The Long-Term Influence of Social Support on Academic Engagement Among Latino Adolescents: Analysis of Between-Person and Within-Person Effects Among Mexican and Other Latino Youth

Latino youth are the fastest growing group of ethnic minority adolescents in the United States, but their educational needs remain underserved. Although research exploring academic engagement has expanded in recent years, the majority of research examining academic engagement among Latino youth has been cross-sectional. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, the present investigation used a within-person and between-person analysis to examine the long-term influence of social support from teachers, family, and peers on academic engagement among a nationally representative sample of Latino adolescents. Findings indicated that between-person teacher support and family support were associated with higher academic engagement for all youth. In contrast, within-person teacher support was associated with higher academic engagement, but only for Mexican American youth. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.