Latinx Student Input on Global Learning (Study Abroad and Other Activities): An Overview of 2022 Focus Group Findings

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By: Nancy Erbstein, Cristina Martínez-Carazo, Angélica González and César Hoyos Álvarez, with Celia Mares de Juan, Aliki Dragona and Joanna Regulska.

In Winter 2022, Dr. Cristina Martínez-Carazo (UC Davis Department of Spanish and Portuguese) collaborated with Global Affairs to initiate exploratory inquiry into Latinx undergraduate student experiences of global learning, and more specifically study abroad, with the aim of informing both UCEAP and UC Davis planning and outreach. Graduate students Angélica González and César Hoyos Álvarez played key roles in facilitating focus groups (organized by undergraduate Celia Mares de Juan) and analyzing data. The following document synthesizes data from three focus groups with a total of twenty-two UC Davis undergraduates.1 They shared reflections with respect to: hopes for global learning (including study abroad), obstacles to participating in mobility programs, potential solutions, other global learning interests, how best to engage Latinx families, and how being Latinx shapes their global/intercultural engagement. Points shared below were noted by more than one participant, but not necessarily all participants; they are shared in no particular order. 

1. Hoped for Gains from Global Learning (Study Abroad and Other Activities)

Every student expressed interest in global learning, including the ability to spend time in other cultures/countries. Many spoke of their interest in immersing themselves into new environments and cultures to explore how others think and perceive the world around them. Some noted interest in exploring their heritage, including indigenous heritage. Some students expressed curiosity about individualistic vs. collectivist cultures and lifestyle differences. Others wanted opportunities to authentically connect with people from other cultural backgrounds and step out of their comfort zone. Some students expressed interest in research and collaboration with people from other countries associated with their academic trajectories.

Students also described their interest in the dynamics of diversity in other places and learning about minoritized communities. Outside the U.S, students would like to participate in community-building activities; examples noted included working, teaching English, learning local languages, and creating a positive impact in Latinx communities.

Students are also interested in applying knowledge acquired by studying abroad to improve conditions in the US. They hope that skills, knowledge, and networks developed could support their employment and their ability to enhance communities here. 

2. Obstacles to Participating in Study or Internships Abroad

Every student also articulated obstacles to participating in mobility programs. Across the groups, participants articulated challenges with respect to finances, logistics, personal fears, family obligations and having adequate support for planning.

Finances 

Students raised a variety of financial concerns. Some found the cost to be "unrealistic" even with their financial aid package; others noted that the cost was overwhelmingly high, but they had not explored what financial aid would cover. Some indicated need for more resourcing options for those who do not qualify for financial aid. Students who are enrolled part-time at UC Davis (to accommodate employment/reduce costs) would like to know if they qualify for study abroad; in addition, some wondered whether they could work part-time while studying abroad. There were also concerns about needing to rent housing and then potentially encountering difficulty subletting while abroad, which incurs significant financial risk; in addition, a student reported that leaving the country for more than a month would affect access to supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) resources. Students also noted the challenge of losing the opportunity to earn money during the summer or school year. 

Fears

Participants were generous in sharing a variety of fears that can be obstacles to engaging in global learning programs, especially those that entail mobility. Concerns included the following, in no particular order.

• Concerns regarding falling behind in meeting course requirements and that studying abroad would delay their graduation timeline
• Handling family responsibilities in a way that doesn’t put undue burden on others
• Anxiety associated with needing to plan far ahead for mobility programs, on top of so many other stressors
• Anxiety about working out housing
• Anxiety about investing in a costly experience and potentially having it not go well
• Fears of being stranded outside of the U.S. (due to the pandemic or other issues)
• Fears associated with handling immigration status, getting Real ID
• Feeling intimidated about stepping out of a comfort zone, experiencing culture shock
• Worries about potential racism within the group
• Worries about potential racism in a new cultural context
• Worries about staying safe in an unfamiliar place
• Concern that a virtual internship might not be as effective or be looked upon as favorably as in-person options
• Impostor syndrome—feeling like mobility programs aren’t for low-income people of color

Family Obligations

Focus group participants spoke to several ways that family obligations affect their consideration of study and internships abroad. First, multiple students indicated their active role in helping their families; an inability to be physically present, or in some cases earn a salary, would compromise their ability to do so. 

Some noted struggling with a sense of guilt or internal conflict about doing something for themselves versus for their families. In some cases, they felt conflicted about investing additional resources in themselves. Another student articulated a sense of guilt about leaving their family behind and traveling far away from them, which would not only mean they couldn't help out, but that they would cause additional worry.  

