Research has highlighted the importance of post-settlement factors in increasing the wellbeing outcomes of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) children from refugee and migrant backgrounds on resettlement in Australia, particularly in the school context. This framework has been widely used with adults and youth, but very little research has been done on acculturation – and the impact of cultural retention versus. As such, this study qualitatively explored teachers' perspectives on acculturation and well-being for CALD children with the aim of increasing understanding of children's acculturation processes, and the impact of these processes on their well-being outcomes within the context of their education .
Six themes were identified, with the key findings being that participants expressed and specifically stated their support for both cultural preservation and adaptation.
Introduction
- Background
- A Note on Terminology
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse
- Refugee and Migrant
- Wellbeing
- Previous literature concerning wellbeing and resettlement
- School Experiences and Wellbeing for CALD children
- Acculturation Theory
- Acculturation for Children
- Teachers’ Perspectives on Acculturation
- The Current Research
In addition, a sense of school belonging has been recognized as an important aspect of well-being for refugee children and young people (Fazel et al., 2012). Numerous studies using Berry's model have indicated the superiority of the integration strategy for refugees and migrant individuals (Brown & Zagefka, 2011) in terms of both. From these studies it appears that children prefer an 'integrationist' approach - in terms of the extent to which.
Similarly, Van Praag et al. 2016) qualitatively examined the attitudes of teachers and students towards acculturation in Belgian schools.
Method
Participants
Procedure
In order to check the relevance of the questions, we conducted a pilot interview with an acquaintance of the researcher AM - a secondary school teacher in Adelaide. Later changes were made to the interview guide – for example, restructuring the order of questions for greater clarity. This allows the interview schedule to be changed in response to problems or lack of clarity with the questions.
Furthermore, the audit trail assisted with self-reflexivity, another important aspect of qualitative research (Braun & Clarke, 2013; Tracy, 2010), as it allowed researcher AM to record observations regarding her responses to aspects of the interviews, on questions of identity and any biases, and to track ideas related to the content of the interview to assist in data analysis.
Data Analysis
Data analysis was conducted theoretically in terms of Berry's framework and dimensions of cultural maintenance and cultural adaptation and links to well-being outcomes. The analysis was conducted with an interest in latent themes—that is, the analysis went beyond the semantic content of the data to examine. Thematic analysis was conducted according to Braun and Clarke's (2006) six phases of data analysis.
It should be noted that while the initial attempt at triangulation was not successful, it became clear upon analysis of the data that there were differences in approach based on whether.
Results
Overview of themes
Themes
- Cultural maintenance is important for CALD children
- A school focus on celebrating diversity encourages cultural maintenance
- Teachers are mindful of opportunities to encourage cultural maintenance
- Cultural adaptation is about being ‘aware’ of Australian norms and values 35
- There should be a balance between adaptation and maintenance
This quote implicitly characterizes the importance of cultural preservation in terms of individuality and identity, and as particularly important for CALD children in the context of resettlement. Such as the link between loss of identity and negative outcomes – in this case the concept of trauma is used. Cultural identity is generally referred to in the literature as 'ethnic identity' – separate from ascribed ethnicity, but related to identification and involvement with a group with a shared language, culture, religion or place of origin (Phinney, Horenezyk, Liebkind, & Vedder, 2001).
While learning English is evidently an important aspect of schooling for CALD migrant children – in terms of their acquisition of social capital and academic success (Christie & Sidhu, 2002; Woods, 2009) – research has focused on the 'powerful' aspects of English language teaching emphasized. (Riggs & Due, 2011). After identifying the importance of cultural background and cultural maintenance, as seen in the previous themes, participants often discussed the ways in which their schools. In this quote, identify that there are instances in which culture is made a focus within the classroom and which is spontaneous, and mainly in the context of general conversation.
In this sense, participants appear to respond to their students and be aware of opportunities where aspects of their lives can be focused in the classroom. In these extracts, it is clear that the participants feel that the students enjoy recognizing aspects of their culture in their classrooms and elsewhere in the school. It could be argued that the way in which participants detail 'bringing culture into the curriculum' in these extracts is largely centered on superficial representations of cultural 'difference' - for example talking about.
