The Empowerment and Validity of Storytelling and Testimonios
Research Agenda
Dr. Perez-Quetives’ research agenda is to understand and promote the access, persistence, and success of historically underrepresented populations (e.g., first-generation, parenting students, mature adult learners, women of color, working-lower-class, and racial/ethnic groups) in higher education through ethnography and qualitative examination of students’ testimonios/narratives/stories of their experiences at two- and four-year colleges and universities.
Student Populations and
Research Interests
Dr. Perez-Quetives is interested in supporting and researching about:
Mothering and fathering students’ postsecondary educational experiences and achievements
First-generation and nontraditional students’ labeling, experiences, and means of support
Student center services and retention
Graduate studies and culture
Community college students and transfer receptive culture
Postsecondary education policies (federal/state level) and institutional services at two-year and four-year colleges and universities
Publications
Del Real Viramontes, J., Castro, V., Robles, T., Perez-Quetives, M., (Under Review). COVID-19 and the Transfer (Un)Receptive Culture: Experiences of Latina/o Community College Transfer Students in the Midwest. American Educational Research Journal
Perez, M. (2022). Failure is not an option: The stories of mothering and fathering Ph.D. students seeking their doctoral degrees at a midwestern predominately white institution as individuals with racially diverse intersecting identities and family responsibilities. [Dissertation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign]. Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship. https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/items/125101
Anindya, K., Perez, M., & Elliott, C. (2022). The unique agency of parenting-strivers: An anti-deficit, asset-based exploration of Black and Latinx students with children. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, DOI:10.1080/10824669.2022.2107521
Perez, M., & Turner, F. (2020). Mothering graduate students of color reflect on lessons lived and learned in the academy. University of Illinois Press, 8(2), 235-240.
Perez, M. (2020, October). Parenting students in higher education benefit from community colleges, but more research is needed. Champaign, IL: Office of Community College Research and Leadership, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. https://anyflip.com/hhwk/enor/
Perez, M., & Del Real Viramontes, J. (2020, October). Latinx community college students: Navigating pathways to the doctorate. Champaign, IL: Office of Community College Research and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. https://anyflip.com/hhwk/gmty/
Perez, M., Del Real Viramontes, J., Yeo, H. T., Owolabi, N., & Zamani-Gallaher, E. M. (2021, June). Fostering access, affordability, and equity: A primer on the role of open educational resources in Illinois career and technical education. Champaign, IL: Office of Community College Research and Leadership, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. https://occrl.illinois.edu/docs/librariesprovider2/open-educational-resources/fostering-access-affordability-and-equity.pdf
Perez, M. (2016). The voices of student-parents and their hurdles to success in higher education [Master’s Thesis, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign]. Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship. https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/items/95103
Research Background
Dissertation Research
Failure is Not an Option: The Stories of Mothering and Fathering Ph.D. Students Seeking Their Doctoral Degrees at a Mid Western Predominately White Institution as Individuals with Racially Diverse Intersecting Identities and Family Responsibilities
The primary focus of the dissertation was to learn from the perspectives of mothering and fathering doctoral students to understand how parental status and other intersectional identities influence their experiences. The goal of the study was to learn about parenting doctoral students’ challenges and the support system that helped them care for their children, financially provide for their families, and attain their Ph.D. degrees.
Master Thesis Research
The Voices of Students-Parents and Their Hurdles to Success in Higher Education
The research study explored how student-parents are identified and served in postsecondary settings. The goal was to understand the academic and personal experiences of student-parents and the resources they used to complete their undergraduate degrees.
Collaborative Research Projects
Exploring the Community College as a Stepping Stone to the Ph.D. for Latina/o/x Students
The study explored community colleges as pathways to graduate school for Latina/o/x students. Project findings showed how community colleges played a valuable part in Latina/o/x students’ educational trajectories. Two-year institutions play a doorway into postsecondary education for many individuals regardless of age, ethnicity, race, gender identity, socioeconomic status, employment, relationship, and parental status. However, for Latina/o/x students, community college attendance contributes to advanced degrees. Student support programs at community colleges support the pathway to postbaccalaureate matriculation, degree conferral, and the pursuit of graduate degrees among the Latina/o/x population.
Fostering Access, Affordability, and Equity: The Role of Open Education Resources in Illinois Career and Technical Education Programs
The project aimed to inquire about the role of open education resources in the career and technical education programs in Illinois to foster access, affordability, and equity for community college students. The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) funded the research project.
Professional Associations
Association for the Study of Higher Education
American Educational Research Association
The Council for the Study of Community Colleges
American Association for Adult and Continuing Education