“Here the Professors Are Your Guide,Tus Guías”: Latina/o Student Validating Experiences With Faculty at a Hispanic-Serving Community College

Abstract

Spanish

Through interviews with nine Latina/o students enrolled in a 2-year Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), this study examined their interactions with faculty utilizing validation theory as a guiding framework. Findings demonstrate the critical role faculty serve as validating agents and the importance of supporting 2-year HSIs faculty to practice validating experiences. Validating faculty interactions have the potential to increase Latina/o community college student’s sense of belonging, persistence, and academic self-concept.

Keywords

Latina/o students Hispanic-Serving Institution community college validation theory student–faculty relationships

College campuses were originally built around, and continue to perpetuate, a Eurocentric model that caters to White male students and has often been exclusionary, isolating, hostile, and invalidating for underrepresented populations (Sandler, Silverberg, & Hall, 1996). This dominant culture is deeply seated within higher education structures and manifests itself in numerous ways including the lack of representation of racial/ethnic minority faculty and administrators. Past research has revealed how detrimental this Eurocentric model can be for the racial campus climate and to the success of racial/ethnic minority students (Cabrera, Nora, Terenzini, Pascarella, & Hagedorn, 1999; Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Hurtado, Clayton-Pederson, Allen, & Milem, 1998).

Having a negative racial climate is not new to the history of higher education in the United States. Recent student protests across the country reflect a long history of student resistance and activism to both increase college enrollment and create better learning conditions for racial/ethnic minority students. A case in point is the Latina/o student protests at Taino Community College (pseudonym)—a public 2-year college federally designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) that is located in the Northeast region of the United States. Student protests and demands for better learning facilities and a Spanish-language curriculum brought about the establishment of Taino Community College, one of the first open admissions and bilingual colleges that serves the needs of the local Spanish-speaking Latina/o community. These challenges are a reality for many community college students, many of whom are racial/ethnic minority (23% Latina/o, 13% Black, 6% Asian, 1% Native American, 48% White;American Association of Community Colleges [AACC], 2017). This study aims to understand the college experience of Latina/o students enrolled at Taino Community College.

Latina/o community college students constitute one of the largest and fastest growing minority groups seeking postsecondary opportunities (Excelencia in Education, 2015) many of whom enroll in a community college (47.1%;Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities [HACU], 2015). Although a high proportion of Latina/os in community colleges aspire to transfer to a 4-year institution, few ever do, and even less will earn a college degree (Crisp & Nora, 2010). In fact, of first-time Latina/o community college students, 19.5% transfer to 4-year institutions (Institute for Higher Education Policy [IHEP], 2012), and even less earn a bachelor’s degree within 6 years (10.8%; Shapiro et al., 2017). Some of the key challenges Latina/o community college students face include the following: being first-generation college students, coming from low-income backgrounds (Nomi, 2005), poor college academic preparation in high school (Contreras & Contreras, 2015), and proportionally higher enrollment rates in English as a second language (ESL) and/or developmental education courses (Crisp & Nora, 2010). In addition, many of these students are of immigrant-origin backgrounds and often face challenges due to their immigration status or language and academic challenges (Teranishi, Suárez-Orozco, & Suárez-Orozco, 2011). Generally, community college students are also more likely to work full-time, enroll part-time, work and live off-campus, and thus have limited opportunities to engage in social activities and form meaningful relationships with faculty (AACC, 2017).

Given the challenges many Latina/o students face, the way in which faculty interact and validate students can play a significant role in the academic success of Latina/o community college students. Yet, community colleges are the institutional sites where students are least likely to interact with faculty (Chang, 2005). Even though faculty play a critical role in shaping students’ experiences, limited research has examined faculty interactions at community colleges. The purpose of this article is to examine Latina/o students’ perspectives on their interactions with faculty at Taino Community College. To this end, the guiding research question of this qualitative study is as follows:

Research Question: How, if at all, do faculty interactions affect the college experiences of Latina/o students at a Hispanic-Serving community college?

