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Forming a Puerto Rican Identity in Orlando: The Puerto Rican Migration to Central Florida, 1960 - 2000
Title
Forming a Puerto Rican Identity in Orlando: The Puerto Rican Migration to Central Florida, 1960 - 2000.
Creator
Firpo, Julio, Martinez Fernandez, Luis, Gordon, Fon, Walker, Ezekiel, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The Orlando Metropolitan Statistical Area became the fastest growing Puerto Rican population since 1980. While the literature has grown regarding Orlando's Puerto Rican community, no works deeply analyze the push and pull factors that led to the mass migration of Puerto Ricans to Central Florida. In fact, it was the combination of deteriorating economies in both Puerto Rico and New York City (the two largest concentrations of Puerto Ricans in the United States) and the rise of employment...
Show moreThe Orlando Metropolitan Statistical Area became the fastest growing Puerto Rican population since 1980. While the literature has grown regarding Orlando's Puerto Rican community, no works deeply analyze the push and pull factors that led to the mass migration of Puerto Ricans to Central Florida. In fact, it was the combination of deteriorating economies in both Puerto Rico and New York City (the two largest concentrations of Puerto Ricans in the United States) and the rise of employment opportunities and cheap cost of living in Central Florida that attract Puerto Ricans from the island the diaspora to the region. Furthermore, Puerto Ricans who migrated to the region established a support network that further facilitated future migration and created a Puerto Rican community in the region.This study uses the combination of primary sources including government document (e.g. U.S. Censuses, Orange County land deeds, etc.), local and nation newspapers, and oral histories from Puerto Ricans living in Central Florida since the early 1980s to explain the process in which Puerto Ricans formed their identity in Orlando since 1980. The result is a history of the Puerto Rican migration to Central Florida and the roots of Orlando's Puerto Rican community.
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Date Issued
2012
Identifier
CFE0004336, ucf:49453
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004336
THE EMERGENCE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA'S PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITY
Title
THE EMERGENCE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA'S PUERTO RICAN COMMUNITY.
Creator
Melendez, Cynthia, Martinez-Fernandez, Luis, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
As with many cities in Florida, Orlando is becoming a melting pot of various ethnic groups. In particular, the Hispanic population in Orlando and throughout Central Florida is steadily increasing in numbers and influence. Groups such as Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, and Colombians are enriching the area with their culture, language, and diversity. Puerto Ricans, the largest of the Hispanic groups in Central Florida, are also emerging as the dominant group in the region as evidenced by...
Show moreAs with many cities in Florida, Orlando is becoming a melting pot of various ethnic groups. In particular, the Hispanic population in Orlando and throughout Central Florida is steadily increasing in numbers and influence. Groups such as Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, and Colombians are enriching the area with their culture, language, and diversity. Puerto Ricans, the largest of the Hispanic groups in Central Florida, are also emerging as the dominant group in the region as evidenced by their common language, historical and cultural heritage, shared common interests, and in some cases, residence within clear geographical areas. Between 1980 and 1990, Central Florida witnessed its largest influx of Puerto Ricans. In 1980, Orange County had a little over 6,660 Puerto Rican residents, Seminole County had over 2,000 and Osceola County had a mere 417. These numbers rose steadily, and by 2003, the Puerto Rican population in Florida numbered 571,000, ranking second behind New York, and followed only by New Jersey. Central Florida has seen the biggest jump in these numbers and now has more than 250,000 Hispanics of Puerto Rican origin making them the largest single group of Hispanics in the region. They now represent 49 percent of all Hispanics living in Central Florida. My thesis examines the development of the Puerto Rican community in Central Florida, its impact, and its contributions by utilizing such sources as newspaper articles from local papers including Spanish-language papers, interviews with Hispanic community leaders, statistical data, and secondary literature on the overall Puerto Rican migration to the United States and their experiences once here. To fully understand why the Puerto Rican community is developing in the Orlando area, I first place the analysis within the larger scope of immigration history. In this