ASPIRA of Florida, Inc., and Florida Atlantic University established an alliance to evaluate the efficacy of some of ASPIRA’s modules. Specifically, the ASPIRA evaluation project consisted of the empirical assessment of the modules “Cultural Awareness,” “Self-Esteem,” and “Career Awareness.” RAul Martinez, President of ASPIRA of Florida indicated "We believed that the three modules were central to the overall nature of ASPIRA as an intervention designed to reduce school drop-out and other negative factors that may impede the success of Latino and other youth. Additionally, we believed that the three modules were related theoretically to the experiences Aspirantes have."
 
The original proposal framed the evaluation of the modules’ effectiveness via a pretest/ post-test research methodology. The primary research question for the full study is: Are Aspirantes’ measures of Cultural Awareness, Self-Esteem and Career Awareness improved following participation in the modules? Another way to state the main research question is: Are the modules effective in increasing cultural awareness, selfesteem, and career awareness?
 
En route to answer the principal research question, we will explore the following questions before the project is completed:

• Are there differential effects of the modules for males and females?
• To what extent is nationality and acculturation influential in the modules effectiveness?
• Does income influence cultural awareness, self-efficacy, and career awareness?
• What is the relationship between grade level and academic confidence?
• Is academic confidence predictive of graduation for 12th graders?
• Do the number and nature of the counseling sessions provided predict the level of acculturation, self-efficacy, academic confidence, and career awareness?

 
This report reflects preliminary information in which the full research project will be based on. Preliminary analyses of data such as this one are customary in order to ascertain basic realities reported by the participants. Hence, here we report the way in which data was collected and some basic preliminary findings, and the rationale for and the definitions of certain factors.
 
Data Collection
 
The data we collected in January 2006 constitutes pre-test information for the overall evaluation of the three ASPIRA modules. For this portion of the evaluation, we initiated data collection of all 5 YLD divisions in Palm-Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.
 
We surveyed only Latino youth in order to establish a baseline with ASPIRA’s historical constituency, and to determine the effectiveness of the modules with the intended population. In addition, two of the three ASPIRA charter schools participated (ASPIRA North and ASPIRA EMH). We received a total of 268 completed surveys that were used to calculate the pre-test statistics presented below.
 
We collected information about proximal and distal variables known to influence academic achievement and academic resilience in youth. Specifically, we considered that language use, the marital status of the parents and the composition of the household, and the students’ mobility would influence academic resilience. Similarly, we believed that acculturation options; career awareness, choice, and
 
 
Interpretation of Preliminary Data and Connection to Overall Project
Reliability and Validity of the Indices
 
To date, this study has identified three reliable factors to measure aspects of career development. In addition, several subscales related to acculturation have also been identified. These scales are designed to align with the purpose and mission of ASPIRA of Florida, Inc., and will provide methods to accurately track these factors across time.
 
Distal Factors
 
It is clear that the sampled children live in two worlds. This is represented by numerous distal factors. For example, the majority of the sampled students (52.6%) spoke both languages or Spanish at home. Only 10.1% of the students spoke English at home. A different reality reflected the social language used by the sampled students. Specifically, 36.5% spoke both languages in interactions with friends and only three percent spoke Spanish to their friends.
 
The majority of the sampled students lived in intact homes. That is, (52.6%) lived in homes where the parents are married. However, a good number of students originated from single parent households. The sampled students reported that 13.4% originated from divorced families, 9.7% from homes in which the parents were separated, and 9% from homes headed by a single parent.
 
The sampled students move frequently. Although the sampled students were in middle school, they were highly mobile. Close to 50% had moved to three or more schools by the time they reached middle school.
 
Proximal Factors
 
Acculturation
 
We identified four acculturation options for the sampled students. A minority of the sampled students (n = 50) reported feeling marginalized, neither identifying with the Latino or the majority culture. Nearly 30% of the sampled students reported feeling separated. Separation, as an acculturation option, reflected cultural pride given the way in which the survey items clustered in the factor analysis. The opposite end of the spectrum to Separation, Assimilation, indicated that 73 of the sampled students chose to practice and operate from the majority culture’s parameters. Other sampled students (n = 66) reported valuing the Latino culture and the majority culture thereby being bicultural.
 
Career Knowledge
 
Overall, the sampled students reported feeling positive about their knowledge of careers available to them. Knowledge of the world of work may provide Aspirantes with a target to aim toward and may facilitate academic resilience. In other words, Career Knowledge may increase Aspirantes’ feelings of purpose about academic endeavors. Additionally, Aspirantes derive the knowledge about careers from their families, peers, and from the ASPIRA Counselors.
 
College Attendance
 
A significant number of Aspirantes believe that they are going to attend college. It appears that this index includes belief in one’s academic effectiveness as well as the availability of resources to pursue a college education. Also, it is not uncommon for middle school students to report as the sampled Aspirantes did. The literature reflects that middle school students often are optimistic and positive about pursuing a college education.
 
Career Direction
 
A significant number of Aspirantes endorse survey items indicative of an overall belief that they knew what careers or occupations to pursue. This is unusual for middle school students, but indicative, especially given the responses to the College Attendance and Career Knowledge factors, of confidence in this domain.
 
Self-Efficacy
 
Given the “career” factors, it is no surprise that the sampled Aspirantes reported a high level of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy or self-confidence precedes self-esteem. As such, selfefficacy is a healthy belief in one’s capabilities that is founded in something substantive. Contrarily, at times self-esteem can be a negative factor, as in the case of those who possess high self-esteem but such feelings are unrelated to substantive actions or contributions.
 
Academic Confidence
 
Academic Confidence may be interpreted as an extension of the scores reported by the Aspirantes on the Self-Efficacy factor. That is, not only the Aspirantes feel confident in their general abilities, but specifically on their academic capacities.
 
Correlation Coefficients
 
Many of the factors studied relate to one another. This indicates that the topics that ASPIRA has chosen to focus on may align in a way to create an overall impact on the lives of Aspirantes. Hence, there may not be one critical factor which determines overall success, but a combination of factors to make up an “ASPIRA effect.”
 
Overall Efficacy of the ASPIRA modules

• Overall, Aspirantes report a high level of Self-Efficacy
• Overall, Aspirantes report a high level of Academic Confidence
• There is a high level of cultural pride and affiliation amongst Aspirantes

 
Limitations of This Phase of the Study
 
Some limitations are worth noting:
1. Only Latino middle school students were sampled
2. Self report measures may reveal some biases and exaggerated claims about acculturation, career knowledge, self-efficacy, or academic confidence.
3. The reported data is correlation and descriptive. Therefore, no inferences can be made from the results
 
Connection to Overall Study and Next Steps
 
The purpose of this report was to provide a detailed analysis of the data collected in the pre-test phase of the ASPIRA Evaluation Research Project. These findings provide dramatic evidence of the state of mind of Aspirantes related to the modules of selfesteem, career knowledge, and cultural awareness. There is additional data that will be collected which will help complete the picture, and the findings reported here should be seen in this light. The additional data to be collected will be done in the following ways:
 

• Focus Groups with Graduates
• Post Test of YLD participants

 
At the present time, this data is being collected. A comprehensive report will be submitted in the next few months.
 
At the onset, the ASPIRA Evaluation Research Project envisioned a full appraisal of each of the nine modules that comprise the ASPIRA process. At the conclusion of the present work, three of the nine modules will have been investigated. It will be consistent with the purpose of the ASPIRA Evaluation Research Project to replicate the findings of this present work and continue to evaluate additional modules.
 
Copy of the full evaluation report is attached.