We report on a grounded theory study of late-arriving immigrant youth (LIY) who arrived in the United States at 16–18 years of age and were referred to daytime General Education Diploma (D-GED) programs. These programs provide an alternate path to a high school diploma for youth with insufficient knowledge of English to complete graduation requirements before turning 19 years. Based on interviews with 38 youth from Latin America, we propose the core category of our grounded theory to be students Navigating Child and Adult Immigrant Narratives while making educational and career decisions. This process begins before immigration when youth imagine ambitious alternate selves—ideal educational and career selves in the United States, consistent with the American Dream and immigrant child narrative. The D-GED programs represent a compromise between a child and adult educational pathway. Students in these programs felt excluded from the regular high school but received social and emotional support while on a faster track to graduation and self-sufficiency as adults. However, students lacked concrete information and roadmaps for how to attain their ambitious goals. The study highlights the unique challenges faced by LIY as they develop ambitious and realistic education and career goals.

我们报告了一项针对16至18岁到达美国并被称为日间普通教育文凭（D-GED）计划的晚到移民青年（LIY）的扎根理论研究。这些课程为年龄不足19岁的英语水平不高的年轻人提供了获得中学文凭的替代途径。在对来自拉丁美洲的38位青年的访谈的基础上，我们提出了扎根理论的核心类别，即学生在进行教育和职业决策时导航儿童和成人移民叙事。这个过程开始于移民之前，那时青年人想象着雄心勃勃的替代自我-在美国理想的教育和职业自我，这与《美国梦》和移民儿童的叙述一致。D-GED计划代表了儿童和成人教育途径之间的折衷方案。这些课程的学生感到自己被普通高中排斥在外，但在成年人成年后能更快地毕业并实现自给自足的同时获得社会和情感支持。但是，学生缺乏有关如何实现其雄心勃勃目标的具体信息和路线图。该研究强调了LIY在制定雄心勃勃的现实教育和职业目标时面临的独特挑战。