section, I examine some of the debates and patterns in overall immigration to the United States by various groups. Next, I provide a brief introduction to the history of the Puerto Rican people and the reasons for their migration to the United States and how this migration fits into the patterns examined in the first section. Furthermore, this introduction leads to an examination of other cities with large Puerto Rican communities and a comparison between the development of Puerto Rican communities in these cities and Central Florida. Finally, I explore the origin of the majority of Puerto Rican's moving to Central Florida, to discover if they are coming from the U.S. cities that originally saw a huge influx of Puerto Rican immigration (such as New York) or if the population is arriving directly from Puerto Rico. This determination sheds light on why the Puerto Rican population is choosing Central Florida as a place for settlement. I analyze my findings by examining factors such as better employment opportunities, better educational opportunities, and an overall improvement in quality of life, which are drawing Puerto Ricans to this area, when compared to these factors or conditions in Puerto Rico or other cities in Florida. In addition, I seek to determine if there are specific problems occurring in Puerto Rican cities that are compelling native-born Puerto Ricans to leave. I also examine the ways that the growing presence of Puerto Ricans has changed Central Florida economically, socially, and politically. I also discuss the effectiveness of Puerto Rican organizations that have arisen to serve the needs of this population and I seek to gain some indication of the long term implications for the region as a whole, especially in terms of their voting trends. Culminating this section is a description of the unique cultural contributions that the Puerto Rican community is bringing to the area. My thesis proves that Puerto Ricans are finding the Central Florida area is offering them many of the opportunities that cities such as New York City provided them long ago. In addition, it offers the added appeal of a better quality of life than can be found in Puerto Rico or in other American cities, such as New York City. Among the important factors here are affordable housing, good employment opportunities, and more adequate schools.
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Date Issued
2007
Identifier
CFE0001633, ucf:47166
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001633
Puerto Rican Women in Pursuit of the Ph.D.: A Qualitative Analysis of Persistence
Title
Puerto Rican Women in Pursuit of the Ph.D.: A Qualitative Analysis of Persistence.
Creator
Morales, Cyndia, Cintron Delgado, Rosa, Owens, James, Laureano Fuentes, Gloria, Rivera, Fernando, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study explores the phenomenon of Puerto Rican women who have achieved a Ph.D. degree. The researcher utilized a qualitative research methodology to investigate the social aspects that influenced Puerto Rican women to persist in their doctoral programs. Due to the national pool of potential participants, interviews were conducted with Puerto Rican women using video chat software. The researcher utilizes 5 tenets of Critical Race Theory (CRT) as the framework for this study, in an effort...
Show moreThis study explores the phenomenon of Puerto Rican women who have achieved a Ph.D. degree. The researcher utilized a qualitative research methodology to investigate the social aspects that influenced Puerto Rican women to persist in their doctoral programs. Due to the national pool of potential participants, interviews were conducted with Puerto Rican women using video chat software. The researcher utilizes 5 tenets of Critical Race Theory (CRT) as the framework for this study, in an effort to address the varying aspects that contribute to the persistence of Puerto Rican women in graduate study, despite the challenges often cited in the literature as deterrents to academic achievement. The participants' experiences are examined on an individual, interactional, and institutional level, in order to gain insight into their persistence. This study captures the stories of Puerto Rican women raised in the mainland U.S. as well as those raised on the island itself. Ultimately, this study addresses two main gaps in the literature: (1) research is lacking on Latinas who are successful in higher education, and (2) traditional research tends to describe Latino/a academic achievement as a collective, with little attention given to the cultural distinctions of Latino subgroups in their educational trajectories.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004725, ucf:49828
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004725
INVESTIGATION OF THE OUTCOMES OF DELIVERING TRAINING TO SPANISH SPEAKERS IN STANDARD SPANISH VERSUS THEIR NATIVE DIALECT
Title
INVESTIGATION OF THE OUTCOMES OF DELIVERING TRAINING TO SPANISH SPEAKERS IN STANDARD SPANISH VERSUS THEIR NATIVE DIALECT.
