| This study examined Latino student perceptions of how the college preparatory or "pipeline" program of Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) contributed to their academic achievement. The AVID program serves students who are historically underrepresented in the university system through a rigorous core curriculum of honors and advanced placement courses in combination with strategies for writing, inquiry, collaboration and reading, as well as tutorial sessions. Utilizing cultural capital theory in tandem with work on social capital and academic capital, this study answered the following two research questions: what do students enrolled in an AVID program from two southern California high schools perceive as "working" to aid them in achieving academic success, and what factors identified by the student and teacher participants relate to elements predicted by cultural capital theory?;Qualitative research methods were employed for this in-depth study of 11th and 12th grade students, teachers, parents, coordinators and administrators from two AVID programs. A total of 57 participants took part in this study. One high school was deemed a National Demonstration site by the AVID organization while the other high school was in the early stages of program implementation.;The findings of this study indicated encouragement and support by parents is necessary for students' academic success, as are caring and motivational AVID teachers. The students' individual determination to obtain university admission was also critical. As the AVID curriculum maintains embedded elements of cultural capital theory, teachers, students, parents and the curriculum generated cultural capital for the students through program elements. |
