This study was based on Ogbu's (1978) cultural ecology theory of minority academic achievement and Fredrickson's (1998) expand-and-build theory. All participants felt that they could not understand the culture of the South African students.
Introduction
Aim/rationale
This study narrates the academic experiences of immigrant students in South Africa in a way that has been inadequately addressed in previous South African literature. This study focuses on exploring the academic experiences of black immigrant students in South Africa, both inside and outside the classroom.
Focus and purpose of the study
The existing literature suggests that there is a vital need for a study that focuses exclusively on the academic experiences (both positive and negative) of immigrant learners and that tell their stories to the world. There is very little research into the academic experiences of black immigrant students in South African schools.
Research questions
This study focuses on the academic experiences students have, as well as how their sociocultural experiences influence their academic experiences. The purpose of this study was to increase our knowledge and awareness of the experiences of immigrant children within the South African school environment and how their experiences affect their academic performance.
Objectives
Previous studies have not looked at the positive experiences of immigrant students and very few have been conducted in KwaZulu-Natal. Students were asked about their relationship with teachers, the curriculum, their relationship with South African students and their family history.
Definition of main concepts
As a result of this increase in the number of immigrants, experiencing xenophobia has become an important part of life in South Africa for many non-South Africans. While the term “xenophobia” may conjure up images of violent attacks against foreigners, the majority of immigrants in South Africa experience more subtle and insidious forms of xenophobia on a daily basis while in the country.
Theoretical orientation of this study
Cultural ecological theory (Ogbu, 1978)
6 This shift in the migration climate led to an increase in the number of immigrants. I planned to see if Ogbu's theory is true for immigrant learners in South Africa by determining which learners are voluntary immigrants.
Broaden-and-build theory (Fredrickson, 1998)
Voluntary minorities are those who came or whose ancestors came to the host country of their own free will. Involuntary minorities are those whose ancestors were forcibly brought to the host country or whose ancestors were forced into ethnic minority status by military force.
Methodology
Research approach
In contrast, various positive emotions (e.g., joy, pleasure, interest) expand one's thought–action repertoire, expanding the range of cognitions and behaviors that come to mind. Importantly, the cache of personal resources produced by positive emotions can be drawn upon in times of need and used to plan future outcomes, which can be valuable in facilitating healthy behavioral practices (Fredrickson, 2000).
Research design
By uncovering and analyzing the stories of my participants, I tried to interpret the meanings from their scholastic experiences. Since this study aimed to tell the stories of immigrant students, the narrative research approach was appropriate and considered most effective.
Conclusion and overview of the study
Overall, a comparison of the findings of this study with those in the existing literature review revealed some parallels. This context showed that the home languages of the immigrant students were not indigenous to South Africa.
REVIEWING THE LITERATURE
Introduction
Much of the literature, both recent and older (Fass, 2005; Hemson, 2011), concludes that immigrant learners experience academic adjustment problems when they enroll in schools in their host community. In the case of South Africa, this phenomenon must be understood against the background of the broader context of migration and xenophobia in South Africa.
Global literature
These immigrant students withdraw from school and are more likely to engage in behaviors that hinder high academic achievement, such as truancy and truancy (Lamb & Markussen, 2011). Research on immigrant students shows that their academic achievement is related to the strength of their ethnic self-identification (Gibson, 1997).
National literature
Very little research has been conducted on the experiences of immigrant students in South African schools, especially at the secondary school level. Very little research has been conducted on the academic experiences of black immigrant students in South African schools.
Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to examine the high school experiences of immigrant students and describe how important factors influence academic outcomes. There is a lack of extensive national literature on the topic of immigrant students, particularly at the high school level.
Introduction
Cultural ecological theory (Ogbu, 1978)
According to CET, voluntary immigrants have a positive double frame of reference because, when they compare the opportunities in their host country with what they left behind, they conclude that their situation is much better than that in their home country. On the other hand, involuntary immigrants are reported to have a negative double frame of reference because they view the idea of middle class in their host society as beyond their reach (Ogbu & Simons, 1998, p. 170).
Broaden-and-build theory (Fredrickson, 1998)
Reliability focuses on the logic of the research process—the research design and methods used (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). In chapter five, the focus of the study shifted to understanding the immigrant students' academic experiences.
METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter outlines the research design, the data collection methods used, and the theoretical framework that guided the data analysis. The context of practical agreements with research participants and practical decisions regarding the understanding and production of data is also described.
Paradigmatic suppositions
The chapter concludes by reviewing the study's ethical issues and limitations, which were considered prior to data collection. A decisive feature of the approach used was the decision for me as a researcher to work closely with and listen to the immigrant students.
Research approach
Research design
Contexts and sampling
These students were selected because they were considered rich in data, and they could contribute to the research and help get beneath the surface to generate “thick” descriptions (Geertz in Charmaz, 2005, p. 14). Both men and women (three girls and three boys) were included in the selection and all students were between the ages of 13 and 18, the developmental stage of adolescence.
Validity, reliability and trustworthiness
Was the research collected over a period of time, or was it simply a hasty study with one visit and a few interviews. Finally, confirmability requires that the research findings be clearly linked to analysis, data and the research site (Lincoln & Guba, 1985).
