Insights on Learning-Related Emotions from Hispanic Undergraduates at an Urban University Transitioning from In-Person to Online Instruction at the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented educational disruption in institutions throughout the United States and the world. Research shows that such disruptions have a disproportionately negative impact on ethnic minorities. Researchers at a federally designated Minority- and Hispanic-serving four-year university deployed the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ) during the Spring 2020 semester to measure undergraduates’ (n = 144) learning-related emotions immediately following the rapid shift and reorientation from face-to-face to online learning. Compared to published instrument norms, data revealed that respondents (74% Latinx) experienced lower negative and higher positive emotions than pre-COVID peers. This research sheds light on the academic experiences and emotions of undergraduate students, mostly ethnic minorities, during the early months of the pandemic.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• minority academic success
• learning-related emotions
• postsecondary education
• academic achievement

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).