Schmitz (2006), Employs Complex Modeling

¶ … Schmitz (2006), employs complex modeling analysis to explore the relationship between "Social and Family contexts" on the "self-esteem" of Mexican youths. The rising numbers of immigrants to the United States provides the background for the assessment of this relationship. The author is concerned that the progress of Latino children may be linked to their self-esteem. Consequently, factors that assist in understanding self-esteem among this population should be examined. The data for the study was produced by the National Longitudinal Survey of youth (NLS). The study employed Amos modeling for path analysis. The study determined that social and family factors influenced academic self-esteem. However, there was no significant predictive power for the home environment on global self-esteem.

The use of data from the NLS is a common research practice because this data has been shown to be both reliable and valid. The only challenge to the veracity of the authors work would be that the data was not specifically collected for the purpose of the study. This disconnect could potentially introduce construct invalidity into the study.

The study was supported by a literature review which examined the most relevant pieces of research relating to the subject of self-esteem. The literature review consisted of empirical studies. The review however did not adequately demonstrate the lacunae in the literature that the researcher was attempting to fill. There was also a need to show how other researchers measured the dependent variable in their work. The latter concern is critical because the author is using data from a national study. Demonstrating measurement congruence with other studies may have been a useful element to improve the trustworthiness of the study.

The sample size for the study is adequate, n was between 212 and 558. The sample however does not contain two critical groups that may have made a difference in the outcomes. Mothers who delay child bearing and highly educated mothers are underrepresented. Thus the sample represents persons with lower levels of education who are more inclined to speak Spanish. The samples contained different types of Latinos. This element adds to the strength of the work as the theorized differences between groups could be examined statistically.

In a general manner the study examines factors that are useful in determining the success of second generation immigrants. The author suggests that the work can be useful as a test of the Garcia Coll et al. model of self-esteem. The study also calls into question the value of the home environment in the determination of global self-esteem. It should be noted that the work does not adequately measure the cultural elements of the Latino experience.

The study could have greater usefulness if a focus group was added to the data collection. The focus group data could help to explain why there was no discernable relationship between home environment and global self-esteem. This is particularly important since the lack of a relationship appears counterintuitive. While there were no indications of overt biases, the focus of the work may suggest that the author is at the very least moved to research Hispanic problems.