Understanding the Learning Experiences of Low-Income Midwest Rural Latinx Youth during COVID-19: A Culturally Responsive Approach
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| Title: | Understanding the Learning Experiences of Low-Income Midwest Rural Latinx Youth during COVID-19: A Culturally Responsive Approach |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Diana Cedeño (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Latinos and Education. 2025 24(1):76-90. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 15 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | COVID-19, Pandemics, Youth Agencies, Hispanic American Students, Culturally Relevant Education, Language Proficiency, Language Role, Low Income Students, Cultural Background, Student Motivation, Electronic Learning, Distance Education, Anxiety, Poverty, Community Support, Family Influence, Resilience (Psychology), Curriculum Development |
| DOI: | 10.1080/15348431.2024.2363442 |
| ISSN: | 1534-8431 1532-771X |
| Abstract: | While research acknowledged the challenges faced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic, a critical gap existed in understanding the specific experiences of low-income Latinx youth. This study explored how these students navigated the transition to remote learning through a culturally responsive critical literacy program that incorporated their cultural backgrounds and lived experiences into the learning process. Findings from nine rural Latinx youth revealed a lack of motivation and anxieties surrounding both the remote learning format and the economic hardships their families faced due to the pandemic. Despite these challenges, strong community and family support (bridging & bonding) emerged as a crucial factor in fostering resilience. This research underscores the importance of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) that validates Latinx culture and knowledge. It argues against standardized curricula, advocating for a re-envisioned CRP that integrates community-driven initiatives and prioritizes language considerations. Implications for practice are provided. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1453888 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwFAt4ZRAspJJBMRxZG_CnizAAAA4jCB3wYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHRMIHOAgEAMIHIBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDO_uoUsHhzG8Tz8J4gIBEICBmqr-AO1X1iTu09jB-iIv36nvehsG5dejQdQGz9sWygzOdg9Zr8AWbDaSRdn1-2ywDcV9B1fnYPoUgS5rL4-htqa5JEg0NCC7e4esLpJwMTkl1DB5l1VWc3_iaC7MriO45ALW5lnvn-50llsHZ96xDlp3pWUIwz8_Gw2N7DPqr45avO5wQYJYs9AGIfDttQCNSi_UF6VFOB7Okag= Text: Availability: 1 Value: <anid>AN0181729153;hd001jan.25;2024Dec20.04:33;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0181729153-1">Understanding the Learning Experiences of Low-Income Midwest Rural Latinx Youth During COVID-19: A Culturally Responsive Approach </title> <p>While research acknowledged the challenges faced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic, a critical gap existed in understanding the specific experiences of low-income Latinx youth. This study explored how these students navigated the transition to remote learning through a culturally responsive critical literacy program that incorporated their cultural backgrounds and lived experiences into the learning process. Findings from nine rural Latinx youth revealed a lack of motivation and anxieties surrounding both the remote learning format and the economic hardships their families faced due to the pandemic. Despite these challenges, strong community and family support (bridging &amp; bonding) emerged as a crucial factor in fostering resilience. This research underscores the importance of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) that validates Latinx culture and knowledge. It argues against standardized curricula, advocating for a re-envisioned CRP that integrates community-driven initiatives and prioritizes language considerations. Implications for practice are provided.</p> <p>Keywords: COVID-19; Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP); economic hardship; rural Latinx youth</p> <p>According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention ([<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref1">15</reflink>]), COVID-19 has disproportionately affected racial and ethnic minoritized groups in both incidence and mortality, in large part due to systemic inequities in preexisting health conditions, occupational exposures, access to healthcare, etc (Calo et al., [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref2">9</reflink>]). In addition, the pandemic has widely affected existing educational inequalities among minoritized students, particularly rural Latinx youth. School closures in the U.S. have impacted all students, especially the most vulnerable (i.e., children of immigrant Latinx farmworkers; Kerwin &amp; Warren, [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref3">27</reflink>]). Latinx rural families, in particular, are a marginalized community, being one of the most educationally disenfranchised student populations, with needs that are not well understood in educational research (Free et al., [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref4">17</reflink>]). In addition, they encounter unique disadvantages (e.g., low high school graduation rates, chronic poverty, and social exclusion; Cedeño et al., [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref5">12</reflink>]), which often negatively influence children's education. Additionally, language barriers (Cedeño &amp; Parra, [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref6">13</reflink>]), marginalization, discrimination, and unauthorized residency status (Stein et al., [<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref7">47</reflink>]) generate barriers that are difficult to overcome. In fact, these vulnerabilities became more acute during the pandemic, as Latinx families tended to be essential workers, spend time in high-risk work environments, and have a greater risk of exposure for themselves and their families (Guadagno, [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref8">22</reflink>]). One of the most vulnerable subsets of this underserved population has been Latinx school-age children, as the pandemic has imposed severe consequences on students and their learning paths, including the consequences of the closure of schools and the decision to leave remote learning plans (or lack thereof) to the discretion of individual school districts (Williamson et al., [<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref9">54</reflink>]).</p> <p>Despite the fact that Latinx youth underperform on reading assessments and drop out of school at a higher rate than any other identifiable group (Votruba-Drzal et al., [<reflink idref="bib53" id="ref10">53</reflink>]), culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP; e.g., a view which focuses on students' linguistic resources, funds of knowledge, home, and community experiences, and acting; Lewison et al., [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref11">31</reflink>]) has been linked to improving youth's educational outcomes (Alford, [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref12">3</reflink>]). In addition, bridging and bonding (i.e., a form of support focused on the process of acting as a connection between youth and gatekeepers, institutional agents, social networks, and organizations aimed at developing positive relationships; Stanton-Salazar, [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref13">46</reflink>]), has been demonstrated as a crucial mechanism for fostering supportive and guiding relationships among Latinx youth (Sánchez et al., [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref14">42</reflink>]). Through their in-depth exploration of social exclusion among low-income minoritized youth, Cedeño et al. ([<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref15">12</reflink>]) shed light on the benefits of bridging and bonding relationships. Their research underscores how these approaches effectively counteract the multifaceted challenges of economic deprivation, lack of community connection, and societal exclusion faced by marginalized youth, demonstrating the effectiveness of bridging and bonding in addressing the social exclusion experienced by marginalized youth.