HSIs provide a unique context for studying validation, due to their high enrollment of Latina/o students and opportunities for targeted federal funding which intends to improve the academic success of this student population. Research has found Latina/o students at HSIs are more likely to report higher levels of academic self-concept (Cuellar, 2014) and more engaged than Latina/os attending non-HSIs (Nelson Laird, Bridges, Morelon-Quainoo, & Williams, 2007). In addition, they have higher persistence rates (Contreras & Contreras, 2015) and higher aspirations to transfer to a 4-year institution than Latina/o students who attend non-HSIs (Horn, 2009; Núñez, Crisp, & Elizondo, 2015). To qualify for federal HSI designation and funding, institutions must be nonprofit and enroll at least 25% full-time Latina/o students, and 50% of those students must meet the low-income eligibility requirement. Once designated as a HSI, institutions qualify to apply for a number of competitive federal grants to support students, some being Title V HSI grants. Due to the growing Latina/o population in college, the number of HSIs have nearly tripled since 1990 (137 institutions in 1990 to 409 in 2013; HACU, 2015). Although there is a growing number of HSIs, limited research has examined student experiences at these institutions.

Theoretical Framework and Literature on Student–Faculty Interactions

This study draws from Rendon’s (1994) theory of validation as a guiding framework to examine and understand student–faculty interactions at a HSI community college. Rendon (1994) identified two types of validation: academic and interpersonal. Academic validation occurs when validating institutional agents (i.e., faculty, academic affairs staff) initiate contact with students and help them believe in themselves as learners, which leads toward attaining confidence in being a college student (Rendon, 1994). Interpersonal validation takes place when an institutional agent takes the initiative to nurture students’ personal development and social adjustment (Rendón Linares & Muñoz, 2011). Both types of validation can take place in and out of the classroom (Rendon, 1994). Students in Rendon’s (1994) study identified multiple types of validating experiences from their faculty, such as faculty (a) being approachable, (b) treating students equally, (c) presenting structured learning experiences that allowed for all students to learn, (d) providing meaningful feedback to students, (e) encouraging students to support each other, (f) serving as mentors for all students, and (g) making an effort to meet with them outside of the classroom (Rendón Linares & Muñoz, 2011). The empirical literature on educational validation has shown that validation positively impacts the postsecondary success of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups and community college students (Barnett, 2006).

Research demonstrates the importance of student–faculty interactions in the academic development and success of students, especially through teaching, mentoring, and involvement in faculty research (Cejda & Hoover, 2010-2011; Cejda & Rhodes, 2004; Contreras & Contreras, 2015; Nuñez, Hoover, Pickett, Stuart-Carruthers, & Vazquez, 2013; Perrakis & Hagedorn, 2010; Turner, González, & Wood, 2008). In addition, the research on student–faculty interactions at community colleges finds that students who have a close relationship with at least one faculty are more likely to be satisfied with their college experience and have higher academic achievement (i.e., grade point average [GPA]), academic and career aspirations, and a positive academic identity; this is particularly true for racial/ethnic minority students (Komarraju, Musulkin, & Bhattacharya, 2010). Positive student–faculty interactions also increase students’ sense of belonging on campus (Hurtado, Alvarado, & Guillermo-Wann, 2015; Strayhorn, 2012). This is particularly important because many Latina/o community college students are the first in their families to go to college and can often experience the college setting as a foreign, exclusionary, and isolating space. In addition, culturally responsive pedagogies and mentoring are found to be an effective approach to Latina/o student retention by building students’ sense of belonging on campus (Gonzales, Brammer, & Sawilowsky, 2015).

Furthermore, given the community college student’s competing demands, the classroom becomes a point of opportunity to address validating student–faculty interactions. However, even in classroom spaces that provide an opportunity to build student–faculty relationships, some barriers are present. Community college students in Cox’s (2009) study, for example, perceived their professors as “looking down” on them and as a result felt fear, anxiety, and intimidation. In Acevedo-Gil, Santos, Alonso, and Solórzano’s (2015) study, Latina/o students in developmental English and math courses in community colleges experienced moments of invalidation from faculty, which resulted in lowered educational aspirations, academic self-confidence, and self-efficacy.

