Allie, Hana, Casey

June 13th, 2016

Group Paper
MFT620A
Prof. Kirsten Lind Seal
The prevalence of anxiety in the pursuit of postsecondary education for adolescent first
generation immigrants
Key Terms: Immigration, adolescence, anxiety, first generation, 1.5 generation, post-secondary
education
Introduction
There have been studies conducted that highlight first generation college students
struggles with the college preparation process; many of these first generation college students
report feeling less prepared for college compared to their legacy counterparts (Bui, 2002).
According to one study, first generation college students are more likely to be ethnic minority
students, to come from a lower socioeconomic background, and to speak a language other than
English at home (Bui, 2002). With the stress of relocating to a different country, learning a new
language and culture, as well as navigating the American educational system, it is clear that there
are unique challenges immigrant students face when pursuing post-secondary educational
opportunities. Thus, it is important to study not only the experience of first generation college
students, but specifically those that are also immigrants.
This study delves deeper into the anxieties first generation immigrant high schoolers may
experience while pursuing postsecondary education. Three areas that can be anxiety producing
for college bound high schoolers include standardized testing (SATs and ACTs), college
applications, and financial preparedness. Financial preparedness includes completing the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and developing a plan using other loans, grants, or
payments to cover the cost of the post-secondary education. This study looks at the prevalence

of anxiety in these three areas for immigrant, potential first generation college students.
Determining levels of anxiety for these students can help determine the unique support that is
needed for these college bound first generation immigrant students as well as assisting in
determining the effectiveness of those supports that are already available to these students.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to better understand the prevalence of anxiety surrounding
the pursuit of postsecondary education in first generation immigrants. In this study, first
generation immigrant refers to a person who moved from another country to the United States
during their pre-teen (10-12 years of age) to teenage years (13-18 years of age) (Baum & Flores
2011). The pursuit of postsecondary education consists of three main categories: standardized
testing (SAT, ACT), college applications (essays, portfolio, etc.), and financial resource literacy
(FAFSA, grants, etc.). With the many factors that first generation immigrant students may face,
such as a lack of a support system, the acculturation process, and financial burdens, there is
potential for these individuals to experience anxiety. Anxiety is defined as an emotion
characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes (American
Psychological Association). Due to previous studies and some personal experiences, we
hypothesize that first generation college bound immigrant students will report at least some
feelings of anxiety surrounding standardized testing, completing college applications, and
determining how to cover the costs of post-secondary education. All three categories have the
potential to produce anxiety, thus we do not have a directional hypothesis for which category
these students will report as producing the most anxiety.
Theoretical Background

We are still unsure of the theory we will be using, but in looking at the previous literature
on our topic, we came across Four-Fold Acculturation Theory, which we want to learn more
about and possibly use. We also thought about Conflict Theory as being applicable.

References
Baum, S., & Flores, S. M. (2011). Higher education and children in immigrant families. The
Future Of Children / Center For The Future Of Children, The David And Lucile Packard
Foundation, 21(1), 171-193.
Bui, K. T. (2002). First-generation college students at a four-year university: Background
characteristics, reasons for pursuing higher education, and first-year experiences. College
Student Journal, 36(1), 3-11.