Context Matters: Stress for Minority Students Who Attend Minority-Majority Universities

Abstract

Research on college student stress has typically focused on institutions where the student population is predominately White and continuing-generation. This study explored student stress in a unique context—a public regional university where the majority of students are Latinx, first-generation (FGCS), and of low socioeconomic status (SES). Of the 355 participants in the study, 72.4% self-identified as Latinx and 59.7% were FGCS. Additionally, on a subjective scale of socioeconomic status (1 = lowest, 10 = highest), the mean response was 5.76 ( SD = 1.56). Participants (18 years old or older) who were enrolled in a first-year seminar course were recruited for this study. Through an online survey during Fall 2018, first-year students reported levels of perceived and experienced stress related to academic, economic, intrapersonal, and interpersonal concerns. Results of regression analyses indicated that most types of stress were predicted by students’ Latinx identity status and SES; FGCS status did not significantly predict stress. These findings highlight the need to explore solutions to address stress for Latinx and/or low SES students. Additionally, the study underscores the necessity of conducting research at educational institutions in which Latinx, FGC, and low SES students comprise the majority of the student body.

Keep Calm and Be Humble: Can Intellectual Humility Predict Test Anxiety?

“…Future research may attempt to investigate group differences in demographic predictors of test anxiety as measured by different scales. Nonetheless, the significance of SES as a predictor of test anxiety among students in Study 1 was consistent with previous findings related to SES and academic self-perceptions (Huynh et al, 2021). However, the non-significant relationship between Hispanic ethnicity as a predictor was dissimilar to Huynh et al’s (2021) findings.…”

“…Nonetheless, the significance of SES as a predictor of test anxiety among students in Study 1 was consistent with previous findings related to SES and academic self-perceptions (Huynh et al, 2021). However, the non-significant relationship between Hispanic ethnicity as a predictor was dissimilar to Huynh et al’s (2021) findings. The inverse relationship of age with test anxiety in both groups, albeit for different measures, was consistent with some previous findings (Chapell et al, 2005; Dawood et al, 2016).…”

“…A meta-analytic review found that female and minority students reported higher degrees of test anxiety (von der Embse et al, 2018). While no studies were located that directly associated socioeconomic status (SES) to test anxiety, previous research at a minority-majority institution demonstrated that perceived lower SES predicted academic self-perceptions (Huynh et al, 2021). The research on age and test anxiety is mixed.…”