Unpacking Acculturation: Cultural Orientations and Educational Attainment Among Mexican-Origin Youth

Given educational risks facing Mexican-origin children of immigrant parents, it is important to understand how aspects of
the acculturation process influence Mexican-origin youth’s educational success. Drawing from selective assimilation theory,
this study examined how cultural orientations across myriad facets of acculturation were associated with the educational attainment
of second-generation Mexican immigrant youth. The sample included 755 Mexican-origin youth (50% female) in the “Children of
Immigrants Longitudinal Study.” Results from structural equation models indicated that youth reporting greater facility in
the English language and a stronger value on familism attained higher levels of education in young adulthood than did other
youth. Parents’ U.S. social ties and youth’s value on early paid work were associated with less educational attainment. Innovative
findings from this study indicate the importance of considering both Mexican and American cultural orientations across myriad
facets of acculturation for understanding second-generation immigrant Mexican youth’s educational attainment.