</p> <p>Given that Latinx rural youth are understudied and especially likely to experience substantial adversity during and after the coronavirus pandemic, researchers must examine factors contributing to their learning and how they can be empowered via culturally responsive literacy programs. Therefore, our objective was reflected via our research question: <emph>What are the learning experiences of Midwest rural Latinx youth during COVID-19 as part of a culturally responsive literacy program?</emph></p> <hd id="AN0181729153-2">Literature review</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0181729153-3">Latinx rural families in the U.S</hd> <p>Society in the U.S. relies heavily on the labor of immigrant and migrant farmworkers to facilitate our comfortable lifestyles and inexpensive food. However, few realize that almost every vegetable or piece of fruit we eat was handpicked by a farmworker, a member of our nation's poorest and most disadvantaged class of laborers (Martin, [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref16">35</reflink>]). These disadvantages extend to their children. Research has documented the strong relationship between literacy and school persistence (Hernandez, [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref17">23</reflink>]), and children of immigrant families regularly underperform in school readiness and self-regulation (Blair &amp; Raver, [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref18">5</reflink>]). Additionally, upon immigration to the rural areas in the U.S., many Latinx families may experience cultural and language exclusion (Cedeño, [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref19">11</reflink>]), which can detrimentally affect their well-being by acting as potential stressors (Stacciarini et al., [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref20">45</reflink>]). However, family resilience has emerged as a protective factor in rural Latinx youth's efforts to overcome these challenges. For instance, Ramos et al. ([<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref21">40</reflink>]) contend that family resilience emerges as a culturally relevant and protective factor among Latinx youth and lowers internalizing symptoms, such as depression, stemming from discrimination.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-4">Educational experiences of rural Latinx adolescents</hd> <p>Immigrant youth face multiple challenges that may constrain educational outcomes, including their social isolation from and racist harassment by peers and their frequent mobility between schools and states with different curricula (Yu, [<reflink idref="bib55" id="ref22">55</reflink>]). Compounding these barriers is geographical isolation. When communities are more geographically isolated, rural youth tend to have lower educational aspirations because post-secondary schooling is not needed for local job opportunities in most rural industries (e.g., agriculture, manufacturing, resource extraction, or service; Stacciarini et al., [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref23">45</reflink>]). For many rural youths, pursuing post-secondary educational opportunities also involves moving away from their home communities, which can be a difficult family decision with significant economic implications. Nonetheless, rural schools share several features that promote positive youth development despite unfavorable economic conditions (Zuckerman et al., [<reflink idref="bib56" id="ref24">56</reflink>]); for example, these schools are characterized by long-standing and supportive student-teacher relationships and close community-school relationships (Trivelli &amp; Morel, [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref25">49</reflink>]).</p> <p>Prior research suggests that rural Latinx youth may lower their educational aspirations to maintain their connections to family and community (Agger et al., [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref26">2</reflink>]). Additionally, schools in geographically remote locations experience considerable difficulty recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers, especially in high-need areas such as mathematics, science, and special education (Nguyen, [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref27">37</reflink>]). Thus, several school characteristics in more geographically isolated rural communities can combine to constrain key aspects of youth development. Also, school closures related to the pandemic have increased the vulnerability of minoritized students, particularly Latinx, who are less likely to receive the support and extra services they need (OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus COVID-19, [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref28">38</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-5">COVID-19 and low-income rural Latinx youth</hd> <p>With the closure of nearly all schools across the U.S. and the decision to leave remote learning plans (or lack thereof) to the discretion of individual school districts (Williamson et al., [<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref29">54</reflink>]), the pandemic has imposed severe consequences on students, particularly those from low-income households. These consequences are already associated with loss in academic achievement and setbacks in mental wellness for children (Viner et al., [<reflink idref="bib52" id="ref30">52</reflink>]). Compounded with the unforeseen effects of the pandemic, such as premature school closures and unequal remote learning experiences (Williamson et al., [<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref31">54</reflink>]), it has exacerbated outcome disparities in K-12 education and adverse psychological health outcomes of school-aged youth. Latinx youth growing up in impoverished rural communities face several developmental and educational challenges that can adversely influence their development and adaptation to early adulthood. Like their urban peers, they encounter adversity regarding family economic hardship and additional ones related to geographical isolation, limited community resources, and conflicting values related to post-secondary educational and vocational attainment (Logan &amp; Burdick-Will, [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref32">33</reflink>]). Yet, few studies have examined the learning experiences of school-aged adolescent Latinx youth in rural schools during COVID-19. If they are to succeed, particularly after the pandemic, rural low-income Latinx youth require substantial and well-focused support to address gaps in their learning and schooling.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-6">Bridging and bonding</hd> <p>Bridging and bonding is a concept defined as both (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref33">1</reflink>) a form of support focused on the process of acting as a connection between youth and gatekeepers, institutional agents, social networks, and organizations and (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref34">2</reflink>) a technique toward developing positive relationships (e.g., in a caring manner; Stanton-Salazar, [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref35">46</reflink>]). Importantly, this paradigm highlights the process of building connections with a mentor to promote youth development and gain social capital. Such relational processes can potentially bring forth under-deserved youth opportunities they might not have otherwise. In theorizing bridging and bonding, it is essential to understand and implement strategies that strengthen the relationships between mentors and youth (bonding), while also facilitating connections between youth and external resources or networks (bridging). These strategies hold significant potential to empower minoritized youth, providing them with both the personal support and broader social connections necessary for their success and flourishing (Cedeño et al., [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref36">12</reflink>]). For instance, Varga and Zaff ([<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref37">50</reflink>]) describe bonding as comprising intracommunity connections, linking members of shared communities, including familial and ethnic groups (e.g., family ties within Latinx communities). On the other hand, bridging involves intercommunity ties that grant access to educational, economic, and various other resources. Consequently, the combination of bridging and bonding as forms of social capital provided by mentorship relationships can have a profound impact on cultivating academic and professional opportunities for marginalized youth (Sánchez et al., [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref38">42</reflink>]).