Vol. 52 No. 4 (2022): Special Issue 52(4) 2022-2023
Special Issue: The Perspectives of Traditionally Underrepresented Students

“I didn’t know what to do, where to go”: The voices of students whose parents were born in Latin America on the need for care in Quebec universities

Roberta de Oliveira Soares
Université de Montréal
Bio
Marie-Odile Magnan
Université de Montréal
Bio

Published 2022-09-24

Keywords

  • university experiences,
  • student craft,
  • care,
  • immigration,
  • Latin America,
  • Canada
  • ...More
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How to Cite

de Oliveira Soares, R., & Magnan, M.-O. (2022). “I didn’t know what to do, where to go”: The voices of students whose parents were born in Latin America on the need for care in Quebec universities. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 52(4), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.vi0.189469

Abstract

This qualitative study reports the university experiences of Quebec students whose parents were born in Latin America. The analysis, which looks at students who have either persisted in school or discontinued their studies, underscores the importance of cultural capital and, especially, an understanding of the student craft for school retention. The students report a low sense of affiliation with the university, and a perceived lack of support and care from the university and its social actors. Our interpretation of the data highlights self-blame for the challenges faced in university concurrently with the implementation of strategies to meet the challenges of the institution. We conclude by emphasizing how important it is for universities to support students better, adequately inform them about their options and the institution’s inner workings, and form a community with students in a spirit of care.

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