A Prospective Study of Mexican American Adolescents’ Academic Success: Considering Family and Individual Factors

Mexican American youth are at greater risk of school failure than their peers. To identify factors that may contribute to
academic success in this population, this study examined the prospective relationships from 5th grade to 7th grade of family
(i.e., human capital [a parent with at least a high school education], residential stability, academically and occupationally
positive family role models, and family structure) and individual characteristics (i.e., externalizing symptoms, bilingualism,
gender, and immigrant status) to the academic performance of 749 Mexican American early adolescents (average age = 10.4 years
and 48.7% were girls in 5th grade) from economically and culturally diverse families as these youth made the transition to
junior high school. Results indicated that while controlling for prior academic performance, human capital and positive family
role models assessed when adolescents were in 5th grade positively related to academic performance in 7th grade. Further,
being a girl also was related to greater 7th grade academic success, whereas externalizing symptoms were negatively related
to 7th grade academic performance. No other variables in the model were significantly and prospectively related to 7th grade
academic performance. Implications for future research and interventions are discussed.