</p> <p>Research also indicates that Latinx youth tend to identify natural mentors from within the family system, such as older siblings or aunts and uncles (Adames &amp; Chavez-Dueñas, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref39">1</reflink>]), which is in concordance with the cultural value of familismo. Therefore, bridging and bonding represents a vital channel for developmental support and guidance for Latinx youth due to firmly embedded cultural emphasis on family relationship networks and other allies' mentorship. As such, the goal of bridging and bonding is to produce social change by applying a multidimensional framework as well as relational processes between organizations or individuals and organizations. Although some research has been done on the role of bridging and bonding among minoritized youth (Cedeño et al., [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref40">12</reflink>]), there has not been, to our knowledge, a study that focuses on this paradigm within a rural Latinx youth context, during COVID-19.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-7">Theoretical framework</hd> <p>Culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP; Gay, [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref41">20</reflink>]) is pivotal toward developing genuine relationships with minoritized youth as it is a means to promote engagement, enrichment, and achievement (Kazanjian, [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref42">26</reflink>]). However, it also entails recognizing cultural strengths and validating students' lived experiences and their place in the world (Villegas &amp; Lucas, [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref43">51</reflink>]). In this study, these experiences were focused on the educational challenges developed during COVID-19. Our research was built upon the following assumptions: learning is a social process, learners are co-constructors of knowledge, the interpretation of experiences within specific social and cultural environments is fundamental to the construction of knowledge, and focused conversation is necessary for learning and cognitive development. Thus, the instructional elements of this study emphasized collaborative and cooperative group work and purposeful peer interaction to create a learning community where Latinx youth engaged in the educational process in a dialogical and dialectical manner (Villegas &amp; Lucas, [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref44">51</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-8">Methodology</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0181729153-9">Research setting</hd> <p>The culturally responsive literacy intervention consisted of a twelve-week program where participants met twice a week. During the initial sessions, youth delved into introspection, exploring their past learning experiences, their role within their communities, and the ways in which the pandemic either affected them directly or how they collectively navigated its challenges as a family. Subsequently, the intervention shifted focus toward examining present circumstances, encompassing discussions surrounding the transition toward a "new normal" post-pandemic. Participants engaged in dialogue regarding the myriad changes and adaptations required during this phase of adjustment. In the last sessions, youth engaged in discussing their expectations for the future in terms of opportunities for themselves and their communities.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-10">Design</hd> <p>This investigation was a case study (Braun &amp; Clarke, [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref45">7</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref46">8</reflink>]) bounded by a bilingual (English/Spanish) culturally responsive intervention that took place at a rural immigrant community center in the Midwest U.S. during the summer of 2021. This community center's primary mission is to promote education, employment, health, housing, and other opportunities for migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFW) and their families. Services for youth include reading, writing, math, and academic tutoring. Students come for help with their classes or to work through a specialized program that supports long-term development. This center is housed in a building with two rooms, an office space and a main room with tables and computers for both the tutors and students to use. Pseudonyms have been used to maintain confidentiality.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-11">Recruitment and sample</hd> <p>A purposive sample (Merriam &amp; Tisdell, [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref47">36</reflink>]) of youth that made part of the community center in a rural area in the Midwest region of the U.S. was assessed. Consent from the center itself was received after several meetings between the director of the community center and the Principal Investigator (P.I.). The P.I. was a first-generation Ph.D. Latinx scholar. The P.I. had several meetings with the center's director to assess the characteristics of the families and youth, such as their schedule, family composition, and school/home responsibilities, among others. Such discussions were pivotal in understanding the community at hand and assisted with the planning and designing of the intervention (e.g., schedules, curriculum content, etc.). Then, the P.I. conducted an information session for youth and their families, which included questions related to the intervention. As an incentive, all participating youth received a US$50 gift card. Nine Latinx youth (<emph>N</emph> = 9) between the ages of 13 and 16 (<emph>M</emph> = 14.44; <emph>SD</emph> = 1.34) participated, meeting twice weekly for twelve-week program. All participants identified as Mexican American.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-12">Data collection and analysis</hd> <p>Data were collected through two in-depth semi-structured interviews per participant (interviews were conducted bilingually in Spanish/English), two focus groups, recollection of artifacts from participants (e.g., written materials), and reflective journaling by the P.I. Following Seidman's ([<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref48">43</reflink>]) methodology, youth were interviewed once at the beginning of the intervention with a focus on their past experiences. Second, two focus groups took place where present experiences were described. Finally, at the end of the program, a final interview took place where the youth reflected on their future expectations. The P.I. and second author conducted all interviews lasting from 37 to 103 minutes in a private office at the community center. All participants and their parents signed a consent form, and all interviews were recorded. Reflective journaling created transparency and explored the impact of critical self-reflection on the research design (Ortlipp, [<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref49">39</reflink>]). Anecdotal records, observations, and all written materials by youth were collected. In addition, credibility (Lincoln &amp; Guba, [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref50">32</reflink>]) was ensured through the P.I.s prolonged engagement in the field working with Latinx communities, which allowed for a better understanding of the participants experiences.