English proficiency and admission and graduation of post-secondary students at a Puerto Rican university

This dissertation has examined English proficiency as a mediating social factor within the occupational structure of Puerto Rico. It included an analysis of the educational records of 641 students majoring in industrial engineering, nursing, education and finance of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez from 1998-2000. The investigation considered the extent to which post-secondary undergraduate students' English proficiency scores impact their likelihood of admittance to and graduation from academic programs leading to high-paying potential occupations.;Stratification theory served as the conceptual framework for this study using Peter Blau's and Otis Dudley Duncan's analysis of occupational hierarchy as a model. Their research examined social stratification in terms of occupational positions, exploring whether social origins and specific social factors determine social and economic standing among groups. Central to this study's analysis is Blau's and Duncan's contention that the industrial labor force and the economic advantages and powers associated with them have replaced heredity castes, feudal states, and class differences.;The present study used a multivariate logistic regression analysis to test the possibility of a relationship between English proficiency and admittance to and graduation from academic programs that lead to high-paying careers among post-secondary students in Puerto Rico. This study focused on four academic programs that lead to occupations associated with varying economic rewards. They are nursing and education, which are commonly low-paying careers and business finance and engineering, which generally command high starting salaries.