classroom learning environments promote the resiliency in Hispanic students in
elementary schools?
The researcher gathered quantitative and qualitative data for a mixed methods approach.
Quantitative data was collected from an online survey questionnaire through SurveyMonkey.
The questionnaire contained 43 questions that consisted of teachers’ professional background
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

and experiences working with Hispanic students in their classrooms. 55 fourth and fifth grade
teachers were surveyed from Orange County public school districts with student populations
ranging from 2,500 to 70,000 students. The teachers must have taught for a minimum of two
years. 55 out of 120 surveys were answered using the electronic questionnaire, providing a
response rate of 46%.
Response Rate
As a result of the design criteria used for this study, 55 fourth and fifth grade teachers in
Orange County schools participated in the quantitative survey. The survey was distributed
through Survey Monkey (an online survey tool) to 55 teachers in Orange County who had a least
two years of teaching experience and teach fourth and fifth grade Hispanic students. Table 2
yielded a response rate of 46% of teachers, which satisfied the goal of the researcher since it met
the goal for a response rate of 40% or greater based on the average return rate for a survey
conducted through email (Dillman, 2000).
Table 2
Quantitative Survey: Response Rate
Measure No. Invited to Participate No. Participated % Participated
Teachers 120 55 46

Qualitative data was gathered using one-on-one interviews with 5 fourth and fifth grade
teachers in Orange County public schools with the same criteria as the teachers that were
surveyed. Of the seven respondents who elected to participate in the quantitative survey, five
teachers were selected by the researcher to participate in the qualitative interview. Interview
50
RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

respondents were selected based proximity to the researcher and the participant availability for
an interview. The five teachers who were interviewed are referred to as Teacher A-E. The
researcher made sure that the confidentiality of each teacher was preserved throughout the entire
interview process. A semi-structured interview approach was used to obtain this research. The
interview protocol consisted of 26 questions that allowed the researcher the flexibility to probe
and ask additional follow-up questions as needed. The interview protocol that was established
captured the behaviors and feelings that could not be observed (Merriam, 2009).
The data was then interpreted and analyzed using the process of triangulation where
multiple sources of information were applied to support the findings. All of the data collected
was maintained and protected for participant confidentiality.
Quantitative Demographic Data
Table 3 displays the gender of the 55 teachers who participated in the quantitative survey.
Of the 55 teachers who responded to the online survey, 89% were female and 1% were male, and
2% declined to select a gender.
Table 3
Quantitative Survey: Teacher Gender
Measure Male Female Declined Total
No. of 4th Grade
Teachers
3 19 0 22
No. of 5th Grade
Teachers
2 30 1 33
% of Teachers 1 89 2 100

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Research has shown that the race/ethnicity of teachers is predominately White. More
than 80 percent of the bachelor’s degrees in education awarded during the 2009-10 school year
were to non-Latino white students, according to a recent study (AACTE, 2019). Table 4 reports
the ethnic breakdown of the 55 fourth and fifth grade teachers who participated in the
quantitative survey. Teachers surveyed were 2% Asian, 13% Hispanic, 76% White, and 9% two
races or more.
Table 4
Quantitative Survey: Teacher Ethnicity
Measure Asian Hispanic/
Latino
White Two or More Total
No. of 4th
Grade
Teachers
1 2 17 2 22
No. of 5th
Grade
Teachers
0 5 25 3 33
% of
Teachers
2 13 76 9 100

Table 5 shows the distribution of teachers by age, segmented into bands of 10 years. Of
the 55 fourth and fifth grade teachers surveyed, 9% were 29 or under, 27% were 30-39, 30%
were 40-49, and 21% were 50-59, and 11% were 60-69 years of age.
Table 5
Quantitative Survey: Teacher Age
Measure 29 or under 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 Total
No. of 4th
Grade
2 4 10 6 0 22
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Teachers
No. of 5th
Grade
Teachers
3 11 7 6 6 33
% of
Teachers
9 27 30 21 11 100

Table 6 represents the highest level of education by the 55 teachers who participated in
the quantitative survey. 20% of teachers interviewed earned a bachelor’s degree, 75% earned a
master’s degree, 1% had a doctoral degree, and 4% had other professional degrees.
Table 6
Quantitative Survey: Highest Degree Earned
Measure Bachelor’s
Degree
Master’s
Degree
Doctoral
Degree
Other
Professional
Degree
Total
No. of 4th
Grade
Teachers
7 14 0 1 22
No of 5th
Grade
Teachers
4 27 1 1 33
% of
Teachers
20 75 1 4 100

Table 7 displays the distribution of years of experience as a teacher, reported by the 55
respondents. Interestingly, most of the teachers (47%) have taught between 11-20 years, 22% of
the teachers surveyed had 10 years or less of overall experience as teachers, and 31% had 21-30
years of experience as a teacher.

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Table 7
Quantitative Survey: Overall Teacher Experience
Measure 2-10 years 11-20 years 21-30 years 31 or more
years
Total
No. of 4th
Grade
Teachers
5 8 9 0 22
No. of 5th
Grade
Teachers
7 18 8 0 33
% of
Teachers
22 47 31 0 100

Table 8 indicates the distribution of years of experience in the current district, reported by
the 55 respondents. Most of the teachers (45%) have taught between 11-20 years, 35% of the
teachers surveyed had between 2-10 years of experience, and 20% had 21-30 years of experience
in their current district.
Table 8
Quantitative Survey: Teacher Experience in Current District
Measure 1-10 years 11-20 years 21-30 years 31 or more
years
Total
No. of 4th
Grade
Teachers
7 9 6 0 22
No. of 5th
Grade
Teachers
12 16 5 0 33
% of
Teachers
35 45 20 0 100

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Qualitative Demographic Data
Qualitative data was collected using one-on-one interviews with five teachers in Orange
County Schools. Of the 55 teachers who responded to the quantitative survey, five teachers were
selected for the qualitative interviews. Interviewees were chosen based on proximity to
researcher and participant availability. The five teachers that were interviewed have been
referred to as Teachers A-E. The confidentiality of each teacher was maintained throughout the
entire process.
The interview protocol selected for this study was semi-structured with 26 open ended
questions. The format allowed the interviewer and participant to focus on the allotted time frame
(45 minutes) and allowed for an easier way to analyze data (Creswell, 2014; Patton, 2002).
According to Merriam (2014), interviews are a way to gather data when the researcher is looking
to understand how people interpret the phenomenon or when the behavior cannot be observed.
The format of the semi-structured interview allowed the focus questions to take center stage with
the flexibility to discuss topics that were not originally considered by the researcher. Probes were
interjected to provide an opportunity for authentic and rich details to emerge. The probing
questions allowed the researcher to gain a greater understanding, delve deeper, and get
clarification by facilitating the elaboration of responses related to the research topic.
A mixed-method data approach was used to gather data from surveys and interviews.
The researcher triangulated the data through the use of data to reduce weaknesses found using a
singular study method (Creswell, 2014). Confidentiality was used to ensure the protection of all
data collection.
Table 9 displays the demographic profile for each teacher who participated in the
qualitative interview along with their personal characteristics and school demographics. This
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

information provides insight into the teachers interviewed, snapshots of the schools where they
work, and context to the responses given.
Table 9
Qualitative Interview: Characteristics for Teachers and Schools
Teacher Profile School
A Gender: Female
Ethnicity: White
Yrs. as teacher: 15
Enrollment: 526
% of English Learners: 72.4

B Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Asian
Yrs. as teacher: 14
Enrollment: 526
% of English Learners: 72.4
C Gender: Female
Ethnicity: White
Yrs. as teacher: 6

Enrollment: 652
% of English Learners: 64.6
D Gender: Female
Ethnicity: White
Yrs. as teacher: 4
Enrollment: 652
% of English Learners: 64.6
E Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Yrs. as teacher: 13
Enrollment: 652
% of English Learners: 64.6

Of the teachers interviewed, all were female. The ethnic distribution was three White,
one Asian, and one Hispanic. Overall years of experience ranged from 4-15 years with an
average of 10 years amongst all five.
Research Question 1
What strategies do resilient Hispanic students in elementary schools employ to excel
academically?
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Table 10 depicts teacher responses to the following statement: Please rate how the
following strategies foster academic resilience in Hispanic students. Teachers were asked to
indicate level of agreement using a Likert-type scale in which 1 indicates strongly disagree, 2
indicates disagree, 3 indicates neutral, 4 indicates agree, and 5 indicates strongly agree.
Table 10
Teacher Rating of Strategies that Foster Resilience in Hispanic Students
Strategy Strongly
Disagree
(1)
Disagree

(2)
Neutral

(3)
Agree

(4)
Strongly
Agree
(5)
Response
Mean
Total
Positive peer
interactions
0 0 1 26 28 4.49 55
Positive parent
community
interactions
0 0 2 21 32 4.55 55
Extra-curricular
activities
1 1 9 22 22 4.15 55
Support teams
for at-risk
students
0 1 6 20 28 4.36 55
Mentors 0 0 5 26 24 4.35 55

The response mean range for all categories within this item was 4.15- 4.55. “Positive
parent community interactions” was rated most favorably (4.55), followed by “positive peer
interactions” (4.49), and “support teams for at-risk students” (4.36). “Extra curricular activities”
received the lowest response mean (4.15).
Positive Parent Community Interactions
“Positive parent community interactions” was indicated as a strategy for four of the five
teachers interviewed. The following were reported by two teachers:
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Teacher A: One strategy I use is I just get to know [students] and their families on a
personal level. So, I send home usually a lot of handwritten notes. I also use ClassTag
which is also nice. So, I like to send home lots of positive things rather than the negative.
We try to work out the negative, but pictures [in ClassTag] sent to parents so they can see
that their child is smiling and having fun, working together helps. Our Hispanic families
are mostly on our PTA board so that’s one thing that shows me that they value their
child’s education and they want to be here to help and support, but maybe other Hispanic
parents don’t know how.
Teacher C: One thing that stands out in my English language learner classes for the
masters was we took the time to learn about the culture of our students. We interviewed
parents, we did neighborhood walks, and just being able to understand, from their point
of view, I think it really helped me understand my students. I go back to their home life, I
guess, and how that affects. I’ve only with them for six hours. The other 18 or so they’re
dealing with experiences in their homelife and that impact. They have so much on their
shoulders. For some, it’s an upward battle.
Although the survey rating mean was highest for “positive parent community
interactions,” only two of the teachers interviewed explicitly discussed what they do to
encourage parent community interactions. These two teachers cited positive parent community
interactions as essential and an asset to fostering academic resilience in Hispanic students. These
teachers mentioned how they actively created opportunities to reach out to encourage parent
communication and get to know the families to better support their students. Teacher E did not
and expressed that one of the challenges of working with Hispanic students was the lack of
parental involvement and engagement due to life circumstances, “I believe that when you have
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Hispanic families that are living in poverty, we have issues. They [students] come with many
worries and fears and anxieties and issues that they are dealing with at home, and they bring it to
school.”
Positive Peer Interactions
“Positive Peer Interactions” was indicated as a strategy for four out of five teachers that
were interviewed. The teachers felt that positive peer relations foster a sense of unity and
commonality among Hispanic students. The following were reported by two teachers:
Teacher C stated, “I might partner them with students that not only are we resilient, but
they're good teachers, good role models.”
Teacher E: Lots of little mini meetings and pow-wow and have lunches with me and get a
little group of kids in and we start talking to kids about issues and challenges I know
someone's okay to talk with. And then when they hear other students talking about that, it
kind of allows them to hear what children their own age deal with and how they can
handle it.
Along the same lines, Teacher A further described the significance of incorporating
positive peer interactions in the classroom. “What I think Hispanic students need from the
[classroom] environment is collaboration and teamwork.” She elaborated on the way she
structures her classroom to highlight resilient Hispanic students, “If students maybe have the
ability to be a peer tutor [they will be]. So working in small groups, teaching their fellow
classmates about a certain topic. I think that is one way that they can shine.” It was evident the
teachers found value in using the strategy of peer support and partnerships to encourage the
promotion of resilience in Hispanic students.
Support Teams for At-Risk Students
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“Support teams for at-risk students” was as a strategy for three of the five teachers
interviewed stated that at-risk Hispanic students need assistance and support and discussed the
negative consequences that ensue as a result of the absence of support teams. The following
were reported by two teachers:
Teacher E: We need more adults in the professions of counseling and giving emotional
support. It’s sort of a feeling, as a teacher, I’m not trained to be a counselor either. I love
my counselor, but she’s there three days a week. We need more services in our school,
especially in high ELL populations. Kids are depressed. We just need more services to
service our children because the teachers cannot do it all. And I think that every single
year it feels like teachers are required to do more and more about their social/emotional
wellbeing.
Teacher B stated, “[The challenge] I think is the lack of resources we have on campus,
support from home for many of our students, and just the positive attitudes of our students.”
Furthermore, Teacher A noted that although schools attempt to provide families with
English as a Second Language (ESL) classes as a means of support, that level of support is not
enough. She described the challenge in believing ESL parent classes will resolve the academic
barriers at-risk Hispanic students face:
So a lot of our Hispanic families, their education stops at the elementary level and so
they’re unable to help our students with homework at home. And so that is difficult. And
a lot of our Hispanic parents are taking those (ESL) classes with the intention of
improving their child’s education too. So that’s been nice. But that’s been a challenge
working with it too.
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The aforementioned teacher responses pointed to the negative impact that results from the
limited availability of support teams compounding the adversities faced by Hispanic at-risk
students. The absence of supports such as resources in school personnel to address social
emotional needs for students was thought by teachers to hinder resilience in students.
Research Question 2
What formal or informal factors do Hispanic students in elementary school experience to
develop resiliency to excel academically?
Table 11 displays the teacher responses to the statement: Please rate how the following
formal and informal factors influence the development of academic resilience in Hispanic
students. Teachers were asked to indicate level of agreement using a Likert-type scale in which
1 indicates strongly disagree, 2 indicates disagree, 3 indicates neutral, 4 indicates agree, and 5
indicates strongly agree.
Table 11
Teacher Rating of Formal and Informal Factors that Influence the Development of Academic
Resilience in Hispanic Students
Factor Strongly
Disagree
(1)
Disagree
(2)
Neutral
(3)
Agree
(4)
Strongly
Agree
(5)
Response
Mean
Total
Supportive
relationships
0 0 5 17 33 4.51 55
Family factors 0 1 3 13 38 4.60 55
Student
characteristics
0 1 7 30 17 4.15 55
School factors 0 0 6 31 18 4.22 55
Teacher
expectations
0 0 5 23 27 4.40 55
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The response mean range for all categories within this item was 4.15-4.60. “Family
factors” was rated the highest (4.60), followed by “supportive relationships” (4.51), and “student
characteristics” received the lowest response mean (4.15).
Family Factors
“Family factors” was indicated as a strategy for all of the five teachers interviewed
affirmed that challenging family factors hinder the promotion of academic success. The
following were reported by three teachers:
Teacher A: So I do have students that are lacking one or both parents because they have
been deported, which has been huge over the last years. That’s been a huge challenge for
those families. So they have aunties and uncles that are kind of raising them or
sometimes older brother or sisters that are generations born here. Lots of families that
have fathers specifically in prison. And so we have, again, single family household,
mostly the dad is not there.
Teacher C: I had a student whose father was in jail, had just recently gone to jail. All of a
sudden he’s depressed, he was a smart kid, but then stopped trying. It’s building that
relationship that he doesn’t have his father but he can trust me. Getting him the extra
support he needs with our counselor, just trying to help him focus, be understanding that
the way you’re going to change your situation is through your education. I have to build
that background knowledge for students like that. Not assuming they have the same
experiences as other students, or myself.
Teacher E: There’s some families that just won’t even connect with you on class dojo,
which is a free app that I can communicate with them, but there’s about three or four
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families that no matter how many invitations you provide them in English and in Spanish
and I put notes “I’d love to talk to you. Would like to connect with you.” And there’s
some families, who every year, they don’t even want to deal with you. It’s like they never
come to back to school, it’s very sad and I feel like the child is embarrassed about that.
The above three teachers described the obstacles faced by dysfunctional family dynamics
and limited family involvement factors that impede the progression of academic resilience for
Hispanic students. The sentiment shared by teacher interview responses was a sense of
awareness that comes with knowing students face family factors that are out of their control. On
this topic, Teacher D stated, “I also think that they [students] make the best of what they are
given. Very few of my students complain about how their life is, or things they’re going
through, and they just kind of make the best of what life has given them.”
Supportive Relationships
“Supportive relationships” was indicated as a strategy for all of the five teachers
interviewed stated that students grew academically when they had a supportive relationship with
an adult at home or school. The following were reported by three teachers:
Teacher A: But I tell my students and all students, but specifically Hispanics, there's a
reason that you're here. Your family wants you to do better. They want you to get farther
than they did. They want you to be able to be a role model for your brothers or your
sisters.
Teacher B: That positive support that we [teachers] have and letting them know that
we're here for them. Children are like sponges. They'll see us and they're very observant
and they'll absorb whatever it is that we are giving out. So if we are giving out the
positive vibes, one way or another one of those vibes, one of those positive vibes will be
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