</p> <p>Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis (Clarke &amp; Braun, [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref51">16</reflink>]). The P.I. was the first research team member and had a similar transnational background to the participants. The second and third coders were two experienced Ph.D. fellows from a higher education institution in the Midwest; one Chinese and the other Latina. Data analysis wise, first, the team read all the written data and made notes using N-Vivo software. Data analysis included translation of materials (Spanish/English). Second, open coding (Saldaña, [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref52">41</reflink>]) was applied while taking detailed notes of each piece of data. Then, the research team analyzed the information gathered through interviews, anecdotal records, reflective journal entries, and artifacts from participants, following Tesch's ([<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref53">48</reflink>]) systematic process of analyzing textual data. Then, the research team made a preliminary codebook and clustered together similar themes. After, the research team went back to the data and developed codes. Finally, we identified the most descriptive wording for the topics and turned them into categories in an iterative process (Tesch, [<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref54">48</reflink>]). The main concern was to honor participants' voices, experiences, and perspectives in order to make valid interpretations of the data (Ortlipp, [<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref55">39</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-13">Trustworthiness and positionality</hd> <p>This study was built on a high level of trustworthiness. We pursued credibility through triangulation of data (i.e., one-on-one interviews, focus group, observation, and artifacts), and member checking (Lincoln &amp; Guba, [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref56">32</reflink>]). Additionally, the P.I. and first author of this study had a prolonged engagement in the field regarding low-income Latinx families in the U.S. The P.I. was intentional to build genuine connections with the community center where the study took place and had numerous meetings with members of the community before implementing the intervention and continued to stay involved with them after the completion of the intervention program.</p> <p>Regarding positionality, the first author of this study is a first-generation Latina scholar, with a feminist, transnational, and translingual background, and a junior Assistant Professor at the time of the study, with ample experience in qualitative research. The second author is a first-generation Chinese international student and Ph.D. fellow with a background in education and a novice qualitative researcher. The third and final author is a Latinx international student and Ph.D. fellow, with experience as an instructor in higher education. During this study, our positionalities were acknowledged via reflective analysis, which we applied by means of constant critical thought of our own worldviews as minoritized scholars in the U.S. Reflexivity for a qualitative researcher creates transparency and trustworthiness, because not being aware of personal views can obscure the interpretation of theory and data (Jacobson &amp; Mustafa, [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref57">24</reflink>]). This reflective process consisted sometimes of recognizing our own privileges (e.g., women with higher education degrees), and at other times identifying our own vulnerabilities (e.g., challenging experiences as minoritized women in academia). Therefore, as we studied how Latinx youth made meaning of their experiences during COVID-19, we were intentionally aware of how our backgrounds and experiences related to the findings. Being explicit about our relational social identities by using reflective writing and open discussions helped us to better understand the data and determined our culturally responsive lens.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-14">Findings</hd> <p>Rural Latinx youth described how they navigated the challenges of continuing school during the pandemic and how they experienced the changes of remote learning, which caused the development of personal anxiety and lack of motivation regarding attending school and completing homework. This personal awareness was partly due to the safe spaces developed via CRP and the trust relationships that emerged during the intervention. CRP opened the door for participants to have a voice via actively engaging in discussions, activities, and readings that promoted resilience and agency. Notably, our focus was on recognizing cultural strengths and validating students' lived experiences, achieved by developing a curriculum that elicited and built upon home and community culture (i.e., food, music, civil right activist). Themes included recognizing their anxiety and lack of motivation, experiencing family economic challenges, and finally, narrating how family and community were central to their strengths and how the changes generated by the pandemic were reflected in their learning.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-15">Theme 1: learning challenges: "I had friends who just straight up dropped out."</hd> <p>All youth in this study (<emph>N = </emph>9) expressed difficulty adjusting to remote learning and changes in their daily routine during the transition from face-to-face to online learning. This shift was characterized by raising anxiety due to the unexpected change in learning style and what was unknown regarding the pandemic itself. This theme comprised two subthemes: lack of motivation to learn and anxiety due to remote learning.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-16">Subtheme 1: lack of motivation: "I didn't really care."</hd> <p>All youth in this study (<emph>N</emph> = 9) described a disinterest in their school and course subjects, primarily due to the disruption of routine (e.g., waking up, getting ready for school) and the pressures of sudden distant learning. For example, Pedro explained how he felt the burden of not grasping enough content from his school curriculum by describing how he felt he did not understand the meaning of attending school because he was not learning. Another participant, Wanda, explained that she did not care about school. Similarly, Janin explained that:</p> <p>Honestly, for me, it was more like the motivation to get up and do homework or to get up and be in classes because, I mean, I am home. I can just be lying down doing nothing. The motivation I didn't have was to get up and actually go to class.</p> <p>Additionally, all the youth (<emph>N</emph> = 9) expressed sadness due to isolation from friends and peers. They acknowledged that such emotions affected their motivation and distracted them from focusing on learning and school. For instance, Mauricio shared how lonely he felt because he could not talk and socialize with his friends. For other youths, sadness was inevitably related to learning challenges and lack of motivation. Wanda shared: "I couldn't focus on the things online because I was sad, and I couldn't get to my friends."</p> <p>These experiences exemplify how rural Latinx youth lacked the motivation to attend school and complete their homework while feeling sadness due to social isolation. The consequence of both the lack of motivation and feelings of unhappiness were translated to challenges in learning and failing specific courses. Finally, because of these challenges, some youth reported the risk of falling behind in grades due to their performance in school.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-17">Subtheme 2: anxiety due to transition: "I was so scared of COVID."