Methods of data generation
It does not state that the research project should be generalized to all similar studies, but rather that the information gathered will be useful to successive researchers of similar studies. I aimed to achieve confirmation by constantly referring back to my critical questions and checking that each part of my research aimed to answer them, in order to link all sections of the research together and provide a coherent flow to the work.
Data production
Due to the nature of the study, these methods were identified as non-demanding, creative and safe for minor participants. Interviews were used to provide the most direct form of evidence about the participants' lives.
Data analysis
Ethical issues
I asked permission from their parents/guardians to ensure study participation via a consent form (Appendix 3 and 4). The convention of confidentiality is maintained as a way to protect the privacy of all participants, to build trust and rapport with study participants, and to maintain ethical criteria and the integrity of the research process (Baez, 2002).
Limitations of the study
She came to South Africa when she was seven years old and has only a few memories of her childhood in the DRC. However, she emphasized that the main difference between attending school in the DRC and school in South Africa is the issue of respect.
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
Introduction
This chapter presents the key findings of the study within the theoretical framework presented in Chapter Three, namely cultural ecological theory (Ogbu and compares it with the literature reviewed in Chapter Two. The narratives of the academic performance and school experiences of the six immigrant students were presented using pseudonyms: Amanda (from Burundi), and Delilah and Noleen (both from the DRC) are the voluntary immigrants; the involuntary immigrants are Victor and Martin (both from the DRC), and Belinda (from Burundi).
Amanda
- Amanda’s life history
- Academic performance and schooling experiences
At the time of the study, Amanda's mother was unemployed and her father was employed as a tailor. When asked if she is Burundian, she replied with a firm, "No." She identifies herself as.
Noleen
- Noleen’s life history
- Academic performance and schooling experiences
48 Noleen was fourteen years old at the time of the interview and was born in Uvira, a town in the DR Congo. She mentioned that she actually failed second grade in the DRC, so when she got to South Africa, she was surprised at how well she did.
Delilah
- Delilah’s life history
- Academic performance and schooling experiences
Delilah said that she was very excited when she heard that she was coming to South Africa because she did not want to go to school in the DRC and she wanted her life to be "...like in the movies". Delilah shared that most of the discrimination she and her family experienced in the early years was because of language.
Victor
- Victor’s life history
- Academic performance and schooling experiences
It has been observed worldwide that many immigrant children experience discrimination when they do not speak the mainstream language (Souto-Manning, 2009). Victor made it clear to me that he felt he had no choice to come to South Africa.
Martin
- Martin’s life history
- Academic performance and schooling experiences
He said he knows he can do better in school, but he has difficulty writing and understanding English. But in Martin's case, it was clear that he felt responsible for his grades.
Belinda
- Belinda’s life history
- Academic performance and schooling experiences
As a result, she shows no interest in fitting into South African society or doing well in school. Belinda's accounts of the events in her life reveal that she (and her family) have not been warmly welcomed into South African society.
Discussion of findings
- Language as a barrier
- A sense of belonging
- Acculturation
- Resilience
- Cultural ecological theory
The participants shared another common feature: their ethnic culture was at odds with the culture of the host society. 70 likely sources of the low academic achievement among the low-achieving immigrant students of the study.
Introduction
An overview of the journey
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
73 immigrant students that this study focused on are black African immigrant students of the same race as the majority of students in their school. In this context, nine out of the eleven official languages are not given the same status as English or Afrikaans.
Review of the purpose and key questions
Detailed knowledge of the educational and socio-cultural experiences of immigrant students in South African schools can provide teachers, parents and other stakeholders with a better understanding of how these students navigate and negotiate the host society. At the beginning of the video, there is a guy talking about what he sees in the movies.
Summary of emerging themes from the study
- Language as a barrier
- Sense of belonging
- Acculturation
- Theoretical orientation
Methodological reflections
It was a pleasant journey for me that I enjoyed because I had good support from my supervisor as well as the school that served as the research site. It is important to put the necessary language in place to be able to report on the experiences.
Discussion of limitations during the study
This prior knowledge could have influenced the study, as it was likely that students were aware of the observation and thus did not behave as they would naturally. Third, the findings from the study may seem limited because the study focused on students in grades 8 through 10.
Significance of the study
The information obtained from this study can influence policy makers to introduce special English classes for immigrant learners in South Africa. The descriptions and understanding produced in this research can serve as a potential contribution to everyone's understanding of immigrant learners' academic experiences in South African schools.
Recommendations for further research
If done properly, it can reduce the lack of readiness on the part of teachers to recognize the complex lives and complex connections their immigrant students have with different places, cultures, and languages (Rodriguez, 2009, p. 18). This would be particularly beneficial for immigrant students who did not attend primary school in South Africa.
Conclusions
Somali youth in the context of schooling in metropolitan Helsinki: a framework for assessing variability in educational achievement. FORM SIGNED CONSENT FOR THE LEARNER. full names of participant) hereby confirm that I understand the content of this document and the nature of the research project, and I agree to participate in the research project.
