Abstract
During the pandemic, Mexico experienced one of the longest periods of school closures in Latin America. After the first year of COVID-19, thousands of college students dropped out of school, which has been partially attributed to difficulties in adapting to online learning. This study examines how some college students in Mexico coped with and overcame these challenges. Our research draws on journals of and in-depth interviews with Mexican college students who participated in the Pandemic Journaling Project—a combined online journaling platform and research study. Participant accounts describe challenges students experienced navigating the rapid roll-out of online education. However, over time, many of the students in our study cultivated a renewed sense of purpose in their educational activities. They attributed this shift in perspective to their ability to carve out new approaches to social support, the development of professional capacities, and insight into the potential for technology to promote a more inclusive society. Our work shows how students’ ability to integrate digital competencies into their broader life projects and aspirations for the future played an important role in college perseverance and reducing mental health distress. Findings have important implications for the potential role of increased access to technological resources in mitigating social inequity and improving mental health outcomes among young adults.
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Twenty-five percent of students 19–24 years old and 8% of students 25–29 years old (approximately 760,000 students) reported not enrolling in school during the 2020–2021 academic cycle because of the pandemic. The top four pandemic-related reasons for school dropout among students aged 3-29 include: (1) remote classes were not considered adequate for functional learning (26.6%), (2) a parent or guardian lost their job or their workplace was closed (25.3%), (3) lack of computer or other electronic dispositive or internet connection (21.9%), and (4) permanent school closure (19.3%) (INEGI, 2021). Data are not available for a precise breakdown by age of COVID-related reasons.
Although all PJP participants are asked about yearly income in the initial, baseline survey, the majority of students in this study chose the answer “I don’t know.” The next most-frequent response was < $15,000 USD, which according to the average income in Mexico (~$20,000 USD), would not necessarily be considered “low income” for a single adult. In light of these considerations, it was difficult to gauge the financial status of the study participants.
Rubén Darío was a Nicaraguan poet from the late 19th century who is considered a central figure in the Spanish-language modernism movement. One of his most famous poems, “Autumn Song in Spring” (Canción de otoño en Primavera), describes the loss of one’s fleeting youth and the melancholy that follows.
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Acknowledgements
This paper analyzes data from the Pandemic Journaling Project (PJP), which was founded in May 2020 by Sarah S. Willen and Katherine A. Mason as a joint initiative of the University of Connecticut and Brown University. The project was developed with support from Abigail Fisher Williamson and Alice Larotonda. The authors are grateful to all participants in the Pandemic Journaling Project. PJP is supported by multiple sponsors at the University of Connecticut and Brown University, including each university's Office of the Vice President for Research as well as UConn's Global Affairs, Human Rights Institute, and Humanities Institute and Brown's Population Studies and Training Center. More information about the Pandemic Journaling Project can be found at https://pandemic-journaling-project.chip.uconn.edu/.
Funding
This study was funded by a faculty seed grant from El Instituto: Institute of Latina/o, Caribbean, and Latin American Studies at the University of Connecticut. None of the authors of this article have competing interests.
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Heather M. Wurtz declares that she has no conflict of interest. Maria Hernandez declares that she has no conflict of interest. Madeline Baird declares that she has no conflict of interest.
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Wurtz, H.M., Hernandez, M. & Baird, M. Thriving Despite the Odds: Digital Capital and Reimagined Life Projects Among Mexican College Students During COVID-19. Cult Med Psychiatry 48, 23–44 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-023-09839-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-023-09839-z