</hd> <p>Seven participants (<emph>n</emph> = 7) expressed anxiety not only due to the challenges of transitioning to remote learning but also to the uncertainty that COVID-19 posed in their learning experiences. Youth anxiety often translates into barriers regarding their academic achievement, often exacerbating already existing emotional challenges. For instance, Joana said, "I wish I was able to go to school in person because I am a very anxious person." She further expressed that being isolated made her nervous and uneasy. Some participants also shared that these feelings of anxiety were new to them, as Anita expressed:</p> <p>I don't know what anxiety really looks like because I never really had [it], but I knew I felt something. I was, like, sweating a lot...and not able to do my homework, other days I just couldn't breathe...my hands would start shaking and everything.</p> <p>This quote exemplifies how youth are aware of their emerging feelings of worry, nervousness, or unease, which typically relate to their homework performance and general well-being. Moreover, youth expressed confusion during the process of remote learning. Allie shared her concern: "I am over here like, what are we supposed to do? What are we doing?" Others expressed anxiety due to changes in their socialization at school. For instance, Mauricio shared: "I can't socialize that much outside, one because of anxiety, two, cause I just don't want to get COVID, I don't want to get other people infected." As seen, these quotes exemplify the anxiety that youth experienced due to the numerous changes that emerged from the pandemic. In many ways, their lack of motivation and emerging anxiety due to the changes occurring during COVID-19 came together and profoundly disbalanced their learning experiences.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-18">Theme 2: economic hardship due to the pandemic: "my dad has been at a very unstable job."</hd> <p>Seven participants (<emph>n</emph> = 7) expressed concern regarding family economic instability. The reasons were diverse, but mostly the worries were due to the layoffs and labor changes their parents and family members underwent during the pandemic. Participants also described already difficult financial situations before the pandemic and explained that lockdown and rules of social distancing made matters worse. For instance, Janin expressed that:</p> <p>My dad ... he's been jumping from job to job because he worked at [Farm Factory], but since COVID happened, they had to lay off a lot of people ... he got laid off, unfortunately. So, he's been at a very unstable job ... sometimes there's been like two months where he doesn't have a job. We just have to rely on my mom and me. My mom ... cleans houses. She's been doing pretty well on that. Then I just, you know, work here, help them out occasionally whenever they need to.</p> <p>Here we see how the unstable work of Janin's father for a prolonged period brought new challenges to the family during COVID-19, where low-paying jobs were one of the only options available for families to get by. Youth also expressed an acute concern and awareness of witnessing their parents struggle financially, as Wanda stated: "It's emotionally and mentally really hard." In turn, this worry was often related to their learning anxiety and feelings of sadness. Other youth explained these feelings; for example, Lucia expressed that: "My dad ... he just does a lot of landscaping work. Whenever he doesn't have a job ... he starts to panic, which makes us panic." Additionally, other youth explained the limited options parents had labor-wise and the lack of well-paid jobs in the area, as Martina explained during one class discussion that her brother used to be a delivery guy at a local restaurant because that was the only job he could get.</p> <p>These quotes express an awareness from Latinx youth regarding economic challenges. Moreover, youth also explained how COVID-19 hindered work opportunities for family members. For instance, Lucia described the situation of her older brother at a local farming processing factory, stating that that was the only job he could have gotten, but when he got COVID-19, he had to quit. This quote further reflects the impact of unexpected job changes due to the pandemic and how it created economic instability for participants' families, often creating stress that hindered Latinx youths' concentration and focus on learning.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-19">Theme 3: bridging and bonding in the form of familismo: "she's influenced many of my decision...</hd> <p>Despite the challenges experienced, all youth in this study (<emph>N</emph> = 9) expressed having some type of support during the pandemic. These were characterized by positive mentoring from extended family, local community members, and school staff. Youth expressed how important it was for their development and learning to have a mentor in their lives, which was sometimes a community member, a coach at their school, or a cousin or relative. Mentoring was often contextualized within their learning experiences and decision-making processes. For instance, Janin explained the importance of her relationship with her mentor:</p> <p>She is the most supportive person I've ever met. She would talk to you. She would tell you things how it is ... how like, how they are, not what you want to hear. Like, she's influenced many of my decisions, my good decisions.</p> <p>All youth echoed this sentiment. For instance, Mauricio expressed the importance of having a person in his life that can provide him support, someone whom he could share his experiences with, but also a figure that was able to provide good advice when needed. In particular, he expressed how valuable the mentors from the community center were for his learning and well-being, as he said:</p> <p>They have really always been there for me ....I know I can count on them like to talk, and if I need help with my homework, they are there. Or if I need ... some life advice, they're there cause they ... lived through it most of their life. And they are older than me, so it's ... always cool to hear about their experiences and what I can learn from those experiences. So, it's really nice to have them there.</p> <p>In addition to youths expressing how mentoring benefited them personally, participants also described the importance of transparency within the relationship. For instance, Lucia shared how she valued the conversations with her mentor because of the honesty behind each interaction, stating that it is a value she also possessed and how she appreciated this relationship. Similarly, another youth stated:</p> <p>I really appreciate [her] cause whenever I go to someone, you know, they will tell me what I want to hear. It's like, no ... I really needed advice. I really needed to know what I am doing wrong or what is happening. So, she is the type of person who would tell me things how they are. She would tell me ... what to do.</p> <p>Bridging and bonding in this study was also exemplified via familismo, as youth described the role of family members regarding reciprocal relationships of mentoring and support. The importance of familismo was evident in the narratives of youth participants; for instance, Joana shared how she was extremely family-oriented and how her family meant everything to her. The role of familismo was particularly important when understanding the unknown risks of the pandemic. For instance, a quote by Santiago exemplifies the role of familismo in education, as he stated, "You know, my mom said, everything is going to be all right! You are gonna be here at home. You are gonna do your work and everything. Be over with it. Just be safe." In addition, youth expressed the importance of receiving advice from their family in developing their closeness further, as Pedro and Jorge shared how they could talk with their siblings about anything and give them good feedback. Finally, youth shared how their relationship with their family was two-way, meaning that participants, as children themselves, also provided support to their families, thus further cementing their reciprocal relationships of trust. For example, Martina explained how she and her sister helped her parents by translating for them from English to Spanish. At times, they would help her translate conversations at the clinic. Further, Lucia shared similar experiences in helping her parents understand words/phrases in English:</p> <p>It makes me feel like... I'm helping them in like a way... cause ... my parents don't really know English. They know a little bit, but they don't really know a lot. So, it makes me... feel good about myself.