Higher Education in Puerto Rico
Amanda Morris
Consumer Behavior
10 December 2012
Higher Education in Puerto Rico
Amanda Morris
Consumer Behavior
10 December 2012
Higher Education in Puerto Rico Puerto Rico is an interesting country when looking in comparison with the United States. They have been largely influenced by the US in culture, economics, and education. Because they have had aspirations of becoming the 51st state, they have historically tried to mainstream their culture in tandem with cultural trends in the mainland US. The interesting thing about that is that Puerto Rican people are fiercely proud of their cultural identity, and their heritage. They refer to themselves as Puerto Rican, even when they are second and third generation United States’ citizens. They have fought to keep Spanish in their schools instead of strict English. They hold themselves to even higher standards of education in many aspects. This leads to some interesting nuances in Puerto Rican education and the choices people make when it comes to choosing a college. This paper seeks to briefly examine how consumer behavior relates to higher education in Puerto Rico. Economics play a large factor, as well as strong involvement from the government, and US cultural influences in how and why secondary education choices are made for the people of Puerto Rico.
To being with, when thinking about Puerto Rico, one must first look to what makes the country unique. A good starting place would be its basic facts regarding its demographics. Puerto Rico is one of the most densely populated islands in the world with just over 1000 people per square mile (Rivera). This statistic also makes them more densely populated than anywhere in the United States as well. Most of their population lives within an urban setting at 71% (US Census Bureau), which makes sense when considering how densely populated the small island is. The average family size is three to four people. The average household income is
Consumer Behavior
10 December 2012
Higher Education in Puerto Rico
Amanda Morris
Consumer Behavior
10 December 2012
Higher Education in Puerto Rico Puerto Rico is an interesting country when looking in comparison with the United States. They have been largely influenced by the US in culture, economics, and education. Because they have had aspirations of becoming the 51st state, they have historically tried to mainstream their culture in tandem with cultural trends in the mainland US. The interesting thing about that is that Puerto Rican people are fiercely proud of their cultural identity, and their heritage. They refer to themselves as Puerto Rican, even when they are second and third generation United States’ citizens. They have fought to keep Spanish in their schools instead of strict English. They hold themselves to even higher standards of education in many aspects. This leads to some interesting nuances in Puerto Rican education and the choices people make when it comes to choosing a college. This paper seeks to briefly examine how consumer behavior relates to higher education in Puerto Rico. Economics play a large factor, as well as strong involvement from the government, and US cultural influences in how and why secondary education choices are made for the people of Puerto Rico.
To being with, when thinking about Puerto Rico, one must first look to what makes the country unique. A good starting place would be its basic facts regarding its demographics. Puerto Rico is one of the most densely populated islands in the world with just over 1000 people per square mile (Rivera). This statistic also makes them more densely populated than anywhere in the United States as well. Most of their population lives within an urban setting at 71% (US Census Bureau), which makes sense when considering how densely populated the small island is. The average family size is three to four people. The average household income is
Cited: Geert Hofstede, Geert Jan Hofstede, Michael Minkov, Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. Revised and Expanded 3rd Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill USA, 2010 "Higher Education- Puerto Rico." Puerto Rico. State University.com, 2012. Web. 09 Dec. 2012. <http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1236/Puerto-Rico-HIGHER-EDUCATION.html>. "Puerto Rico." Caribbeanstudies. Foundation For Caribbean Studies. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. <http://caribbeanstudies.org/Puerto_Rico.html>. Rivera, Magaly. Welcome to Puerto Rico. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.topuertorico.org/people.shtml>. Rivera, Maria. "Personal Experience With Higher Education In Puerto Rico." Personal interview. 5 Dec. 2012. Rodriguez Domínguez, Victor M. "Expanding Democracy and Public Education in Puerto Rico." Dissident Voice RSS. 14 Feb. 2011. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/02/expanding-democracy-and-public-education-in-puerto-rico/>. United States. Census Bureau. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://www.census.gov/census2000/states/pr.html>. United States. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. Fast Facts Adult Literacy. 2007. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=69>.