absorbed by them.
Teacher E stated, “Students need 100% love and compassion [from their teacher]. They
want you to know that you love them, no matter what.”
From the responses, it was evident that supportive relationships provide opportunities for
students to establish connections with others in a meaningful way. In addition, relationships
benefit students by providing moral and academic support, motivation, and the empathy needed
by students to feel competent.
Teacher Expectations
“Teacher expectations” was recorded as the third highest response mean (4.40) formal
and informal factor to influence the development of academic resilience in Hispanic students.
Three of the five teachers interviewed stated that students grew academically when teacher
expectations were high and conversely negatively impacted academic growth if expectations
were low. The following were reported by three teachers:
Teacher A: The teacher's viewpoint, let's say they have a negative impression on a child,
that's definitely going to weigh down a child. And it's going to cause them to not want to
improve, or sometimes that even causes them to regress or lose motivation. Right? So I
think the teacher's viewpoint on them does affect them and influences their motivation
behavior and their academic abilities. Because I tell my kids like, "You're all intelligent,
but you just all are intelligent in a different way."
Teacher B: Whatever we [teachers] do has so much influences on our children. So I
would disagree with that (a teacher’s view of a student has no influence) and we are their
role models. Some might need us more than others, but whatever we do has an influence
on their thinking, their perspective on life, and their everyday just coming here (school).
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Teacher E: My friend [a difficult Hispanic student] who challenged me every day, I still
see some teachers who just get so tired of him, they want to ignore him. And that view
could affect his progress because as a teacher sometimes honestly, I feel I want to just not
visit him and confer with him because he's going to cause a fight or something. But you
can't be that because that is going to affect him. So you just, every day you try another
strategy, you try another little group. You try something until it works.
Teachers recognize they play a critical role in how students perceive themselves as
learners. Teachers responded with the understanding that they are very influential in the
academic outlook Hispanic students have based on the expectation teachers place on them.
Research Question 3
According to elementary teachers, what common preconditions exist for resilient
Hispanic students?
Table 12 depicts teacher responses to the question: Please rate how the following
preconditions influence the resiliency in Hispanic students. Teachers were asked to indicate
level of agreement using a Likert-type scale in which “1” indicates strongly disagree, “2”
indicates disagree, “3” indicates neutral, “4” indicates agree, and “5” indicates strongly agree.
Table 12
Teacher Rating of Preconditions that Influence the Resiliency in Hispanic Students
Preconditions Strongly
Disagree
(1)
Disagree
(2)
Neutral
(3)
Agree
(4)
Strongly
Agree
(5)
Response
Mean
Total
A positive
relationship with
an adult
0 0 2 26 27 4.45 55
Ability to handle
adversity
0 0 3 31 21 4.33 55
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Being good
problem solvers
and learners
0 1 5 26 22 4.20 55
Being engaging
to other people
0 3 15 25 12 3.84 55
Having an area
of competence
0 0 9 31 15 4.11 55
Perceived
efficacy
0 0 13 27 15 4.04 55
High
expectations
0 2 4 30 19 4.20 55
Beliefs that life
has meaning
0 0 5 23 27 4.40 55
Goal setting 0 1 6 26 22 4.25 55
Personal agency 0 0 8 33 14 4.11 55
Interpersonal
problem-solving
skills
0 0 2 28 25 4.42 55
Social
competence like
responsiveness
0 2 4 32 17 4.16 55
Autonomy 0 0 5 39 11 4.11 55
Sense of purpose
and future
0 0 3 20 32 4.53 55

The response mean range for all categories within this item was 3.84-4.53. “Sense of
purpose and future” was rated most favorably (4.53), followed by “a positive relationship with an
adult” (4.45), and “interpersonal problem-solving skills” (4.42). “Being engaging to other
people” scored the lowest response mean (3.84).

