Socioeconomics, Social Capital, and Culture: Voluntary Immigrant Minority Status and Hispanic Students' Perceptions of Teacher Expectations and Teacher-Student Relationships

Abstract

The objective of this research is to determine to what extent Hispanic students' perspectives of teachers' expectations and teacher-student relationships are shaped by their status as voluntary minority immigrants. Drawing on quantitative survey data from high school students in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the researcher seeks to distinguish between the influences of culture and social and economic factors. The study found that factors such as family income and parental education background are positively associated with more positive perceptions for white students, but less influential for minority students. In the case of Hispanics, family income and parental education background had almost no noticeable effect on students' perceptions of teachers' expectations or student-teacher relationships.