Differences in Psychological Capital Factors (Self-Efficacy, Hope, Optimism, and Resilience) Between Latinx Students Enrolled in an After-school 4-H Program at a Catholic and a Public School

Abstract

A demand for an educated Latinx student population will require investigating academic and psychosocial factors (psychological capital) for this growing population in the United States. Toward this end, the purpose of this study was to measure the differences in psychological capital factors between Latinx students enrolled in a 4-H after-school program at a Catholic elementary and middle school and a public middle and high school. Response to statements reflective of self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience were collected from 55 adolescent youth. The Psychological Capital for Youth (PsyCap-Youth] Garcia, Carmenaty, Robles-Piña, & Piña) was used to compare responses from adolescent youth from the two predominantly Latinx schools. Findings indicated that students enrolled in a Catholic school had statistically significant higher scores on hope, resilience, and optimism, but not on self-efficacy, than students enrolled in a public school. These findings have implications for foundational use of psychological capital factors in curricula for 4-H after-school programs across the nation and the world.

            Keywords: Latinx, psychological capital, 4-H, after-school programs, public and private schools