d the language minority student in particular can be seen in an early study conducted by Manaster and King (1972). The authors observed that Mexican-American students, particular if they were first-generation students with limited English proficiency, tend to have strong group cohesion in school among their own ethnic group.
However, the stronger their cohesion with their ethnic group, the weaker their cohesion with both non-Mexican-American students, teachers, and administrators. The result of this weak cohesion with those involved in the school, was poor academic achievement. Indeed, the more cohesive a student was with his or her ethnic group, the lower was his/her level of academic achievement.
Similarly, in another early student of the 1974 Survival Week Program at the University of Texas at Austin conducted by Lopez (1974), group cohesion was observed to be a factor in program success. In this regard, the Survival Program was an orientation program designed for entering minority and economically disadvantaged students with the purpose of assisting participants in acquiring the knowledge and skills for academic, financial, emotional, and social "survival" in a complex university environment.
The program was held in conjunction with the fall orientation program for all entering students and offered such activities as academic area meetings, registration information meetings, academic pre-advising, communication exercises, sessions on student services and student life, money management workshops, and placement testing.
Following their participation in the program, students completed an evaluation questionnaire which gathered their reactions to the quality and quantity of information and assistance provided to them. Evaluation results yielded positive overall ratings and comments concerning the program, however, it was found that those students who appeared to obtain the strongest benefits from the program w...