</p> <p>In this quote, we see how youth had bidirectional and reciprocal relationships with their family members, where all supported one another, regardless of their role in the family. As seen, youth expressed the importance of having guidance in their lives through mentoring relationships, sometimes from their own families and extended relatives. Often, mentors made part of the community and families themselves, sometimes as teachers and at other times as employees or volunteers of the community center. Moreover, Latinx youth explained how this support gave them the drive and interest to support others around them and provide a more positive environment during the pandemic. As seen, the importance of familismo within a bridging and bonding context was expressed strongly by all participants. Most youths took this value as a central strength component in their lives.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-20">Discussion</hd> <p>This study examined the learning experiences of rural Latinx youth during the COVID-19 pandemic via a critical responsive literacy intervention. Findings confirm not only the educational challenges during the pandemic and the economic vulnerability of youth but also the significant role of community and family regarding bridging and bonding. Our findings confirm the importance of understanding Latinx youth' distinct experiences, as they expressed how school closures had a considerable effect on their sense of belonging to schools (e.g., lack of motivation) and their feelings of worry (e.g., feelings of anxiety), related to both the transition to remote learning and their financial situation at home. However, youth also explained how their resilience emerged during processes of bridging and bonding in the form of having mentors from outside and within their own extended families. Furthermore, this qualitative case study functioned as a healing process by providing Latinx youth with an opportunity to <emph>conocer</emph> (come to know) themselves, their emotions, and learning experiences during COVID-19. Moreover, this research elucidates how the pandemic provided opportunities for re-visioning culturally responsive pedagogy for minoritized youth, as their stories demonstrated the importance of a thoughtful and tailored curriculum regarding the validation of Latinx culture and knowledge in our current educational contexts and society.</p> <p>This research is significant because, over the last two decades, attention to culturally responsive approaches to teaching has largely been supplanted by standardized curricula and pedagogy stemming from neoliberal school reform models (Sleeter, [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref58">44</reflink>]). Consequently, this standardization in the curriculum has negatively impacted students from minoritized groups with the highest graduation gaps for varied reasons (i.e., poverty and language barriers; Brathwaite, [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref59">6</reflink>]). Therefore, this study argues not only for the inclusion of the voices of Latinx youth from a community perspective, as the interconnections and networks youth develop are essential for developing relationships that can facilitate agency and community change, but also to examine the institutional forces that shape social inequalities critically. Hence, a curriculum transformation for minoritized underserved youth requires an in-depth conversation and substantial changes regarding what CRP is while opening opportunities for research that links its use with student achievement. Thus, this research speaks to the need to fundamentally shift our current paradigms in education and consider the pandemic as an opportunity to re-set education using a more robust and culture-centered pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref60">30</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-21">Re-envisioning culturally responsive pedagogy</hd> <p>Although the detrimental effects of the pandemic have further exacerbated injustices and strained educational and community service efforts in rural areas and within minoritized communities, this study demonstrated that a culturally responsive pedagogical approach, along with a community-driven intervention, was an effective tool in alleviating the learning challenges of rural Latinx youth during the pandemic. As Gay ([<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref61">20</reflink>]) reminds us, CRP is based on social justice principles, such as recognizing cultural strengths and personal capabilities, being intentional about creating cultural continuity (e.g., using multicultural resources), and developing tools to create a sense of belonging among under-deserved communities. Therefore, re-visioning culturally responsive pedagogies for minoritized youth requires a multifaceted approach. First, drawing inspiration from Ladson-Billings ([<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref62">30</reflink>]), who emphasizes the importance of personal and social support via community organizations, we advocate for more interventions that integrate culturally responsive pedagogy with community-driven initiatives. This collaborative approach provides a holistic framework for addressing the diverse needs of minoritized youth and fosters a positive educational environment. Second, in order to be intentional about tailoring a culturally relevant curriculum that provides the tools to build safe spaces (Cedeño &amp; Schwarzer, [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref63">14</reflink>]), we suggest that educators and practitioners include language considerations in their efforts. Educators should strive to incorporate bilingual and culturally inclusive materials, implement strategies that support language development, and foster an environment where students can express themselves comfortably in their primary language, as they are essential toward the validation of their experiences, along with developing knowledge within a culturally responsive context (Gay, [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref64">20</reflink>]). Finally, it is essential to advocate for change that addresses systemic barriers and promotes equitable educational opportunities for minoritized youth. In other words, by advocating for policies that support culturally responsive practices and allocate resources to underserved communities, stakeholders can empower vulnerable youth and create positive change within the educational system, thereby serving as a tool of empowerment for them.</p> <p>Hence, to be effective components of change, community-driven interventions need to follow specific guidelines. First, a thorough assessment should take place, to understand the specific needs, challenges, and strengths of the community, while involving community members and stakeholders, as emphasized by Ladson-Billings ([<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref65">30</reflink>]). Second, along with a culturally relevant view and curriculum, it is important to identify and focus on the strengths and assets within the community (Cedeño et al., [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref66">12</reflink>]). Such practices open the door toward having community members contribute their knowledge, skills, and resources to interventions, fostering a sense of ownership and self-efficacy. Third, designing interventions with flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances and evolving needs is important (e.g., curriculum negotiation; Cedeño, [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref67">11</reflink>]). This adaptability ensures that interventions remain responsive to the dynamic nature of community needs and preferences. Additionally, having feedback mechanisms in place allows for continuous improvement and refinement of strategies based on community input. This iterative process not only enhances the effectiveness of interventions but also promotes ongoing engagement and collaboration between stakeholders, ultimately fostering a sense of shared ownership and collective empowerment within the community.