Creator
Kosarzycki, Mary, Pritchard, Robert, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The present study explored the outcomes of delivering training to Spanish speakers in either their native dialect or in Standard Spanish in the context of a self-running, narrated PowerPoint presentation on a health topic, "The Importance of Vaccinations." The training outcomes that were examined included learning scores; attitudes toward the training; and attitudes toward employment with organizations that employed the same or different dialect-speaking employees, supervisors, and trainers....
Show moreThe present study explored the outcomes of delivering training to Spanish speakers in either their native dialect or in Standard Spanish in the context of a self-running, narrated PowerPoint presentation on a health topic, "The Importance of Vaccinations." The training outcomes that were examined included learning scores; attitudes toward the training; and attitudes toward employment with organizations that employed the same or different dialect-speaking employees, supervisors, and trainers. In addition to examining the effects of ethnicity upon outcomes, this study also examined the effect of age, education level, time in the U.S., and familiarity with the locally dominant subgroup's dialect. Overall, results showed mixed support for the effect of presenting training to participants in their native dialect, as compared to the non-native dialect. The results of this study are discussed in terms of the theoretical implications for acquiring a better understanding of the cognitive and affective factors underlying the role of training language in the learning process. Practical implications for training design are presented within the context of cognitive load theory and the need for a theory-based approach to delivering training to non-English speakers. Implications for organizational efforts toward employee attraction and retention are discussed.
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Date Issued
2005
Identifier
CFE0000881, ucf:46636
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000881
AFTER HURRICANE MARIA: PUERTO RICAN MIGRANTS AND RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION IN THE ORLANDO MSA
Title
AFTER HURRICANE MARIA: PUERTO RICAN MIGRANTS AND RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION IN THE ORLANDO MSA.
Creator
Ospina, Gabriella, Cox, Jonathan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The intent of this thesis is to analyze the racial attitudes of residents in the Orlando MSA towards Puerto Rican migrants that have moved as a result of Hurricane Maria and analyze the effects these attitudes may have on racial residential segregation in Central Florida. As the state with the third largest population of Latinos, Florida's residential landscape continues to be uniquely formed by a diverse, and markedly Latino, population. Florida's location in relation to South American and...
Show moreThe intent of this thesis is to analyze the racial attitudes of residents in the Orlando MSA towards Puerto Rican migrants that have moved as a result of Hurricane Maria and analyze the effects these attitudes may have on racial residential segregation in Central Florida. As the state with the third largest population of Latinos, Florida's residential landscape continues to be uniquely formed by a diverse, and markedly Latino, population. Florida's location in relation to South American and Caribbean countries has made it an opportune destination for immigrants and refugees. Therefore, it came as no surprise that when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in late 2017, thousands of Puerto Ricans sought refuge in Florida. This thesis examines racial attitudes towards this group of Puerto Rican migrants and the ways in which they could potentially affect neighborhood demographics. The study proceeds by collecting survey responses from participants living in the Orlando areas being analyzed. The survey asks participants about their general views of Puerto Rican migrants, it tests their knowledge of racial residential patterns in Orlando, and it analyzes their neighborhood preferences using a show card method.
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Date Issued
2019
Identifier
CFH2000563, ucf:45691
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000563
A Faith-Based Primary Diabetes Prevention Intervention for At-Risk Puerto Rican Adults: A Feasibility Study
Title
A Faith-Based Primary Diabetes Prevention Intervention for At-Risk Puerto Rican Adults: A Feasibility Study.
Creator
Torres-Thomas, Sylvia, Chase, Susan, Covelli, Maureen, Gonzalez, Laura, Yan, Xin, Miller, Ann, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Diabetes is a serious health threat that disproportionately affects Hispanics of Puerto Rican heritage. Current evidence supports diabetes prevention programs to change health behaviors in people who are at risk and thus prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. However, few interventions exist for Hispanics, and even fewer have been designed for Puerto Rican adults. A literature review of community-based diabetes prevention programs involving at-risk Hispanics was conducted using a...