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Sense of Purpose and Future
“Sense of purpose and future” was indicated as a precondition for all of the five teachers
that were interviewed. The teachers emphasized the importance that setting goals has on
students’ sense of purpose as well the purpose they get from being a contributing member in the
classroom. The following were reported by three teachers:
Teacher A: Students that are resilient, that are Hispanic, are able to bounce back quickly,
maybe not dwell, so they’re able to stay focused, look at the big picture rather than the
bumps in the road. So if they can self-analyze whether they’re progressing forward rather
than staying stagnant. That’s something that I focus on with my kids (students) while
they are setting goals.
Teacher B stated, “[Students need] mutual respect to lower their filter, to let them know
that their ideas are important. They are important to being part of the classroom.” Teacher
C said, “I give them a sense of ownership in their class. They know I don't have all the
answers. I spend most of my time asking questions, allowing them to share their
understanding and ask questions. They ask questions, they question each other.”
Teacher D further elaborated on the turnaround made possible as a result of giving students a
sense of purpose. She described a situation with a student who had lost interest in school but
found a reason to belong. “He tried out for the musical and he got a big part in it. Since he’s been
given that opportunity and support from myself and the other teachers in the program, it’s like he
is a new student. He’s trying.” Ultimately, teachers believe resilient students need to find a
connection to schooling either by seeing themselves as an integral part of the classroom or
school.

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A Positive Relationship with An Adult
“A positive relationship with an adult” was indicated as a precondition for all of the five
teachers who were interviewed mentioned the important influence that a positive relationship
with an adult has on the academic resiliency of Hispanic students. The following were reported
by four teachers:
Teacher B stated, “[Students need] confidence. They need to know that we're here for
them and be confident in raising that self-esteem with them in the classroom.”
Teacher C: I'm going to get more out of a student that I have a positive relationship with.
If I'm riding a student, and I'm just on their case negatively, "Why are you doing that?
Why are you doing that? Why are you doing that?" Chances are they get enough of that at
home. They're just going to shut down, they're going to close down.
Teacher D: I just think they need support and to have a consistent, positive adult in their
life. I know, personally I feel like for a lot of my kids I am that consistent in their life.
They know that I'm going to be there, and they know that I'm going to be consistent in
what I do with them. I just think that giving that support and finding the ways that
teachers can help their students feel successful. Even if it's the little things.
Teacher E: I see it every day. I mean, I just see kids continuously persevering and you
just continue to say, "Let me help you. Let me help you. Let's work a little bit. Let's keep
working. Let's keep practicing." I think every day there's little wonderful things that
happened, and it's perseverance, I can't give up on these kiddos. And so, at least once
a week I try to find something to announce, "Wow, I'm so proud. Can I share this with the
class? That is awesome. Can you allow me to share this?" Some will say yes, most of the
kids always say, "Oh sure, but can you say it? I don't want to say it."
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Interviewees described the powerful effect that relationships have on the ability for
Hispanic students to make academic strides. Teachers discussed the critical influence
relationships can have on confidence, work production, a sense of self efficacy, and self-esteem.
Teacher responses further supported the evidence found in research that relationships are
instrumental to academic achievement.
Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills
“Interpersonal problem-solving skills” was a precondition response from three of the five
teachers interviewed. Teachers attributed academic resiliency with Hispanic students’ ability to
use interpersonal problem-solving skills. Conversely, the inability to have this precondition
hinders academic resiliency. The following were reported by two teachers:
Teacher A: [Students with] Fixed mindset, woe is me, can't control emotions. They let
them get the best of them. They don't see small measures of success as a positive thing.
They look at it like I'm not doing right it so I'll never get to the end. And sometimes they
express anger, task avoidance, or take their emotions out on other people.
Teacher D: [We need to] give students the strategies and the tools they need to face their
problems or face their fears and how they can progress through them, or how they can
deal with them. I really focus on just giving kids the tools they need to verbally talk about
their problems, or if they can't talk about them, different ways of expressing how they are
feeling or what they're going through, so that either they can solve their problems and
take care of themselves, or they can bring people in, teachers or counselors or those types
of things. They learn how to ask for help so that they can move forward through those
struggles.
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Teacher responses explained the negative impact that poor interpersonal problem-solving
skills can have on Hispanic student’s ability to rise about challenges. They described the ways in
which students get stuck with a sense of helplessness if they cannot effectively express
themselves and solve problems.
Research Question 4
What classroom learning environments promote the resiliency of Hispanic students in
elementary schools?
Table 13 depicts teacher responses to the question: Please rate the degree to which you
consider the following elements are important in a classroom learning environment to promote
resilience in Hispanic students. Teachers were asked to indicate level of agreement using a
Likert-type scale in which 1 indicates strongly disagree, 2 indicates disagree, 3 indicates neutral,
4 indicates agree, and 5 indicates strongly agree.
Table 13
Teacher Rating of Elements that Are Important in a Classroom Learning Environment to
Promote Resilience in Hispanic Students
Elements Strongly
Disagree
(1)
Disagree
(2)
Neutral
(3)
Agree
(4)
Strongly
Agree
(5)
Response
Mean
Total
Explicit teaching
practices
0 0 6 20 29 4.42 55
Cognitively-
guided
instruction
0 0 3 29 23 4.36 55
Technology-
enriched
instruction
0 2 12 31 10 3.89 55
Cooperative 0 1 1 24 29 4.47 55
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learning
Instructional
conversations
0 0 2 21 32 4.55 55
Data-driven
decision making
0 2 6 25 22 4.22 55
Trusting
environments
0 0 0 9 46 4.84 55
Teacher
expectations
0 0 0 18 37 4.67 55
Exercise
responsibility
0 0 0 22 33 4.60 55
Make decisions 0 0 2 27 26 4.44 55
Learn from
mistakes and
successes
0 0 1 15 49 4.69 55
Problem solving
of complex-real
life problems
0 0 2 18 35 4.60 55

