Resilient Hispanic Youths' Self-Concept and Motivational Patterns

Abstract

This is a study of 36 Hispanic youths taken from a pool of 123 Hispanic youths. It examines the role of self-concept, motivation, and environmentalfacilitation in ameliorating risk and promoting resiliency. For the purposes of this study, high school sophomore youths from impoverished, stressful backgrounds with grade point averages of 2.75 or above were considered academically resilient. This study differs from traditional and contemporary studies of resilience in that itfocuses on academic competence rather than on social competence. Self-concept and motivation are measured by the High School Assessment of Academic Self-Concept and the Assessment of Personal Agency Beliefs. The findings of this study indicate that resilient youths'self-concepts differfrom the nonresilient youths'self-concepts in the cognitive and belongingness areas. Findings also show that the school environment is supportive of theyouths'personal and social needs. However, it does not support their cognitive, belongingness, and extracurricular needs.