In addition, when considering interactions outside of the classroom, students who experience these opportunities tend to be more motivated, engaged, and actively involved in the learning process (Komarraju et al., 2010; Swail, Redd, & Perna, 2003; Thompson, 2001; Woodside, Wong, & Weist, 1999). Jaeger and Eagan (2009) found that students who view their faculty as accessible report a greater sense of satisfaction with their college experience. Thus, faculty who work as validating agents outside of the classroom are vital in helping Latina/o students reach their aspirations of transferring to a 4-year institution and earning a degree. For example, Barnett’s (2006) study provides evidence that shows “that higher rates of faculty/student interaction in the form of faculty validation predicted greater student integration and that greater student integration predicted students’ intent to persist” (p. 102). Accordingly, students’ narratives of their interactions with faculty provide a rich understanding of in-and-out of classroom validating experiences that affect their academic trajectory.

Method

This qualitative study drew data from a larger multiphase embedded mixed-methods study that examined the educational experiences of immigrant students in community colleges. We primarily focus on the qualitative part of the study utilizing a phenomenological approach to examine faculty–student interactions to gain an understanding of the essence of this phenomenon (Moustakas, 1994). More specifically, the phenomenological approach allowed us to understand how nine Latina/o students at one HSI community college personally perceive their lived experiences with faculty and the instances of validation they received from validating agents.

Research Setting and Participants

This study focused specifically on Taino Community College because of its long history of providing targeted support services, programs, and outreach toward Latina/o students. Taino Community College predominately enrolls Latina/o (58.9%) and Black students (26.6%), many of whom are of Dominican descent. Like most community colleges, half of all Taino Community College’s students are first-generation college students and nearly three quarters (73%) of the student population are low-income students. In this study, transcripts of nine semistructured interviews with Latina/o students (five males, four females, age range = 18-25) were analyzed. Over half of the participants were of Dominican descent. All of the participants were either first- or second-generation immigrants from Latin America. Participants in this study consisted of five U.S. born students with foreign-born parents and four foreign-born students.

Data Collection

Students at Taino Community College (n = 182) completed a survey about their educational experiences in community college. As a follow-up to the survey, students were asked if they would consent to participate in an interview. A subsample of 20 interview participants were purposefully selected to have a balanced representation in terms of race/ethnicity and gender to reflect the demography of students at Taino Community College. For this qualitative study, all nine Latina/os who participated in the interviews were selected for analysis. The interview questions gathered data on a variety of topics including their experiences and relationships with faculty. Some of the questions included are as follows: Tell me about a class where you had a positive or negative experience? Can you tell me about a professor you have a relationship with?

Data Analysis

The transcripts were hand coded by both of the authors, first using an open-coding process using phrases as the units of analysis (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Once the coding categories were identified, a second iteration of coding was conducted using NVivo to facilitate the inductive and deductive development and application of codes across the data source. To ensure trustworthiness (Barber & Walczak, 2009), the authors also discussed the findings with three peer debriefers with insider knowledge (one community college counselor, one community college faculty, and one community college alum with qualitative research experience).

Results

Based on the analysis of the data and the literature on validation, four themes emerged: students’ experiences of in-class academic validation, in-class interpersonal validation, validation beyond the classroom, and invalidating experiences. The next section highlights each theme and students’ description of their experiences with faculty at Taino Community College.

In-Class Academic Validation

Eight participants who experienced in-class academic validation reported that faculty were supportive and respectful, had high expectations of them, often provided feedback on their work, offered a structured and engaged learning environment that was fun, and consistently reached out to them. For example, Rocio, a first-generation college student who was born in the Dominican Republic, described her experiences with faculty as an important tool in her development, especially as an ESL student: “Here the professors are your guide, tus guías . . . They are, la herramienta para ayudarte, pero es tu responsabilidad, si tú quieres progresar [the tool to help you, but it is your responsibility if you want to make progress].” Rocio articulated her view of faculty as pivotal to her education, given that they have the tools and knowledge to assist her in her academic endeavors.

