Emotions and (Un)Familiarity: The Emotional Work Behind the College-Going Process

• In Event: 25.067 - Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: 25.067-8 - Knowing What You Don't: Information, Expectations, and Communication in College-Going

Abstract

This study highlights Latina/o familial discourse surrounding college-going, and in particular focuses on the emotional aspect of this process. Using qualitative data, this study investigates how the emotional work that Latina/o students and parents undertake as they journey through the college-going process (CGP) further complexifies the college-going process for Latina/o families. This study finds that most every parent felt some level of apprehension or fear about sending their child to college, and similarly, most every student identified with having fears about transitioning to college. However, the ways in which these feelings were faced depended on their knowledge and familiarity of the U.S. higher education system, and to some extent, their access to “people in the know.”

Author

• Cynthia Lua Alvarez, University of California - Los Angeles