The response mean range for all categories within this item was 3.89-4.84. “Trusting
environments” was rated most favorably (4.84), followed by “learn from mistakes and
successes” (4.69), and “teacher expectations” (4.67). “Technology-enriched instruction”
received the lowest response mean (3.89).
Trusting Environments
“Trusting environments” was highly ranked as an element that is important in a
classroom for four of the five teachers interviewed. The teachers attributed academic resiliency
with Hispanic students’ ability to be a part of a trusting learning classroom environment created
by teachers. The following were reported by four teachers:
Teacher A: And so I just tell them like, "Do you want to be here? Do you want to come?
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Are you enjoying yourselves? Do you feel loved?" Because if you can't meet those basic
Maslow needs, then what's the point of providing enrichment? If you don't feel like
you're loved, you don't feel comfortable, you don't feel safe, nurtured.
Teacher C: From the classroom environment, it needs to be safe. It needs to be a safe
place where they can be themselves, where they don't have to act like they know
everything, where they can say, "I'm not sure, but I think this," and they can be right or
wrong, and no one’s going to laugh at them.
Teacher D: Every morning I check in with my kids as they walk in the door. We greet
each other with either a handshake or a hug or a high five or a fist bump. That gives me a
quick snapshot of how my students are feeling that day or if they look like they're tired or
if they look like they're sad, or happy. I'm able to read them clearly and I get to read
every student as they walk in the door. Also, two or three times a week I try to have circle
time in the morning where we just go around and share how we're feeling or share
something we're proud of.
Teacher E: Every morning they give me their best and try hard. They come to school
every day still with a smile on their face. And I think that's important too because they
know I'm going to be there. They like to have a routine. I think sometimes in their homes,
in their personal life, there is no routine. Also, definitely make sure you capture
everybody doing something amazing at least once a week.
Teacher responses reflect the understanding that a trusting classroom climate promotes
the academic resiliency in Hispanic students. Teacher D expounded upon the idea of building
trust through personalized interactions that allow her to “really pinpoint what is holding them
back and finding ways of helping (students) work through that, and then giving them those tools
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to encourage them to take risks and that it's okay to have challenges and try to overcome them.”
Overall, teachers explained their attempts at fostering trust by providing a student-centered
classroom environment focused on meeting emotional foundational needs, safety, personalized
experiences and consistency.
Learn from Mistakes and Successes
The ability for Hispanic students to “learn from mistakes and successes” was an element
important in a classroom for all five of the teachers interviewed. The following were reported by
three teachers:
Teacher A: So if they can self-analyze whether they're progressing forward rather than
staying stagnant. That's something that I focus on with my kids while we're setting goals.
So they're able to articulate their feelings, their thoughts, their emotions, and they learn
from mistakes. They can see that their actions are what maybe are going to lead them to
having a better day the next day.
Teacher B: Our kids are amazing. They’re so resilient when they walk into our door. And
just little things. If they understand a lesson, you see their eyes brighten up and it just, it
makes it worth it. And so I guess one of the positive things is just seeing their faces and
seeing them cheering for their successes and celebrating their successes. That’s worth it.
Also, just let students know that it is okay to feel what they’re feeling and focusing on
that growth mindset and refocus that student to know that they need to be positive and it
is okay to reach out.
Teacher C: I think what I see in my confident students, or one’s that are not afraid to try
and make mistakes, try and fail and they get up and keep trying. The positives of working
with any students is seeing them struggle, but not giving up. When they get that aha
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moment, just seeing them succeed and be proud of themselves. Plus encouragement, that
they can do anything they put their minds to. A safe place they can try. Me personally, I
model, I’m not perfect. I make mistakes. I make them right in front of them, and we learn
from it and keep going.
All of the teachers interviewed stated that they believed resilient students possessed the
skill set to learn from mistakes and successes. Teacher D also added how she worked towards
increasing the opportunities for students to experience success stating:
Finding what motivates that student and finding things that help them feel successful.
Even if it starts off with very little, like they're doing a little work, or they're at least
writing something on the paper, celebrating those successes and then challenging them to
continue on to bigger successes or bigger challenges.
The teachers interviewed discussed students’ ability to persevere and two of them referenced
growth mindset as a contributing factor. They acknowledged their role as teachers was to model
that for students and drawn it out in them.
Teacher Expectations
“Teacher expectations” was as an element important in a classroom learning environment
for all five teachers interviewed. Teachers attributed academic resiliency with Hispanic
students’ ability to be a part of a classroom environment with high teacher expectations. The
following were reported by three teachers:
Teacher A: So I think for me, it's just positive reinforcement. Every day is a new day.
We're going to erase the bad and we're going to start off. But we can learn from our
mistakes. Adults make mistakes and I tell them like, "I'm the first person to apologize."
So I think setting the example for them, setting the tone, getting them to understand that
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there's more than one way to do things. There's more than one choice in life or avenue.
We all have a journey. We all come from trauma regardless of what it is. I always try to
get them to understand that. I've been there too and look where we can get together. So
just hopefully that resonates with them.
Teacher C: I think kids just need to have that confidence, and that support, and that's
what teachers are here to do. You know, the "I have faith in you, and it's okay to be
yourself."
Teacher E: And I think the most important thing is just communication and letting them
know that they were brought here for you and we're going to make some mess ups and
you're not alone in this situation and you do your best, just don't give up. It may not
happen with me, but it could have a breakthrough with the next teacher. But at least they
know that the adults in their life aren't going to give up on them.
Teacher expectations surfaced as essential to the promotion of resiliency in the context of
classroom learning environments. Responses focused on the tone teachers set and the approach
they take towards student setbacks to reflect teacher expectations. Teachers also discussed how
they communicate high expectations because they build upon and demonstrate confidence in
students’ abilities to persevere.
Summary
This chapter reported the findings from 55 fourth and fifth grade teachers surveyed as
well as five female fourth and fifth grade teachers interviewed from Orange County public
schools. This study focused on answering four research questions related to the following:
strategies employed by students, formal and informal influences, preconditions, and elements in
classroom environments that teachers believe that Hispanic students need to be resilient in
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academics. As indicated by the results, the strongest factors for developing resiliency in primary
students are positive parent community interactions and family support. The findings closely
align with Hassinger and Plourde’s (2005) research conclusion that all resilient students in their
study shared similarities in family factors and school factors like positive parent community
interactions. Henderson, DeCuir-Gunby and Gill’s (2016) research also considered the family
unit to be a critical contributing factor for resiliency.
In addition, the teachers in the surveys and interviews reported that a sense of purpose
and future and trusting environments ranked top as preconditions that exist for resilient Hispanic
students. These findings authenticate Rivera and Waxman’s (2011) research in that personal
characteristics of resilient children included high expectations, beliefs that life has meaning, goal
direction, personal agency, and interpersonal problem-solving skills. Resilient children
displayed social competence like responsiveness, autonomy, and a sense of purpose and future.
Furthermore, the teachers in the surveys and interviews reported that teacher expectations
were a strong factor to incorporate when building the resiliency of a Hispanic student’s academic
success. These findings authenticate Brooks’ (2006) research in that it is especially important to
hold high expectations for at-risk students since “high expectations convey the message that
students can succeed.” The resiliency framework is made up of the following factors: goal
setting, interpersonal relationships, intrinsic motivation, internal locus of control, and self-
efficacy (Cavazos et al., 2010). Two of the five factors on the resiliency framework, goal setting
and interpersonal relationships, were ranked well above average on the survey findings.
However, all five factors on the resiliency framework were discussed in all five teacher
interviews. All in all, the ability to create trusting environments earned the highest response
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mean on 4.84 on the survey and supportive relationships was the one theme that all interviewees
emphasized in the interviews.
Chapter five, will be a discussion of the research, further conclusions and implications of
the research. Finally, recommendations for future research will be reported.