Rocio’s validating in-class experience also influenced the reversal of her negative perception of professors in developmental courses. As Rocio noted,

[I thought] the professors were going to be harder on me, and that the way they teach was going to be harder, [and] were not going to understand everything about my English, but it was totally different, they helped me.

Rocio’s faculty provided her with academic validation during the early stages of college, which is essential for a student’s development and adjustment to college. Furthermore, this interaction with her professor also linguistically validated her academic potential as an ESL student through the support and affirmation she received. Rocio went on to describe how faculty at Taino Community College consistently provided her with words of encouragement, such as “I see potential in your future.” These words of encouragement have been critical for Rocio’s academic success and have shaped her view of her academic potential as a college student. The academic validation from faculty members also contributed to how she views professors as guides that will contribute to her academic success.

Similarly, Benny, a first-generation college student from the Dominican Republic, described his positive experience with a faculty of color. In his account, Benny revealed how the faculty was involved in his academic studies and challenged him to think critically in his developmental English course. The faculty validated Benny’s academic work by showing his work to the class as an example of how to write an essay. This validation from a faculty of color in a developmental English class led Benny to gain the writing skills and confidence to be a successful college student. Benny stated, “What she made me do at the end of the class, she showed my first essay and then my last essay, and she is still using it to show other students how you can improve.” This experience presents an important and effective practice that contributed toward Benny’s academic development and confidence by presenting his work as an example. In fact, for Benny and other students in developmental courses in community colleges, these instances of academic validation are significant as it not only changes their perceptions about faculty but also serves a source of affirmation in their ability to thrive and transfer to a 4-year college.

In-Class Interpersonal Validation

Seven participants expressed instances of in-class interpersonal validation with a faculty. The interpersonal validation students identified included faculty providing students with resources and assisting students during difficult times, such as when students considered dropping out of college. These interactions with faculty supported students’ academic and social adjustment and improved their academic confidence and self-esteem. For example, Camilo, a first-generation college student born in Panama, shared an instance when a faculty would consistently ask him why he was coming late to class. Eventually, Camilo felt comfortable sharing challenges he was facing with the faculty member:

When I would come late, he was always there asking me what happened. He told me I had to tell him, if I trusted him in that way. Since he was the one who told me that there were people in the college that you could talk to about your problems . . . I felt better talking to him than going to other people who I didn’t know well. I already had a friendship with him. So if he hadn’t told me anything about that I would have withdrawn that semester. I would have been working . . . and from there it was like we had a better relationship and I saw that he wasn’t just a professor of mine but rather it mattered to him if I was going to class and that I was passing the classes. Like he wasn’t here because they were paying him money, and it didn’t matter to him. It mattered to him that I understood the class since he has a good heart.

The faculty’s concern and his persistence in asking Camilo about his tardiness made Camilo feel comfortable trusting him and prevented him from withdrawing from school. This example also shows how faculty members are at the forefront in classroom spaces, as they might be the only educators that students like Camilo might interact with due to their competing responsibilities or challenges outside of school. Therefore, this demonstrates the important role of faculty as they can contribute to students’ well-being by providing students with interpersonal validation and help them adjust and persist in school and in life when they encounter problems.

Adriana, a 22-year-old student who was born in México, also described an interaction she had with a faculty when she considered dropping out of school due to personal problems in her life. Adriana’s professor fostered a relationship with her and provided her with advice on adjusting to school:

I only spoke to two professors about [potentially dropping out], ’cause during that time I was having [a] lot of drama in my life. So it was hard for me to keep focus in that class. So I spoke to my psychology teacher about it, and she actually gave me advice of what to do. I was thinking about dropping college ’cause I really didn’t have the time for it. Then she was, like, “No. Don’t drop it.” Now I have more motivation to continue.

Similar to Camilo, Adriana’s narrative shows the intervention of a faculty who provided interpersonal validation as she granted her with advice to prevent her from dropping out of school. She praised the faculty who provided her with the motivation to persist in school despite her personal problems. The above examples demonstrate the critical role faculty play by validating students’ presence in the classroom, recognizing the challenges students face, and helping students cope or adjust during stressful situations.

