Yujing Zou
Pronouns: She/her
Research Mentor(s): Lorraine Gutierrez
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Psychology and Social Work / LSA
Program: CG
Session: Session 4 (1:40pm – 2:30pm)
Authors: Yujing Zou, Lorraine Gutierrez, Andrea Mora, Saria Bechara
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to understand how the discrimination experienced by Latinx students impacts their graduate education in a predominantly white institution. The majority of previous studies focus on undergraduate Latinx students, so this study aims to fill gaps by focusing on graduate Latinx students (Solorzano, 1998). To achieve the goal, a survey was conducted to gather information from 115 Latinx graduate students, and Critical Race Theory and LatCrit framework were used to examine how six major discrimination types in real life lead affected the experiences of Latinx students. The survey specifically looks at the variable of unequal treatment Latinx students receive based on prejudice, also intentional or unintentional exchanges that communicate negative racial slights and insults Latinx population. Existing results showed that Latinx students’ cultural identities, school choice, and general test scores might be impacted by discrimination they face in higher education (Ramirez, 2013; Walpole et al., 2005; Nuñez et al., 2008; Huber, 2010). The results are in line with the goal of the study, as the study aims to understand what contributes to the situation and find other possible influences that discrimination has on Latinx graduate students. After analyzing the data and interpreting them, the study’s results will help to increase awareness of discrimination and challenge dominant discourse on the intersections of race and education.