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CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Introduction
Today, Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing group of minority students
(Hassinger & Plourde, 2005). Projections state that by the year 2026, the United States will have
the exact inverse of student representation as we knew in 1990; in 1990 Whites made up 70% of
our K-12 enrollment, however, Hispanics students will make up 70% in 2026 (Garcia, 2001).
Unfortunately, Hispanic student typically do not participate in school readiness programs which
causes them to be at a disadvantage in elementary school (Hassinger & Plourde, 2005). Many
Hispanic students start school already at-risk of retention and have to play catch-up for the
remainder of schooling (Willson and Hughes, 2006). Hispanic students are more likely to be
retained in a grade level than are White students and have the highest rate of non-school
completion of all minority groups (NCES, 2003).
Some of the resiliency factors viewed by teachers that foster academic success in
Hispanic students are positive interpersonal relationships, like high expectations from family
members and teachers, and individual factors. Individual factors consist of high self-efficacy,
goal setting, intrinsic motivation, and an internal locus of control (McMillan & Reed, 1994).
Resilient children characteristics are: (a) having a positive relationship with an adult, (b) being
good problem solvers and learners, (c) being engaging to other people, and (d) having an area of
competence and perceived efficacy (Rivera & Waxman, 2011). Teacher factors referred to the
teachers setting high expectations for the students and being a good person for the students to
talk with (Hassinger & Plourde, 2005).

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Purpose of the Study
This study sought to identify the resiliency factors that foster academic success in
elementary minority Hispanic students in Orange County. In spite of repeated failure and
academic challenges, some Hispanic students rise above adversity and become successful
(Hassinger & Plourde, 2005). Waxman, Gray and Padron (2003) confirm that emphasized skills,
opportunities, and relationships promote resiliency in schools, only a few studies have actually
examined resiliency in schools. These researchers go on to explain that most of the research is
limited with its focus on comparing resilient verses non-resilient students within the context of
family and individual characteristics (Waxman, Gray & Padron, 2003). The goal of this study
was to build upon the existing knowledge base and expand it to include classroom processes that
have been identified to foster resilience in an effort to recreate these factors for Hispanic
elementary students. Of special interest are the protective factors found in school environments
that contribute to successful school outcomes. Protective factors are processes or characteristics
that help buffer the effect of risk factors and counter the adverse outcomes (Kazdin, Kraemer,
Kessler, Kupler, & Offord, 1997).
Research Questions
The following research questions were used to guide this study:
1. What strategies do elementary teachers believe resilient Hispanic students utilize to
excel academically?
2. What formal or informal factors do Hispanic students in elementary schools
experience to develop resiliency to excel academically?
3. According to elementary teachers, what common preconditions exist for resilient
Hispanic students?
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4. What classroom learning environments promote the resiliency of Hispanic students in
elementary schools?
Methodology
A mixed-method approach was conducted for this study. Quantitative data was collected
from a survey that was distributed to 55 fourth and fifth grade elementary teachers in southern
California public school districts serving student populations ranging from 2,500 to 70,000.
Qualitative data was retrieved from five female fourth and fifth grade teachers that were
interviewed. A semi-structured approach was used during the interviews, which contained 26
questions on the interview protocol. All of the data was interpreted and analyzed using the
process of triangulation where various sources of information were used to support the findings.
Results and Findings
The findings in this study were based on the data that was collected and analyzed. This
section will interpret the combined results of the quantitative and qualitative data and link the
findings back to the literature.
Research Question #1: What strategies do elementary teachers believe resilient
Hispanic students utilize to excel academically?
Positive Parent Community Interactions
According to teachers, the strongest strategy that resilient Hispanic students utilize in
elementary school was positive parent community interactions. Specifically, a partnership that is
actively sought out and established between teachers and parents helped to foster academic
success. According to Brooks (2006), educators can strengthen the resilience of students by
developing social competence, communicating high expectations for students’ academic and
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social performance, increasing opportunities for meaningful participation of students in the
school environment, and creating partnerships with families and community resources.
Positive Peer Interactions
Another significant theme that surfaced as being a strategy that resilient Hispanic
students in elementary schools employ to excel academically was engaging in positive peer
interactions. Teachers surveyed and interviewed in this study found value in using the strategy
of peer support and partnerships to encourage the promotion of resilience in Hispanic students.
Moreover, teachers in this study reported that positive peer interactions and planned student
groupings enhanced Hispanic students’ resilience by providing them with opportunities to
establish relationships and connections with other peers. Clark (1991) supports this finding and
suggests that social identity and support networks are resilient behaviors that need to be
welcomed and developed in students. This finding is further supported by the use of
instructional strategies like small group instruction and cooperative grouping identified as
effective practices for minority students that lead to improved student outcomes (Waxman et al.,
1997).
Research Question #2: What formal or informal factors do Hispanic students in
elementary school experience to develop resiliency to excel academically?
Family Factors
The strongest factor that Hispanic students in elementary school experience to develop
resiliency to excel academically was family factors. Teachers in the study confirmed family
factors as influential in Hispanic students’ ability to make academic progress in schools.
McMillan and Reed (1994) found family support encourages students to hold high expectations.
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Resilient students have specific and high-level goals regarding their academic future. In
Hassinger and Plourde’s (2005) research findings family factors including different levels of
support emerged as a positive influence. Howard and Johnson (2000) supports similar findings
in their study where students and teachers felt the family played a very important role in
promoting resilient behavior for students living a challenging life. All teachers identified the
important role that families play in maintaining supportive relationships, encouraging
independence, and providing the basics for students. Henderson et al. (2016) also consider the
family unit to be a critical contributing factor for resiliency. They recommend the need for ties
across the family, school and community system, and the promotion of capacity building to shed
light on their interdependence in promoting resilience to counteract education disparities.
Supportive Relationships
The next strongest factor that resilient students developed in elementary school to excel
academically was building supportive relationships. Children thrive and learn when they feel
safe and supported by a caring adult. Supportive relationships with teachers and family shape
the experiences that promote positive academic progress. Hassinger and Plourde (2005) revealed
how most resilient Hispanic children had the opportunity to establish a close bond with at least
one caregiver who offered support and attention. McMillan and Reed (1994) stated that positive
interpersonal relationships, like high expectations from family members, and individual factors,
like high self-efficacy, goal setting, intrinsic motivation, and an internal locus of control, play a
role in developing resiliency. In addition, Howard and Johnson (2000) found that familial
relationships between parents and students were pivotal, but so were relationships with brothers
and sisters, grandparents and other relatives.
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Research Question #3: According to elementary teachers, what common
preconditions exist for resilient Hispanic students in elementary schools?
Sense of Purpose and Future
The most common precondition that resilient Hispanic students exhibited in elementary