Validating Experiences Beyond the Classroom

Four participants reported instances of validation outside of the classroom. They shared how their relationship with faculty members often continued after they had completed their course. When students crossed paths with faculty on campus, faculty interacted with them and asked them about their academic progress and well-being. For example, Camilo described his experience being mentored by a Dominican mathematics faculty:

He is like always walking around telling me, “Tell me how you are, how is the class going?” He’s not my professor anymore but he still follows my progress like, “Do you keep studying? Do you have problems with mathematics? Come and I’ll explain things to you even though I’m not your professor.” We still have this relationship as if we were friends.

Camilo’s interaction is evidence of relationships that emerged outside of class with a Latino faculty who intentionally cared and was willing to contribute to his academic and personal development as a college student. This exchange demonstrates the investment of the faculty by consistently reaching out and showing his concern about Camilo’s academic well-being even though he was not enrolled in his class. Similar to Camilo’s experience, Adriana shared her experience with a professor who continued to take the initiative to interact with her after she had completed the course. Adriana described how this faculty shared knowledge with her about various colleges and careers:

After you’re done with his class he actually continues to come and ask you questions about how you’re doing in the rest of your classes. He’s great. He actually helps us move on and go to other colleges if you wanted to. And he helped us to [decide] what career we actually wanted. So he helps a lot.

Similar to Camilo, Adriana also shared how faculty acted as validating agents beyond the course as they continued to genuinely care about students’ progress and shared information about transferring to 4-year colleges and about the different types of majors in college. This is further evidence of validating practices that are significant for Latina/o community college students, as it highlights models of faculty who are student-centered and genuinely commited to serve as mentors and guides for students.

Invalidating Experiences

Although the most salient themes that emerged from the data were of validating experiences, one student described some instances of academic invalidation. This point is highlighted in a publication by other research team members, which examines microaggressions through ethnographic research in 17 classrooms conducted at three community college campuses, one being Taino Community College (Suárez-Orozco et al., 2015). Suárez-Orozco et al. (2015) found that half (52.9%) of all observed microaggressions occurred at Taino Community College. In addition, most of the microaggressions were carried out by faculty, most of whom were White (six out of the eight faculty members observed; Suárez-Orozco et al., 2015). Although the faculty members described by Latina/o students in this study serve as validating agents, what happens to community college students when they experience invalidating agents?

In this study, the narrative of Benny sheds light on instances of invalidation that he encountered by professors in a developmental education class. First, when Benny was asked about his experiences being enrolled in developmental courses, he responded,

You feel embarrassed at first, because a lot of people think I am smart, and when they see me in a remedial class they say, “Oh, I wasn’t expecting to see you here. What is wrong? You are probably not as smart as I thought.” And you feel embarrassed, you don’t want to be seen in that class.

When probing for who he was referring to, Benny stated, “The professors, they try to be condescending to you. Sometimes they even treat you like you are dumb sometimes. It doesn’t happen a lot, but it does happen, like you are taking some sort of special ed class.” Benny’s narrative exhibits instances of invalidation by his professors, which negatively contributed to his engagement and academic self-concept in community college. Therefore, this unfortunate example is also important to highlight to inform community college faculty and educators of how instances of invalidation can serve as a barrier for how students perceive themselves and their ability to persist and transfer to a 4-year college.

Discussion

Findings from this study align with Rendon’s (1994) theory of validation and contribute to previous research on validation. This study revealed the important role faculty play as validating agents for Latina/o students in HSI community colleges. In addition, this study demonstrated how validating faculty engage with Latina/o students and contribute to their sense of belonging, persistence, and confidence as college students. Furthermore, findings from this study also contribute to the research on invalidating experiences.