In this sense, highlight how representation in the classroom is important for CALD students because they are separated from familiar things that may have previously affirmed their sense of belonging or identity. Contradictory accounts of this nature can be taken to suggest that participants are aware of conveying within interviews what they consider to be socially desirable – that is, based on the specific context of the culturally diverse school setting, to 'choice' in relation to to put cultural adaptation at the fore. may be considered the more appropriate response. As in the previous extract in which identify. that it will be 'really hard' for students if they do not change their behaviour, in this extract frames this form of adaptation in terms of making things easier.
Despite emphasizing the importance of 'socialisation' of CALD children, participants also often referred to the concept of 'balance' in terms of cultural maintenance and adaptation.
Discussion
Implications
As outlined, although participants express support for an integrationist approach to acculturation, and appear to believe that this approach is linked to well-being outcomes for CALD children, they appear to orient in more concrete terms to helping CALD children. It is unclear whether this finding indicates that participants actually believe that some form of assimilation is better for their students or whether it indicates a. However, if well-being is indeed linked to integration, as suggested by participants and supported in previous studies (Brown et al., 2013; Nigbur et al., 2008; van de Vijver et al., 1999), it is conceivable that an uneven focus on cultural maintenance and adjustment by teachers can affect well-being.
This study therefore highlights the importance of teacher development in terms of encouraging a more critical understanding of culture – for example, breaking down the ways in which CALD children are constituted as 'other' in relation to one. Moreover, while school practices aimed at celebrating and valuing cultural diversity are undoubtedly positive, this study highlights how these can be based on cultural essentialism. Therefore, this suggests that schools should focus on a more holistic approach to celebrate cultural diversity (Sidhu & Taylor, 2012).
Furthermore, findings from this study indicate that teachers have significant power in shaping their students' acculturation processes, which supports previous research (Due &. Riggs, 2009). This finding underlines the importance of considering contextual factors when examining the acculturation processes of refugee and migrant children (Bhatia & Ram, 2009; Tardiff-Williams & Fisher, 2009), as well as examining the perspectives of children from refugee and migrant children. Based on observation of these factors, it could be concluded that children are free to choose how they want to acculturate (i.e., there are no clear assimilation policies that limit their choices).
Such findings suggest the need for further research that can explore the relational aspects of acculturation to increase knowledge about how CALD children experience their resettlement and whether they feel able to freely explore both maintenance and adaptation.
Strengths
Limitations and Future Research
An additional limitation of this study was the unequal representation of participants from IELCs and from regular classrooms. Some differences in views were highlighted in the context of the results – for example, participants from IELCs seemed more focused on English-language education and the socialization of CALD children than participants from mainstream schools. Therefore, the larger number of participants within IELCs could have influenced the findings of this study – as such, future research could benefit from involving a wider range of teachers, such as English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) teachers within regular schools. , teachers in the regular classroom and subject teachers who work with CALD children.
Conclusion
Wanting to belong: Social inclusion and well-being among refugee youth in their first three years in Melbourne, Australia. The role of education in the settlement of young refugees in the UK: Experiences of young refugees. Psychological adjustment of minority students in the school context: an integrative review of qualitative research on acculturation.
Acculturation, wellbeing and classroom behavior among White British and British Asian primary school children in the South East of England: PROJECT TITLE: Understanding the cultural background and wellbeing of culturally and linguistically diverse children from refugee and migrant backgrounds. You are asked to participate if you have worked with children from a refugee or migrant background.
Must have worked with at least one student with a refugee and/or migrant background from a non-English speaking country. You are invited to share your experiences of teaching or working with children of primary school age with a refugee or migrant background. This study will highlight the experiences of teachers or support workers who have worked (or are currently working) with students from refugee or migrant backgrounds.
If you have any questions or problems relating to the practical aspects of your participation in the project, or wish to raise a concern or complaint about the project, you should contact the Principal Investigator. Understanding the cultural background and well-being of culturally and linguistically diverse children with refugee or migrant backgrounds. Worked with at least one student with a refugee and migrant background in the past year.
Do you think that it is different for children with refugee backgrounds compared to those with migrant backgrounds.