school to excel academically was their ability to have a sense of purpose and future. When
students set goals, they are more likely to stay focused on their future educational endeavors.
McMillan and Reed (1994) affirm this finding stating resilient students have specific and high-
level goals regarding their academic future. Furthermore, Merrell, Cohn and Tom (2011),
discovered that resilient students have an internal locus of control believing that their efforts and
hard work pay off. In addition, resilient students believe that their actions directly affect their
goals. School influences in the literature review also uncovered common attributes resilient
students exhibit such as a positive self-concept about personal accomplishments, effective coping
strategies, and socio-emotional competence. Teachers were found to be influential in
encouraging optimism and helping minority students process their bad experiences and use
effective coping strategies (Kitano & Lewis, 2005).
A Positive Relationship with An Adult
Another common precondition that resilient Hispanic students had in elementary school
to excel academically was a positive relationship with an adult. When teachers take the time to
build relationships with students, the students work hard to succeed. Hattie (2009) claimed that
teachers saw the positive influence on student achievement when they learned to facilitate
student development by demonstrating care and empathy for each student. Moreover, in a meta-
analysis of over 800 studies addressing influences on student achievement, teacher-student
relationships was found to be the 12th most important factor (Hattie, 2009). Similarly, Hassinger
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and Plourde (2005), identified certain traits that were universal to the resiliently successful
Hispanic students in the area of supportive relationships whereby an adult such as a teacher or
counselor was willing to help them in their struggles.
Research Question #4: What classroom learning environments promote the
resiliency of Hispanic students in elementary schools?
Trusting Environments
Creating a trusting environment was the strongest classroom factor to promote the
resiliency of Hispanic students in elementary schools. In order to maximize the learning for
students, teachers need to create a nurturing and accepting classroom/school environment.
School environment provides support, assistance, trust, and help to resilient and non-resilient
students (Gordon, 1996). These elements allow students to take risks and thus learn from their
mistakes and successes. Teachers play an important role in developing resilience by creating
trusting environments so students have the opportunity to exercise responsibility, make
decisions, and learn from their mistakes and successes (Kitano and Lewis, 2005; Waxman et al,
2003).
Learn from Mistakes and Successes
The next strongest classroom learning environment indicator to promote the resiliency of
Hispanic students is their ability to learn from mistakes and successes. Waxman et al (2003)
shared the roles teachers play in developing resilience by creating trusting environments whereby
students have the opportunity to exercise responsibility, make decisions, and learn from their
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mistakes and successes. Resilient students exhibit high self-efficacy because they believe that
they will successfully complete tasks that they set out to accomplish (McMillan & Reed, 1994).
Implications of the Study
This study contributes to research regarding factors teachers need to consider in their
practice to build academic resiliency in Hispanic students. Findings from this study, aligned
with research, further suggest implications for teaching strategies that will support increasing the
academic achievement of Hispanic students.
In addition to the four research questions that guided the study, the five interviews that
were conducted provided additional information that offered the researcher further
recommendations and advice to those who are working to build resiliency in Hispanic students.
Importance of Relationships
The importance of relationships was a significant theme that emerged from the survey
and interview responses. The teachers interviewed emphasized the importance of positive
relationships both with students and their families. Waxman, et al. (1997) supported this finding
when they examined effective classroom processes in urban schools and identified several
important findings. These researchers echoed that the amount and quality of interactions
between teacher and student made a difference in promoting academic success (Waxman,
Huang, Anderson & Weinstein, 1997). In addition to teacher-student relationships, it is
important for teachers to acknowledge the power of the familial relationship for students.
According to Robertson et al. (1998), family as social support may be an especially important
variable to examine for Hispanic students. Robertson et al. (1998) suggest that for Hispanic
students, parents, siblings and other extended family members serve as a significant source of
social support to influence resiliency in youth.
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Teacher Expectations
Teacher expectations was also a significant theme that emerged from the survey and
interview responses. All students succeed when teachers hold high expectations for them. High
expectations for at-risk students “convey the message that students can succeed” (Brooks, 2006,
p.71). Furthermore, Hattie and Yates (2009) state that when teachers establish positive
relationships with students, students benefit from trust and affection.
Recommendations for Future Research
This study surveyed 55 fourth and fifth grade elementary teachers and interviewed five
female fourth and fifth grade elementary teachers in Orange County California public school
districts. Findings from this study revealed additional areas that need to be further explored. The
following are recommendations for future research:
1. Further explore classroom processes that have been identified to foster resilience
in an effort to recreate these factors for Hispanic elementary students.
2. Expand the research on the protective factors found in school environments that
contribute to successful school outcomes for Hispanic students.
3. Strengthen the research in schools to assess what programs and resources are
available to support and prepare Hispanic students to achieve.
4. Investigate ongoing culturally responsive teaching professional development
opportunities for teachers.
5. Further research the connection between underachievement of Hispanic students
and the impact of relationships and teacher expectations.
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6. Study teacher preparation programs in colleges and universities to assess what
training is provided for aspiring teachers to effectively support the growing
population of Hispanic students.
Concluding Remarks
This study has demonstrated that although the number of Hispanic students is increasing
at a high rate, academic achievement performance is not increasing for this population. Hispanic
students continue to face challenges that impede them from reaching optimal academic results.
Throughout this study, teacher’s perceptions of challenges Hispanic students face were explored
as well as successful strategies they utilized to teach.
Some of the key lessons learned from this study is that it is critical for teachers working
with Hispanic students to be aware of the central factors that influence academic resiliency. In
knowing the factors that promote or hinder academic performance, teachers can respond and plan
effectively to foster academic success in elementary minority Hispanic students in Orange
County. The importance of positive relationships was key in to student academic success.
Research emphasized the importance of student-teacher relationships and student-family
relationships. Rivera and Waxman (2011) state that resilient children have at least one positive
relationship with an adult. Teachers also need to know that students can bond with other school
staff to build positive relationships as well. Next, teacher expectations are another important
factor for student success. Teachers must set high expectations for all students. Teacher
expectations are an important factor contributing to students getting a sense that teachers were
approachable, caring and gave effective feedback coupled with adequate use of praise (Hassinger
& Plourde, 2005).
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It is imperative that teachers understand that resiliency can be taught and fostered in
students. Even though students come to school with different backgrounds and influences,
teachers play a large role in student success. It is important that teachers build positive
relationships with students and their families. Even if a student lacks a strong familial tie,
teachers can be the one caring adult in a student’s life. In addition, teachers must hold all
students to high academic expectations. By doing so, students feel valued and appreciated.
Therefore, the students will work hard to meet the expectations.

