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Academic Invulnerability Among Mexican-American Students: The Importance of Protective Resources and Appraisals

California State University, Fullerton

This study examined the characteristics of a cohort of Mexican-American tenth-grade students to determine why some Mexican-American students are academically successful and others are not, despite sharing a similar sociocultural background. Based on current work on invulnerable children, the purpose of this study was to examine the role of protective resources and appraisals in the academic success or invulnerability of some Mexican-American high school students. Generally, the results revealed that students with a positive view of their intellectual ability and a strong sense of responsibility for their academic future were more likely to be academically successful. The findings also suggest that a supportive network of teachers and friends was linked to academic invulnerability. Lastly, students'subjective appraisals were quite powerful in predicting differential levels of achievement. The results of this study underscore the need forfurther research that examines not only the role of sociocultural risk factors, but also the protective resources and subjective appraisals that invulnerable students develop in relation to their educational experiences.

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