</p> <p>In this study, these converging factors created a safe space where Latinx students were able to share educational barriers, including under-resourced schools with concentrated economic disadvantage, special learning needs, and higher rates of exclusionary discipline. On a larger scale, CRP interventions, along with community engagement efforts, have a considerable potential in supporting the needs of historically underserved populations in order to alleviate significant racial and ethnic disparities that continue to exist within the U.S. Additionally, there is a need to educate parents, teachers, and community and educational leaders about what CRP means and looks like in the classroom, and the role of community organizations that promote youth empowerment (Johnson, [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref68">25</reflink>]).</p> <p>Finally, growth-enhancing opportunities for rural Latinx youth to navigate the challenges of a post-pandemic learning context may begin to improve economic and social participation, along with providing tools for positive learning experiences at their schools and during extra-curricular activities. Programs focused on youth offer an important framework to facilitate youth's agency and personal growth. Further, the link between mental well-being and the effects of COVID-19 on minoritized youth suggests it is imperative to work with youth through community-oriented programs.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-22">Bridging and bonding</hd> <p>Although our data reflected the multiple challenges faced by rural Latinx youth, it also highlighted the importance of bridging and bonding as a tool that provided pathways toward developing community connections with organizations, individuals, and stakeholders. This study described such relationships as one of the main characteristics contributing to youth's positive experiences and outcomes. Therefore, bridging and bonding in the form of egalitarian mentoring relationships between adults and youth is vital to bring forth social capital and enhancing rural Latinx youths' chance to fully participate in social and economic opportunities. Cedeño et al. ([<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref69">12</reflink>]) contend that ethnic youth are more likely to be under-resourced and confront more social and economic barriers, especially in low-income areas where social and economic exclusion are prevalent. Therefore, we advocate for programs, workshops, and interventions that address social inequalities while applying a culturally relevant lens.</p> <p>Interestingly, bridging and bonding in this research related to familismo (Gonzales, [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref70">21</reflink>]) in that mentoring and bonding were often developed within extended family units, thus opening pathways toward a better understanding of the role of extended family within this paradigm. In addition to bridging and bonding, several means of support for Latinx rural youth are needed, from reducing barriers and changing attitudes and perceptions about mental health to eliminating discriminatory practices that harm students. This will require efforts including providing information, building skills, actively engaging learners in intervention settings, empowering individuals with mental health challenges, and engaging in structural and policy change (Cedeño et al., [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref71">12</reflink>]).</p> <p>Our data also indicated that youth were aware of their economic exclusion, which was described frequently in this study. Participants discussed manifestations of poverty and lack of opportunities throughout their narratives and those of their families, often perceived as unemployment and few prospects and incentives for the breadwinners of their homes. This clearly induced stress and anxiety for youth. Feelings that stem from a lack of resources can cause several negative socio-emotional reactions, including low self-esteem, poor coping skills, depression, anxiety, and self-defeating perceptions/behaviors (Cedeño et al., [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref72">12</reflink>]; Stacciarini et al., [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref73">45</reflink>]). Therefore, applying CRP among vulnerable low-income populations has the potential to improve their well-being via multiple approaches, such as critical literacy for youth or financial interventions for parents.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-23">Creating validating spaces for Latinx youth</hd> <p>Some scholars argue that the stories of Latinx students in the U.S. are over-focused on their vulnerabilities, with accounts highlighting their deficits or academic underachievement compared to white students. Strengths, also referred to as assets or promotive factors, among Latinx families include characteristics such as optimism, bilingualism, and family cohesion (Cedeño &amp; Parra, [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref74">13</reflink>]). Specifically, focusing on these strengths, among others, and applying empowering methods such as participatory action research, may increase the likelihood of positive outcomes among Latinx youth in the U.S. (Ayers &amp; Torrez, [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref75">4</reflink>]). Deficit perspectives have dictated the discourse and practices concerning Latinx families for far too long and often ignore cultural and familial strengths (Carales &amp; López, [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref76">10</reflink>]). Deficit views are not only the opinions of individuals, but they have the power to impact the way that minoritized students are treated within education systems, which has real consequences for policy and practice and should not be regarded as harmless (López et al., [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref77">34</reflink>]). Recent research has supported the importance of developing community service initiatives in order to address deeply embedded social issues (e.g., social exclusion, poverty rates, resource inequalities such as school funding, and poorly developed or nonexistent bilingual education; Cedeño et al., [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref78">12</reflink>]; Kim et al., [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref79">28</reflink>]). Such initiatives have emerged and taken various forms, such as tutoring and mentoring programs focusing on vulnerable minoritized students. Such initiatives should follow bridging and bonding paradigms embedded within diverse cultural backgrounds, which in this study allowed for recognizing this phenomenon from a familismo view.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-24">Limitations</hd> <p>Although this study has important implications for practice, it also has some limitations. First, the sample of Latinx youth were from a specific rural region in the U.S. and represent diverse intersecting positions, therefore, findings should not be generalized to other youth in different contexts (e.g., urban areas). Second, although the sample is small, in this study, it was beneficial for participants to have a more personalized attention during the intervention, thus developing further culturally responsive practices within learning contexts is of great importance for future research.