Date of Award

2025

Degree Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Education PhD, Joint with San Diego State University

Program

School of Educational Studies

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Sera J. Hernández and Guan Saw

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Aaron Iffland

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Bianca N. Haro

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2025 Monique R Escobedo

Keywords

American Dream, Educational Equity, Independent Study, Intersectionality, Latino Education Crisis, Transborder Identity

Subject Categories

Education

Abstract

The independent study model in K-12 education has rarely been studied as an opportunity to meet the needs of diverse learners who require access to education outside of the traditional school day and brick and mortar settings (Anderson & Amesse, 2022). This multimethod study (Cram & Mertens, 2016) explores the experiences of 15 Latine graduates of an independent study high school that serves four counties in southern California. The study takes a critical approach both theoretically and methodologically to understand how the independent study model as carried out at the school site met the intersectional needs (e.g. cultural, linguistic, geographic, socioeconomic, and gender) of the graduates who participated, how the school helped or hindered the students from attaining their respective high school and postsecondary goals, and whether or not there is a relationship between community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) and the attainment of educational goals. Each participant completed a survey and a follow-up interview in a single session. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as through reflective thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022). Experiential knowledge (Delgado & Stefancic, 2017) in the form of testimonios (Pérez Huber, 2009; Yrigollen-Robbins, 2023) regarding transborder identities unique to the Cali-Baja border materialized in this process. The study illuminates that the American Dream (Adams, 1931) does not exist and becomes realized only within the confines of United States borders. This research also confirms that the forms of capital enumerated within the Community Cultural Wealth model (Yosso, 2005) are key indicators for the attainment of personal goals and academic success. The findings reveal implications for extending the dimensionality of and opportunities within independent study to support the aspirations of students with borderist identities (Iglesias-Prieto, 2018) as they navigate systemic barriers to their education in the United States, while also simultaneously employing personal agency to challenge those barriers in such a setting.

ISBN

9798288851704

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