One student described the need to work and help family from a young age as inhibiting an ability to dream or imagine studying abroad. In such cases, the idea of spending time in another country focusing on learning—or that this is something for them—may be quite new. 

Logistics/Alignment

Students identified several logistical/alignment challenges as they considered studying or interning abroad. Some students noted that they would prefer to participate in mobility programs during the summer, ideally for a somewhat shorter duration to facilitate ability to work as well. Others noted having looked into studying abroad but found that the programs did not really fit their interests/ major course requirements; one student in particular commented that there seemed to be fewer opportunities to study abroad for those in STEM. Finally, others underscored immigration status as a barrier, noting the importance of clear information and support, as well as virtual, on campus and domestic opportunities.

Information/Support for Planning

Participants collectively mentioned multiple ways that information access is a barrier to participation.

• Lack of information: participants agree that information about study abroad and other global learning options is not getting to them. Even if they receive emails promoting study abroad, they are not taking further steps to learn/get involved in those programs.
• Timeliness: given the amount of planning required, students need to receive information about opportunities early in their time on campus (or even before).
• Planning: Students need simple, clear information about planning/preparation steps required on a timeline, as they often do not have someone to guide them.
• Finances: There needs to be greater transparency about program costs and availability of financial aid and grants. Study Abroad is believed to be only for those with money.
• Streamlining: Students feel overwhelmed by study abroad and don’t even know where to begin—the logistics are confusing, they are difficult for first-gen students to figure out.
• Program Options: Students would like easy access to more information about opportunities for work/paid internships abroad, as well as lower cost and free global learning opportunities.

3. Potential Solutions to Overcoming Obstacles

Participants generated many potential solutions to overcoming barriers to studying/interning abroad and participating in other types of global learning, in response to a broad question about how the university might assist in this. Their ideas focus on planning supports, financial supports, information access, programming and preparation.

Offer More/Different Types of Planning Support

• Give students the opportunity to dream from an early age so they can plan and prepare—let them know about global learning/study abroad as part of college information, as well as early in their time at UC Davis.
• Help students to plan far in advance.
• Have more people that can guide and mentor students through the process of planning for global learning and scholarship applications (especially mobility programs that are more complex)—keep the needs of first gen students, transfer students and older returning students in mind.
• Connect people with other students who have previously participated in study or internships abroad, including other Latinx students, first gen students.
• Provide support for planning various types of global learning, including scenarios that might be more realistic for first-gen students, low-income students, transfer students and those who can’t travel.
• Help students become more autonomous about their learning—show them how to gather and make sense of information on their own.

Offer More Financial Support

• Help with study/internship abroad down-payment cost, other costs that have to be covered before financial aid is available.
• Offer more scholarships for students from low-income backgrounds that can help cover gaps in what financial aid can support.
• Explore potential use of CalFresh resources while out of the country.
• Connect students with part time jobs while studying abroad and/or offer support for paid work opportunities abroad to help with costs.
• Offer and highlight lower cost/free opportunities.
• Provide students with help covering the cost of housing while away (e.g., if they’re unable to find a subletter), or create a network to help connect students who are going away at different times of year, or explore creating housing in West Village for students returning from abroad.

Provide Additional Types of Information in Additional Ways

Key types of information requested are as follows. 

• Provide students with clear, complete, and transparent information about study and internships abroad, how to plan for them, and ways to pay for them.
• Highlights the academic, professional, and personal benefits and strengths of mobility programs, virtual programs and other global learning.
• Have advisors/checklists like the “TAG transfer agreement” so students can stay on track in planning.
• Provide opportunities to hear about the personal experiences of students, including Latinx first-gen students, who have previously participated in study and internships abroad and who can offer a realistic view and discuss stigmas, local culture, physical and mental health and safety supports, strengths that they built, etc.

Suggested modes of communicating with students include the following.

• Student and faculty videos
• Workshops to talk with students who have participated in study and internships abroad, including Latinx first-gen students
• Social media (Instagram, Discord, Facebook, in the university section)
• An intuitive website that uses AI to help people navigate
• Flyers with QR codes (posted in in dorms, dining commons, and Latinx organizations/ clubs such as El Centro
• Outreach to community college students who tag to UC Davis
• Digital displays on campus (e.g., MU, Library)
• Newsletter
• Campus newspaper, other campus groups newsletters
• Table with incentives such as snacks or international food and visual aids tools (use visual aids of students with similar experiences (first-gen) so students can see themselves there too)
• Events with food where information gets shared
• Have advisors share information (most likely to open emails from them)
• Share information in first year housing
• In-class announcements
• Information via Canvas
• Parent/family engagement

Students offered specific guidance on engaging their parents/families. They advise providing information that is easy to digest, via videos on Facebook or YouTube by people they respect, bilingual advisors, and bilingual workshops/orientations that students can attend with them and that include video testimonies. For study and internships abroad, they suggest walking parents through the planning process, program examples, mechanisms to support student safety, and benefits to students like their own children. 

