Abstract
The following study utilizes the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS: 88) in an effort to assess the effects of the dilution hypothesis across race and ethnic groups. While this hypothesis has been tested extensively with Anglo male study groups, the current research examines African Americans and Anglos with an emphasis on the Mexican American population. Research indicates that the Mexican-origin population in the U.S. is associated with two essential components regarding the dilution hypothesis: high fertility and dropout rates. The results indicate that while there is little variation across the race and ethnic groups regarding the influence of number of siblings on graduation from high school, interesting findings are revealed for the Mexican-origin population in the study in respect to gender and generational status.
Martinez, Alma Isabel (1999). The influence of number of siblings on educational attainment: a comparison of racial/ethnic groups. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1999 -THESIS -M369.