Show moreDiabetes is a serious health threat that disproportionately affects Hispanics of Puerto Rican heritage. Current evidence supports diabetes prevention programs to change health behaviors in people who are at risk and thus prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. However, few interventions exist for Hispanics, and even fewer have been designed for Puerto Rican adults. A literature review of community-based diabetes prevention programs involving at-risk Hispanics was conducted using a cultural sensitivity framework to determine the state of the science and identify gaps in knowledge regarding diabetes prevention for Puerto Ricans. An integrated theoretical framework was developed using constructs from the extended parallel process model (perceived severity and susceptibility) and social cognitive theory (self-efficacy) to design program components aimed to educate and motivate positive dietary behavior change in Puerto Rican adults. The two key components were a diabetes health threat message and dietary skill building exercises that incorporated spirituality and relevant faith practices, and were culturally-tailored for Puerto Ricans. A pretest-posttest, concurrent mixed methods design was used to test the impact and evaluate feasibility of a diabetes health threat message and skill-building exercises in a sample of Puerto Rican adults. A total of 24 participants enrolled in the study and attended six-weekly meetings that included baseline data collection, a health threat message, dietary skill building exercises, focus group interviews, posttest data collection, and an end-of-study potluck gathering. All of the study participants were Puerto Rican and a majority were female (70.8%), with a mean age of 55.5 years (SD 13.71). Most had a family history of diabetes (n = 21, 87.5%) and believed they were at-risk for the disease (n = 16, 66.7%). Using Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test, significant increases or improvements were found in perceptions of diabetes severity (p (<) .01), dietary self-efficacy (p = .002), and dietary patterns (p = .02) at posttest in comparison to baseline. Spearman's rank correlations found moderate to strong relationships between the following variables: perceived severity and weight (rs = -.44, p = .03), dietary self-efficacy and dietary patterns (rs = .43, p = .04), dietary self-efficacy and fasting blood glucose levels (rs = - .45, p = .03), and American acculturation and weight (rs = .51, p = .02). The qualitative themes that emerged contributed to our understanding of participants' perspective relative to the health threat message, dietary skill building exercises, and the importance of cultural relevance and spirituality. The data support feasibility of this faith-based intervention that had an attendance rate of 58% and no loss of sample due to attrition. Diabetes prevention interventions for at-risk Puerto Ricans adults that incorporate a faith-based, culturally-tailored health threat message and dietary skill building exercises may help educate those who are at-risk and motivate lifestyle behavior change to prevent the development of diabetes. Further faith-based, culturally-tailored diabetes prevention research is indicated for Puerto Rican adults.
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Date Issued
2015
Identifier
CFE0005725, ucf:50124
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005725
HEALTH-CARE SEEKING BEHAVIORS OF PUERTO RICANS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS WHO LIVE IN SOUTH FLORIDA: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY
Title
HEALTH-CARE SEEKING BEHAVIORS OF PUERTO RICANS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS WHO LIVE IN SOUTH FLORIDA: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY.
Creator
Gonzalez, Laura, Bushy, Angeline, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
ABSTRACT Latinos are the fastest growing minority population in the United States (U.S.) and have the worst access to health care of any ethnic group. The chronic disease of diabetes is twice as common in adult Latinos as in non-Latino whites, and the risk of death related to diabetes is twofold. Reasons for this disparity have yet to be clearly identified. This study had two purposes: 1) to explore cultural beliefs regarding health-care seeking behaviors in Puerto Ricans with diabetes who...