In-Class Academic Validation

As demonstrated by the findings, the classroom is a critical space for the transmission of academic validation in student–faculty interactions. The classroom experiences shared by students, such as Rocio’s sense that faculty are students’ guides in sharing academic skills and encouragement that raised her academic confidence, are all examples of academic validation that influences student academic success. The cases of Rocio and Benny also align with existing research that documents the importance of validating agents in developmental education classrooms (Acevedo-Gil et al., 2015). As mentioned earlier, one reason community college students in developmental education (or ESL) may have a greater challenge in transferring may be due to the negative perceptions or experiences with faculty (Acevedo-Gil et al., 2015; Suárez-Orozco et al., 2015). Rocio’s experience as an ESL student sheds light on the important role of faculty and how their actions can help change the negative perception students have of faculty. In this case, one faculty assisted Rocio with her transition as an ESL student and provided her with words of encouragement that gave her the confidence in her academic development and success. Rocio came to view faculty as guides/guías because they have the academic tools or the social capital to contribute to her academic success.

Furthermore, this study demonstrates the importance of all faculty, not just Latina/o faculty, in validating the experiences of Latina/o students. Some students discussed the validating experiences with Latina/o faculty, such as Camilo’s interaction with a Latino faculty, which adds to the existing literature on faculty of color being more likely to mentor students of color to contribute to their academic identity and personal development (Contreras & Contreras, 2015; Garcia, 2016). However, others, like Benny, reported validating experiences from non-Latina/o faculty as well. The academic validation experienced by Benny shows an intentional practice by a faculty of color in the English developmental course who ensures students feel important, appreciated, and confident in their abilities. As a result, this demonstrates the potential for shared responsibility to mentor, validate, and support Latina/o college students among non-Latina/o faculty.

In-Class Interpersonal Validation

Several of the participants in this study highlighted the confidence they gained as college students from the validating experiences they received from faculty. Interpersonally validating interactions with faculty were especially pivotal for students who were struggling with school. As mentioned earlier, community college students have multiple competing obligations making it hard to solely focus on school (AACC, 2017). However, students feel interpersonally validated by faculty when they demonstrate care, empathy, and a willingness to work with students to succeed like the narratives of Camilo and Adriana. However, through their interactions with their professors, students felt validated and supported in their decision to persist and not withdraw from school. Thus, these nurturing faculty–student relationships were critical in the students’ decisions to stay in school as they felt comfortable sharing their problems with faculty as they had developed trust and rapport with one another.

Validating Experiences Beyond the Classroom

Findings from the present study also add to existing research that highlights the importance of validating experiences outside of the classroom (Garcia, 2016; Rendon, 1994). Several of the participants described how their relationship with faculty continued after they had completed the course with that faculty member. These instances of validation that extended outside of the classroom are particularly important for community college students, as it is known that these students encounter multiple competing responsibilities that prevent them from being on campus and being able to create meaningful relationships with faculty (AACC, 2017; Lundberg, 2014). These informal interactions that occurred outside of the classroom align with other research that found that interactions outside of class increases students’ motivation and aspirations (Rendon, 1994).

Invalidating Experiences

Findings from this study align with previous research on invalidating experiences students encounter in the community college sector (Acevedo-Gil et al., 2015; Cox, 2009). In this study, Benny alluded to this phenomenon, as one of his professors treated students in developmental courses as if they were “dumb,” which can damage students’ academic self-concept and their view of themselves as college students. Examining instances of invalidating should not be overlooked as these moments of invalidation can result in lowered educational aspirations, academic self-confidence, self-efficacy, and engagement on campus (Acevedo-Gil et al., 2015).

Limitations

The limitations of this study are worth mentioning. First, given the small sample size and location concentration, generalizations cannot be made to other colleges and student populations. In addition, a large proportion of the student sample was Dominican, possibly representing the validating experiences of one particular Latina/o ethnic group. Furthermore, this study conducted one-time interviews with each participant, which may have limited the amount of in-depth information shared by each of the participants. Therefore, precautions should be taken when interpreting the findings, as one must consider the demography of the sample and institutional context when interpreting the results. Second, selection bias by willing student participants may have influenced the findings, as those students are also more likely to have stronger feelings about their campus experiences. Finally, this study did not collect the racial/ethnic background information of the faculty described by students, unless the student disclosed that information during the interview. Despite the study’s limitations, the findings provide an understanding of how Latina/o students describe their interactions with faculty and highlight validating experiences in-and-out of the classroom.

