Abstract
In this chapter, the authors focus on what Latinx students tell them they need in a culturally responsive classroom. The authors analyzed student reflection papers to understand what educators can do in the classroom to better respond to Latinx students' needs that may also improve the classroom for all students whether Latinx, immigrant, or native to the U.S. Four qualitative themes emerged from the reflection papers that were related to students' educational experiences. Recommendations are provided for educators on developing culturally responsive classrooms based on the results and Carl Roger's person-centered approach.
TopImmigration And Higher Education
As early as the 12th century, students traveled to other countries for education, but the US is new at experiencing this phenomenon given the relative newness of our education system as compared to more established countries such as those that colonized us. In fact, immigrants—regardless of immigration status—to the US for educational purposes were not subjects of a direct policy to speak to their rights to higher education until 1982 with Plyer vs. Doe. This ruling focused on a public school, K-12 case, but translates to immigrants’ rights to higher education also.
With Plyer vs. Doe establishing that education for children is undeniable regardless of immigration status, additional legislation has impacted enrollment in higher education beginning with the DREAM Act of 2001 allowing undocumented students to attend public universities at in-state tuition rates. Additionally, in 2012, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy (DACA) was implemented. This affords undocumented children to apply for temporary legal immigration status. As of 2018, approximately 450,000 undocumented students were enrolled in higher education, which includes approximately 216,00 DACA-eligible students (Feldblum et al., 2020). However, policy implementations from the Trump administration (2017-2021) combined with the COVID-19 pandemic have unknown impacts on the future of immigrants in higher education. These recent alterations to higher education policies that impact immigrant access have deleterious effects as noted in Bjorklund’s (2018) recent review of the literature that identifies stress related to immigration status as a barrier to degree completion. Thus, the purpose of this study is to learn from students with immigration experiences as to what we can do in higher education classroom to support students toward degree completion in the face of immigration related stressors.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Latinx: Gender-neutral label for a person of Latin American birth or descent.
Familismo: A value in the Latinx culture focusing on the centrality of the family as expressed through spending time with family, relying on family for guidance, defending the family, putting family’s needs before one’s own, and contributing to the family’s wellbeing (e.g., financially, relationally).
Systematic Oppression: Intentional oppression of groups based on an aspect of their identity.
Empathy: The ability to understand another person’s experiences.
Assimilation: The process by which people who have moved to a new country replace their own ways of being (e.g., language, values, beliefs, mannerisms, activities, and foods) from their home country with those from the new country.
Acculturation: The process by which people who have moved to a new country integrate ways of being (e.g., language, values, beliefs, mannerisms, activities, and foods) from the new country into their existing ways of being from their home country.
Hogar: A Spanish word for home as in a house is a building but a home is where family is.