Research Guides: SPA 492 Research Guide: Research Resources

Finding Background Information

Opposing Viewpoints in Context
Articles, reports, videos, and more covering different points of view on controversial issues.

Sample Topic Overview for Bilingual Education from Opposing Viewpoints:

"Although English is the predominant language used by the US population, the country has never designated an official language under federal law. In the twentieth century, bilingual education was championed as a civil right protected under the Constitution, though a backlash of state laws declared English the official language. In some states like Arizona, these laws mandate English immersion and attempt to eliminate bilingual programs for ELLs. Other states like California have overturned English-only laws to extend bilingual education to a greater number of students."

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States
Sample Entry from Encyclopedia of Latinos & Latinas in the U.S.: Advertising & Marketing
"The contemporary marketing and advertising landscape has built on this image of a unified Latina and Latino market. Using Census Bureau data, consumer data reports, and market research studies, Hispanic marketing and advertising agencies have continued to shift the focus away from nationality-specific marketing targeted at particular groups or regions and toward the notion of Latinas and Latinos as one unified market that shares common cultural values and norms."
Kaiser Family Foundation-Racial Equity and Health Policy
Sample graphic from KFF:

Pew Hispanic Center
Sample Report from Pew Hispanic Center: Hispanic Identity Fades Across Generations
"More than 18% of Americans identify as Hispanic or Latino, the nation’s second largest racial or ethnic group. But two trends – a long-standing high intermarriage rate and a decade of declining Latin American immigration – are distancing some Americans with Hispanic ancestry from the life experiences of earlier generations, reducing the likelihood they call themselves Hispanic or Latino."
Unidos US
Sample Report from Unidos, Latino Student Success: Advancing U.S. Educational Progress for All
"For Latino students—the largest ethnic group in our nation’s schools—the pandemic threatened to undermine decades of steady educational progress. At the same time, many of the inequities in America’s schools that were present before the pandemic remain. For example, Latino students are less likely to attend a high-performing school than non-Latino white students, and Latinos remain disproportionately underrepresented among America’s teachers."

Finding Scholarly Articles

Sample Search in the Library Search
Breaks the topic of access to health care among hispanic americans into three concepts (access, health care, hispanic americans) and expands on each of those using OR to combine related terms. How might you modify the search terms to get better results?
Sample Search in Academic Search Ultimate
Here is an initial search in Academic Search Ultimate on the concepts of cultural competence, latinos, and parents. How might you improve this search?
Sample Search in Google Scholar
Here is an initial search in Google Scholar on the concept of cultural competency for nurses.