Implications

This study contributed to the theory of validation and the literature on community colleges by analyzing academic and interpersonal validating interactions inside and outside of class and beyond the course term through the examination of validating interactions for Latina/o students at a HSI community college. Given that many community college students are first-generation college students and immigrant, low-income, and Latina/o students, these students require human interaction, connection, care, investment, and authentic relationships in their college setting if they are to feel connected and supported in their academic goals. By focusing the analysis at one long-standing HSI community college, this study highlighted the important role of these institutions in providing validating spaces for Latina/o students. More research on promising practices at HSI community colleges is needed if the United States is to make larger strides in providing equitable educational opportunities and outcomes for Latina/o students.

Faculty are an important component of community colleges and for the success of students of color. Yet, there is still much more to learn about developing positive student–faculty relationships at community colleges. This study demonstrated practical ways in which faculty can validate students such as through culturally responsive curriculum, highlighting student’s work, and consistent interaction and small gestures of concern and care. Future research should further explore faculty interactions with students and the instances of validation that potentially emerge. In addition, more research is needed on instances of invalidation to identify what constitutes a negative student–faculty relationship students experience inside the classroom. These issues are important to explore so that researchers and practitioners can begin to dismantle negative interactions that Latina/o students experience in college, which can have implications on their persistence, academic self-confidence, and well-being.

Moreover, the findings from this study inform research and practice on the importance of faculty who initiate contact with Latina/o students outside of the classroom. A closer examination should look into how faculty initiate contact with students outside of the classroom (i.e., through emails, social media, and in the hallways). HSI community colleges can identify and facilitate opportunities for faculty to be more accessible to students. Faculty at community colleges are often constrained by structural barriers that impede them from being fully engaged with students such as having limited office space. To do this, community college administrators must hire more full-time faculty and provide financial compensation and office space for faculty to meet with students outside of class. However, not only should more faculty be hired, especially faculty of color, but also community college administrators should train current and incoming faculty and staff on validating practices inside and outside of the classroom.

Overall, the value of validating agents for student success is evident in the ways students described their professors, the support received in the classroom, and the continued contact outside the classroom. Accordingly, faculty validation can affect student success through the relationships that develop inside and outside of the classroom. Hence, institutions have a responsibility to address the barriers that do not allow faculty to provide this resource as this can hinder the success of students. Thus, community college administrators and faculty should consider ways in which they can make structural changes to facilitate opportunities to validate underrepresented students through curriculum, teaching pedagogies, individual interactions, mentoring, and advising of students.

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the generous contributions and support of professors Carola Súarez-Orozco, Robert T. Teranishi, and Marcelo Súarez-Orozco in the development of this project. Special thanks to professors Nancy Acevedo-Gil, Bach Mai Dolly Nguyen, and Olivia Osei-Twumasi, and colleagues Rachel Freeman, Roman Liera, Vidal Vargas, and Stephanie Fuentes for their reviews on early drafts of this article. They would also like to express their sincere gratitude to all the students who participated in this study.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The Ford Foundation, the W.T. Grant Foundation, and University of California, Los Angeles Graduate Division supported the research reported here.

Authors’ Note

The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the institution. Edwin Hernandez is now affiliated with California State University, San Bernardino, and Cynthia M. Alcantar is now affiliated with University of Nevada, Reno.

Author Biographies

Cynthia M. Alcantar is a postdoctoral scholar for the Institute for Global-Local Action & Study and Visiting Professor of Sociology at Pitzer College. Her research broadly focuses on issues of college access and college completion for underrepresented student populations, especially as it relates to higher education policy and practice. Her research has been published in The Review of Higher Education, Teachers College Record, and Harvard Educational Review.

Edwin Hernandez is doctoral candidate in the Social Science and Comparative Education program and a researcher for the Institute for Immigration, Globalization, and Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research examines issues of equity and access in education, with a focus on institutional culture and how it shapes student’s experiences across the educational pipeline. His research has been published in The High School Journal, Teachers College Record, and Qualitative Psychology. Starting in the Fall of 2018 he will begin his appointment as an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation and Counseling at California State University, San Bernardino.

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