Show moreABSTRACT Latinos are the fastest growing minority population in the United States (U.S.) and have the worst access to health care of any ethnic group. The chronic disease of diabetes is twice as common in adult Latinos as in non-Latino whites, and the risk of death related to diabetes is twofold. Reasons for this disparity have yet to be clearly identified. This study had two purposes: 1) to explore cultural beliefs regarding health-care seeking behaviors in Puerto Ricans with diabetes who live in South Florida; and 2) to examine Puerto Ricans' perceptions about their health-care providers. The cultural phenomena of interest were familism, religiosity, spirituality, use of ethnomedicine, and perception of ethnic concordance of health-care provider. Numerous studies have examined these phenomena with other Latino groups, but none have specifically focused on Puerto Ricans. An overarching goal of the study was to contribute to the knowledge base on a particular health disparity--diabetes. Using a narrative inquiry approach, a purposive sample of self-identified Puerto Ricans with diabetes (N = 12) were recruited from six sites in a South Florida city. Data were obtained using a pencil-and-paper demographic instrument, the Short Acculturation Scale to determine language preference of Spanish or English, and a personal interview using a semi-structured, ten-item interview guide. Subjects gave written informed consent for participation, and all data were coded to ensure confidentiality. The personal interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interviews completed in Spanish were translated to English and transcribed. Using content analyses techniques, transcribed narratives were analyzed for content and thematic emergence. iii The findings revealed that familism was an important consideration in health-care seeking behaviors. Traditional gender role expectations, coupled with caregiver burdens, deterred some participants from seeking care even when care was needed. Religiosity and spirituality did not influence decision-making but did have a role in coping with the chronic disease. While participants were aware of culturally based ethnomedicine, they preferred Western medicine for the treatment of their diabetes. They also had a preference for a health-care provider who was ethnically concordant. Serendipitous findings that emerged in the analyses included the casual attitude of several participants about their diabetic status and reports of depressive-like symptoms among most of the women. Health-care providers need to take into consideration the cultural and linguistic preferences of Puerto Ricans to develop an appropriate and effective treatment plan. Discrepancies between the health-care providers and the clients' systems must be reconciled to improve adherence to evidence-based treatment.
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Date Issued
2008
Identifier
CFE0002018, ucf:47631
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002018
Central Florida School Districts' Responses to Hispanic Growth, 1980-2010
Title
Central Florida School Districts' Responses to Hispanic Growth, 1980-2010.
Creator
Hazen, Kendra, Cassanello, Robert, Lester, Connie, Walker, Ezekiel, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Since the 1980s, Hispanics have been the fastest growing minority in the United States and have been moving into rural, Southern areas where there have previously not been populations of Hispanics. Studies of these demographic changes have concentrated on how communities impacted by the influx of Hispanics have created or adjusted socioeconomic and political infrastructures to accommodate the linguistic and cultural needs of the Hispanic population. The public-school system is a...
Show moreSince the 1980s, Hispanics have been the fastest growing minority in the United States and have been moving into rural, Southern areas where there have previously not been populations of Hispanics. Studies of these demographic changes have concentrated on how communities impacted by the influx of Hispanics have created or adjusted socioeconomic and political infrastructures to accommodate the linguistic and cultural needs of the Hispanic population. The public-school system is a sociopolitical structure that has affected and has been affected by the increase in Hispanics. Whereas the modern Civil Rights movement had created legal precedence for students' language rights and led to the creation of the federal Bilingual Education Act of 1968, nationalist backlash to this rise in Hispanic immigrants led to the eventual defunding of federal bilingual education programs by the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001. This thesis is a policy history of Hispanic growth in the public-school systems in Orange, Lake and Osceola counties in Florida from 1980 to 2010. During that time, the three counties grew and diversified at different rates and made decisions for their English for Speakers of Other Languages programs that correlated with the size of their Hispanic population. This time frame encompasses Osceola's fastest period of growth which led to the creation of the Florida Consent Decree, Florida public schools' framework for remaining compliant with federal and state language policies. Even though federal funds for English acquisition programs replaced funds for bilingual or native language instruction during this time, Hispanic and non-Hispanic teachers, administrators, community or activist groups and parents continued to exert agency in gaining culturally inclusive and linguistically affirming language instruction programs for their children.
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Date Issued
2019
Identifier
CFE0007649, ucf:52507
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007649