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

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Appendix A
Interview Cover Sheet & Protocol
Name of Researcher:
Date of Interview:
Name of Interviewee:
City:
Authorizer’s Phone Number:
Authorizer’s Email Address:
Interview start time:
Interview end time:
Introduction
My name is Elizabeth Leon, and I am a researcher at the University of Southern California’s
Rossier School of Education. I am conducting a study attempting to identify resiliency factors of
Hispanic students in Orange County schools. It is critical to understand and analyze the
resiliency factors that Hispanic students face in elementary school in order to build their
academic achievement.
During this interview, I hope to learn more about your experiences working with Hispanic
students. The information that you provide will hopefully serve to support teachers of Hispanic
students in Orange County.
I want to assure you that your comments will be strictly confidential. I will not identify you, or
your organization, by name. I would like to tape record this interview in order to capture
information that I may have missed. Would this be okay to do?
The interview should take approximately 45 minutes.
Thank you for your time.

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Interview Protocol
1. How did you become interested in the field of education?
2. How long have you been teaching?
3. What roles and/or positions have you held?
4. What types of socioeconomic schools have you taught at?
5. What are the challenges working with Hispanic students, if any?
6. What are the positives of working with Hispanic students, if at all?
7. What do you do to support them in overcoming these challenges?
8. Tell me about a time when you saw a Hispanic student overcome a challenging issue.
9. Can you describe a lesson, if any, where you felt you didn’t support a Hispanic student?
10. Give me an example of a training and/or college class you’ve received to assist students
in overcoming challenging experiences.
11. What were the strengths of the training, if any?
12. Was there anything that could have been improved about the training?
13. From this training, what strategies, if any, do you use with Hispanic students in your
classroom?
14. In your opinion, what are the characteristics of resilient Hispanic students?
15. What are the characteristics of the non-resilient Hispanic students?
16. What, if anything, do you feel that Hispanic students need from the teacher in order to be
resilient?
17. What, if anything, do you feel that Hispanic students need from the classroom
environment in order to be resilient?
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

18. Suppose you had a Hispanic student that lacked resiliency, how would you teach that
student not to give up when schooling becomes difficult?
19. Some people would say that resilience is innate and cannot be affected by the teacher.
What would you tell them?
20. Some people would say that a teacher’s view of a student has no influence on their
academic ability. What would you tell them?
21. How would you structure your classroom to allow resilient Hispanic students to shine?
22. How do you consider your Hispanic students when planning lessons, if at all?
23. What strategies do you incorporate to promote their success?
24. What role, if any, does curriculum play in promoting resiliency?
25. If teachers could design curriculum to cultivate classroom climate that promotes
resilience, what components would be necessary?
26. What other insight, if any, would you like to share about our conversation about
resiliency in Hispanic students that I may not have covered?

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Appendix B

Teacher Survey
Gender?
Male
Female

Ethnicity?
American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian
Black/African American
Hispanic/Latino
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
White
Two or more
Other:_________________________

Age Category?
29 and under
30-39
40-49
50-59
60-69
70 and over

Highest Educational Attainment
Bachelor’s Degree
Master’s Degree
Doctoral Degree
Other Professional Degree

Years of experience as the teacher of your current district:______

Total years of experience as a teacher: _____

Question 1: Please rate how the following strategies foster academic resilience in Hispanic
students.

(1= Strongly Disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Neutral, 4= Agree, 5= Strongly Agree)

1. Positive peer interactions 1 2 3 4 5
2. Positive parent community interactions 1 2 3 4 5
3. Extra-curricular activities 1 2 3 4 5
4. Support teams for at-risk students 1 2 3 4 5
5. Mentors 1 2 3 4 5

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Question 2: Please rate how the following formal and informal factors influence the development
of academic resilience in Hispanic students.

(1= Strongly Disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Neutral, 4= Agree, 5= Strongly Agree)

1. Supportive relationships 1 2 3 4 5
2. Family factors 1 2 3 4 5
3. Student characteristics 1 2 3 4 5
4. School factors 1 2 3 4 5
5. Teacher expectations 1 2 3 4 5

Question 3: Please rate how the following preconditions influence the resiliency in Hispanic
students.

(1= Strongly Disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Neutral, 4= Agree, 5= Strongly Agree)

1. A positive relationship with an adult 1 2 3 4 5
2. Ability to handle adversity 1 2 3 4 5
3. Being good problem solvers and learners 1 2 3 4 5
4. Being engaging to other people 1 2 3 4 5
5. Having an area of competence 1 2 3 4 5
6. Perceived efficacy 1 2 3 4 5
7. High expectations 1 2 3 4 5
8. Beliefs that life has meaning 1 2 3 4 5
9. Goal setting 1 2 3 4 5
10. Personal agency 1 2 3 4 5
11. Interpersonal problem-solving skills 1 2 3 4 5
12. Social competence like responsiveness 1 2 3 4 5
13. Autonomy 1 2 3 4 5
14. Sense of purpose and future 1 2 3 4 5

Question 4: Please rate the degree to which you consider the following elements are important in
a classroom learning environment to promote resilience in Hispanic students.

(1= Strongly Disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Neutral, 4= Agree, 5= Strongly Agree)

1. Explicit teaching practices 1 2 3 4 5
2. Cognitively-guided instruction 1 2 3 4 5
3. Technology-enriched instruction 1 2 3 4 5
4. Cooperative learning 1 2 3 4 5
5. Instructional conversations 1 2 3 4 5
6. Data-driven decision making 1 2 3 4 5
7. Trusting environments 1 2 3 4 5
8. Teacher expectations 1 2 3 4 5
9. Exercise responsibility 1 2 3 4 5
10. Make decisions 1 2 3 4 5
11. Learn from mistakes and successes 1 2 3 4 5
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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

12. Problem solving of complex-real life problems 1 2 3 4 5

Would you be willing to participate in a 35 minute follow-up interview?
Yes
No
Maybe

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RESILIENCY FACTORS IN HISPANIC STUDENTS

Appendix C
General Recruitment Email Cover Letter
Dear [Name],

We want to digitally introduce ourselves to [Name of School District]’s team of teacher
leaders. Our names are Elizabeth Leon and Danielle Ramirez. We are working on our doctoral
dissertation titled "Identifying Resiliency Factors Viewed By Teachers That Foster Academic
Success in Elementary Minority Hispanic Students in Orange County Schools” at the University
of Southern California. We assure you that participant names and any other identifying
information will be secured and kept confidential.

We are hoping that you can help us with one of two simple things (or both!):

1. Complete this very brief (less than 5-minute!) survey. As active school practitioners, we
hope to gain insight to improve the educational experience for students.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/G6RN87W

2. Volunteer to participate in a 30-minute interview. The interview can be in person or via
FaceTime.

Thank you for your consideration!

Respectfully,

Elizabeth Leon & Danielle Ramirez

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Resiliency is one way that Hispanic students can combat negative academic precursors. Common attributes of resilient students are a positive self-concept about personal accomplishments, effective coping strategies, and socio-emotional competence (Merrell, Cohn, & Tom, 2011). ❧ This study explored the identification of resiliency factors that foster academic success in elementary minority Hispanic students in Orange County schools through the lens of teachers. By studying the resilient factors that teachers identified in elementary minority Hispanic students may better prepare them for academic success in Orange County schools. ❧ The research questions used to guide the study were: What strategies do resilient Hispanic students in elementary schools employ to excel academically?

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Asset Metadata

Creator Leon, Elizabeth Morales (author)

Core Title Identifying resiliency factors viewed by fourth and fifth grade teachers that foster academic success in elementary minority Hispanic students in Orange County

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Defense Date 03/02/2020

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag academic success,elementary,fifth grade teachers,fourth grade teachers,Hispanic students,minority,OAI-PMH Harvest,Orange County,resilience,resiliency,resiliency factors

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Castruita, Rudy (committee chair), Ott, Maria (committee member), Roach, John (committee member)

Creator Email leonem@usc.edu,lizleon02@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-300004

Unique identifier UC11663567

Identifier etd-LeonElizab-8475.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-300004 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-LeonElizab-8475.pdf

Dmrecord 300004

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Leon, Elizabeth Morales

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA