Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Elissa Bergman, and I am from Boca Raton, Florida. I am a psychology major and am graduating this spring. I have goals of pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and eventually working in a private practice setting, conducting research, and working with patients.

The Interpretation of Expectation: A Cultural View of Generational Development

Abstract

We investigated the pressure to succeed that children of Latino immigrants feel due to expectations placed on them regardless of whether they are voiced or not. This research aims to raise awareness of the physical barriers that aren't recognized by professionals that Latinos face in their daily lives. As universities' Latino populations rise, institutions need to ensure their Latino population's success by recognizing cultural barriers and providing necessary assistance and guidance. We gauged the level of expectations placed and the resulting pressure that children felt by analyzing transcripts of 8 dyad interviews and identifying themes that were present. These themes included whether family-centric values, cultural influence, cultural pride and heritage, etc. were present. Analysis of the transcripts was completed by adapting the Dyad Matrix Method proposed by Collaço et al., 2021. The results suggest that regardless of the explicitness of parental communication regarding expectations, all children experienced familial pressure to succeed. Moreover, this pressure did not change regardless of previous educational background. Moreover, it suggests that Latinos from all walks of life are struggling in university spaces due to a cultural barrier. Ideally, this research will be published in hopes of disseminating this information publicly, thereby allowing for these concepts to be acknowledged and solutions to be put into action.​

Keywords: Generational Development, Unspoken Dialog, Systematic Understanding, Pressure