Make Some Adjustments to the Mobility Program Portfolio, and Develop and Build Awareness of Other Types of Global Learning Options.  

Suggested revisions to the study and internship abroad portfolio include the following, in no particular order. 

• Provide options in a greater diversity of places around the world.
• Expand internships.
• Offer shorter duration program options.
• Offer more study abroad options that are relevant for STEM majors.
• Offer more opportunities to take pre-requisite courses abroad.
• Provide opportunities to slowly get students to step out of their comfort zone.

Students also encouraged campus to provide and further build awareness of other types of global learning programs. They encouraged more opportunities to learn about ways they might independently pursue paid internships or employment, as well as research abroad, providing workshops on this and offering grants to support that. There was also strong interest in domestic and virtual internships with a global dimension, with a suggestion to get professors involved in these, as well as domestic exchange programs across campuses that could support global engagement. 

Participants also spoke to the tremendous opportunities to tap California's diversity and campus cultural wealth. Off campus, there was strong interest in weekend or even one-day field trips to learn about and with regional diasporic communities and practice language skills. On campus, students suggested the need to highlight existing campus resources (e.g. PAL program, Global Leadership Badge and related programs through CLL) and create more opportunities for intercultural student interactions and learning about how international students are dealing with culture shock being here (e.g., via potlucks where people share food traditions, student-run groups and meet-and-greets). One participant suggested offering courses that would teach about global issues as they play out in different parts of the world that would include opportunities to work on them closely with faculty and peer groups. 

Further Support Preparation for International Travel and Intercultural Engagement

Finally, participants suggested providing some key preparatory supports for students who aim to pursue further global/intercultural engagement. Five specific areas were mentioned, in no particular order of priority. 

• Help students learn about how to travel (e.g., how to find and book good plane tickets, navigate an airport, stay safe, etc.)
• Teach students about culture shock and how to navigate it.
• Help students understand how they can access any needed mental health services
• Help students learn about how to carry out research abroad
• Provide opportunities to build relationships with fellow travelers before departure

In each case, students stressed,

"Provide opportunities to hear from students like me."

4. Latinx Students Associate Their Ethnic Identity With Many Strengths and Some Challenges With Respect to Global/Intercultural Engagement

Focus groups closed with participants discussing the question, “how does being Latinx advantage and/or disadvantage your global/intercultural engagement.” Through this conversation, students identified several challenges, which they noted were not necessarily specific to Latinx students. These included: 

• Difficulties associated with being a first-gen student (e.g. being unfamiliar with systems like study abroad, having limited economic resources and often significant family obligations, feeling already overwhelmed by the stress of navigating campus life);
• fear that it could be hard to connect with others—even in a UC Davis cohort—due to the challenge of racism;
• anxiety about handling culture shock and lack of knowledge about a new place, attributed in part to "living in a bubble here in the United States."

However, the overwhelming sentiment was that Latinx students as a population bring powerful strengths and resources to global and intercultural engagement, even as individuals may bring varying assets. Examples noted include the following, in no particular order: 

• adaptability
• bi-or multi-lingualism
• experience interacting with people from diverse backgrounds
• cultural awareness
• awareness of other countries
• experience growing up in two (or more) cultures
• empathy.

Students across focus groups noted that it was inspiring and empowering to recognize these capacities, suggesting that doing so is an important element of Latinx student outreach and engagement regarding global education.

Appendix A: Participant Global Learning Background

Twenty-two undergraduate students participated in the focus groups. Based on pre-meeting questionnaire responses from all participants, students had participated in global learning experiences as follows. 

• 1Student participants who identified as Latinx were recruited by a Mexican-origin Global Affairs student staffmember through a heritage Spanish language class, Latinx student success center El Centro, and Casa Cuauhtémoc; participants received a $25 Amazon gift card. Ninety-minute focus groups were conducted by two native Spanishspeaking graduate students to facilitate notetaking, in a mix of Spanish and English. Each focus group was also attended by Drs. Martínez-Carazo and Erbstein. Notes were further developed by reviewing focus group recording, and then reviewed to derive key themes.