Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore through platica (conversation), the life experiences of Latinx students who prepared for and completed the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) to critically understand both the risk and protective factors related to their ability to persist until the completion of their certificate.
Theoretical Framework. Resiliency theory was used to understand risk and protective factors related to the ability of Latinx students to persist until the completion of their certificates. In addition, Latinx critical theory (LatCrit) was used as an additional and critical lens to gain a greater understanding of the lived social, economic, and racial experiences of Latinx students, namely through an analysis of their shared testimonios.
Methodology. This study used platica as a methodology. This was important because it allowed for the natural flow of ideas between the participant and the interviewer, permitting deeper conversations about culture and identity.
Findings and Conclusion. Protective factors at home, work, school, culture, and the student’s own personal strengths helped the participants obtain their high school equivalency despite accumulated risk factors that each experienced. Unique to previous research, this study documents the cultural experiences of Latinx students obtaining their HiSET. Specifically, it documents the complex journey that these adult learners underwent to complete their HiSET and how adult learners face more and greater challenges than the traditional 15- to 18-year-old students.
Recommendations. This study focused on six Latinx participants, half who completed the HiSET in Spanish and half who completed in English. Future research may warrant larger case studies specific to the participants’ age, gender, and exam language. Furthermore, provided that this study demonstrated the presence of cultural identity risk and protective factors, further research is warranted with a larger group of students to evaluate these factors. It would also be interesting to expand resiliency and cultural identity factors to participants from other cultural backgrounds, students with learning disabilities, and students with physical disabilities. Finally, this study focused only on students who were successful with the exam; however, future studies may want to examine students who were not successful with their preparation.