</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-25">Conclusion</hd> <p>As Latinx students continue to increase their presence in the American K-12 and higher education system, it becomes critically important for schools and institutions to understand their lived realities, particularly during and post-COVID-19. As per our findings, it is important for educators, administrators, and policymakers to actively seek and implement ways to strengthen the education of minoritized rural youth. In this study, the benefits of using CRP in the form of a socio-cultural literacy program to educate historically underserved Latinx youth were made evident. However, such an approach is neither simple to implement nor free of emotional, intellectual, and political challenges for teachers, mentors, families, community stakeholders, and youth. It clearly goes beyond developing basic literacy skills as practiced in many classrooms. CRP requires engaging the community with care but not with pity; it is about "creating infrastructures to support the efforts of the students" toward academic achievement (Gay &amp; Banks, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref80">19</reflink>], p. 34) and emotional wellness. Minoritized youth need to be guided into safe spaces where they feel respected and acknowledged and can express their opinions openly. Learners need to be exposed to instructional materials that echo their often difficult and disturbing personal experiences and illustrate examples of people like them who achieved what might seem impossible. When students' language, culture, identities, and experiences are valued in these ways, students try to excel. High-quality strategies and activities that connect the students' cultures and experiences with the curriculum can provide learners from challenging backgrounds with what they need academically (Gay &amp; Banks, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref81">19</reflink>]; Ladson-Billings, [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref82">29</reflink>]), while empowering and guiding them toward emergent critical consciousness (Freire, [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref83">18</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-26">Disclosure statement</hd> <p>No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).</p> <hd id="AN0181729153-27">Informed consent</hd> <p>Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.</p> <ref id="AN0181729153-28"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref33" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Adames, H. Y., &amp; Chavez-Dueñas, N. Y. (2016). 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| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: EJ1453888 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Understanding the Learning Experiences of Low-Income Midwest Rural Latinx Youth during COVID-19: A Culturally Responsive Approach – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Diana+Cedeño%22">Diana Cedeño</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1415-978X">0000-0002-1415-978X</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pingping+Fu%22">Pingping Fu</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rosalba+Alvarado%22">Rosalba Alvarado</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+of+Latinos+and+Education%22"><i>Journal of Latinos and Education</i></searchLink>. 2025 24(1):76-90. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 15 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22COVID-19%22">COVID-19</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pandemics%22">Pandemics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Youth+Agencies%22">Youth Agencies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hispanic+American+Students%22">Hispanic American Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Culturally+Relevant+Education%22">Culturally Relevant Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Proficiency%22">Language Proficiency</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Role%22">Language Role</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Low+Income+Students%22">Low Income Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cultural+Background%22">Cultural Background</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Motivation%22">Student Motivation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electronic+Learning%22">Electronic Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Distance+Education%22">Distance Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anxiety%22">Anxiety</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Poverty%22">Poverty</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Community+Support%22">Community Support</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+Influence%22">Family Influence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Resilience+%28Psychology%29%22">Resilience (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Curriculum+Development%22">Curriculum Development</searchLink> – Name: DOI Label: DOI Group: ID Data: 10.1080/15348431.2024.2363442 – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 1534-8431<br />1532-771X – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: While research acknowledged the challenges faced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic, a critical gap existed in understanding the specific experiences of low-income Latinx youth. This study explored how these students navigated the transition to remote learning through a culturally responsive critical literacy program that incorporated their cultural backgrounds and lived experiences into the learning process. Findings from nine rural Latinx youth revealed a lack of motivation and anxieties surrounding both the remote learning format and the economic hardships their families faced due to the pandemic. Despite these challenges, strong community and family support (bridging & bonding) emerged as a crucial factor in fostering resilience. This research underscores the importance of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) that validates Latinx culture and knowledge. It argues against standardized curricula, advocating for a re-envisioned CRP that integrates community-driven initiatives and prioritizes language considerations. Implications for practice are provided. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2024 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1453888 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1453888 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1080/15348431.2024.2363442 Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 15 StartPage: 76 Subjects: – SubjectFull: COVID-19 Type: general – SubjectFull: Pandemics Type: general – SubjectFull: Youth Agencies Type: general – SubjectFull: Hispanic American Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Culturally Relevant Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Language Proficiency Type: general – SubjectFull: Language Role Type: general – SubjectFull: Low Income Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Cultural Background Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Motivation Type: general – SubjectFull: Electronic Learning Type: general – SubjectFull: Distance Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Anxiety Type: general – SubjectFull: Poverty Type: general – SubjectFull: Community Support Type: general – SubjectFull: Family Influence Type: general – SubjectFull: Resilience (Psychology) Type: general – SubjectFull: Curriculum Development Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Understanding the Learning Experiences of Low-Income Midwest Rural Latinx Youth during COVID-19: A Culturally Responsive Approach Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Diana Cedeño – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Pingping Fu – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Rosalba Alvarado IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 1534-8431 – Type: issn-electronic Value: 1532-771X Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 24 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Latinos and Education Type: main |
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