DREAMzone: Testing two vicarious contact interventions to improve attitudes toward undocumented immigrants.

Abstract

We used Allport's (1954) intergroup contact theory as a framework to test the effectiveness of 2 vicarious contact interventions on improving attitudes toward undocumented immigrants. The first intervention was DREAMzone, a 4-hr ally certification workshop. The second intervention was a 30-min documentary film chronicling the stories of 5 undocumented immigrants. Participants (N ϭ 239) experienced 1 of these 2 conditions or were part of a control group. Pre-and posttest assessments were conducted on various attitudes toward undocumented immigrants (i.e., empathy, anxiety, and prejudice). Our results indicated that both intervention modalities significantly improved attitudes toward undocumented immigrants. Attitudes of those in the control group did not change across assessments. Implications for higher education research and practice are discussed.

Legal Vulnerability and Campus Environment: Assessing Factors that Affect the Academic Engagement of Undocumented College Students

“…Campuses have created undocumented student services and deployed safe spaces and ally training to improve campus climates for undocumented students (Cadenas et al, 2018;Cisneros & Valdivia, 2020). Our findings suggest that fostering an inclusive climate is not sufficient and campuses must also work to eradicate exclusionary climates.…”

Immigration Status and College Students’ Psychosocial Well-Being

“…However, these assets are often overshadowed by college administrators’ lack of understanding regarding the role of immigration status in shaping college students’ experiences on our campuses. As a result, one area of support that is especially important on campuses is providing professional development opportunities for higher education professionals so they can best support the psychosocial well-being of students who have abject immigration statuses (Cadenas et al, 2018). Given that students who have a precarious immigration status appear to have higher levels of psychosocial distress, it is instrumental to have institutional agents who can support these students in a culturally responsive and affirming manner that centers their immigration status.…”

"We Are Legit Now": Establishing Undocumented Student Resource Centers on Campus

“…Prior research suggests that undocumented students are more likely to stay in school and feel less emotional distress when they are supported and when they are able to talk openly about the challenges associated with their immigrant experiences (Gonzáles, Suárez -Orozco, & Dedios-Sangueneti, 2013). Several studies have analyzed the role of institutional agents in improving the campus climate for undocumented students (e.g., Chuan-Ru Chen & Rhoads, 2016;Cadenas, Cisneros, Todd, & Spanierman, 2018;Cisneros & Cadenas, 2017;Cisneros & Lopez, 2016, 2019Nienhusser & Espino, 2017). Southern (2016), for example, highlights how institutional agents often organize task forces or institutional committees for the purpose of institutionalizing undocumented student support services.…”