Abstract This paper explores the literature to identify the environmentals factors the trigger the student's feeling of alienation caused by acculturative stress, and discover the strategies, which instructors should use to remove these issues. Although the paper focuses primarily on Hispanic students, other racial and ethnic groups are investigated. The author concludes that acculturative stress is associated with the feeling of estrangement although it is not clear, which episodes within the classroom environments provoke such feelings. The paper also stresses the need for such research and suggests a methodology.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Acculturation in Various Racial and Ethnic Groups
Acculturative Stress and Educational Needs of Hispanic Students
Conclusion
Methodology
From the Paper "As for Hispanic immigrants, they adjust to American culture in order to participate in the social network around them, establish and maintain friendly, relaxed and close relationships with the members of the host culture and primarily feel emotional fulfillment with the positive interpersonal experience.
"A number of scholars describe American culture as individualistic, whereas migrants normally come from the countries with higher level of collectivism, which points to the similarity in acculturation frameworks among African, Asian and Hispanic migrants."
Tags: somatization, guest culture, international students, age groups, questionnaires
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to explore the literature on acculturation and assimilation as it relates to the school system and the successful coping of educational, family and social factors of the Latino population in the school system. Important factors examined are the perception of the school system by the Latino family, specifically in the disciplinary transfer students of middle school age.
Outline
U.S. Census on Foreign Born Americans
The Case of the Padilla Family
Facilitation of Acculturation Implications for Teachers and Counselors
Group Interventions
Cuento Therapy
From the Paper "According to the U.S. Census Bureau one in every five children under the age of eighteen years old is an immigrant or the child of an immigrant. Further the estimates are that between the years of 1999 and 2050 that the number of Americans that are foreign-born will climb from 26 million to 53.8 million. It has been shown through research that parental involvement is an important and key factor in raising the level of academic achievement of the children in schools. Further, research has shown that minority parents or disadvantaged parents are less likely to become involved in the education of their children."
Abstract This paper provides a social psychology study that employs instruments of Asian acculturation and intergenerational conflict to indicate tendencies in a Toronto sample of 129 Canadian Korean university students at York University and the University of Toronto. The paper describes the qualitative material that explains findings that pertain to low or high acculturation as well as bi-cultural students and records how most subjects were low or bi-cultural with an average time in Canada of 12.5 years. The paper includes a critical commentary on both instruments for all Asian conceptualization and university bias.
From the Paper This study examines the relationship between acculturation and intergenerational conflict in 129 Korean-Canadian university students, noting gender differences. The SL-ASIA instrument was used to assess acculturation according to North American as opposed to Asian values and identity. The Intergenerational Conflict Inventory (ICI) assessed family expectation, education and career and dating and marriage, as sources of intergenerational conflict, in a new Canadian community of altering values. Many Asian immigrant families struggle with adjustments involving collectivism versus individualism and two processes occur, in adult cultural retention and children's adoption of the Canadian culture to which they are exposed.
Abstract This paper examines the culture of the Hopi people with a focus on their history the problems the Hopi now face regarding acculturation into American culture.
From the Paper "The Hopis were first contacted by foreigners when Spanish conquistadors discovered their villages in 1540. In 1629, Spanish missionaries began to settle on Hopi land and tried in vain to convert the Indians to the Catholic faith. In protest, the Hopis joined with neighboring tribes facing the same persecution in the Pueblo Rebellion of 1680, causing the destruction of several Spanish missions throughout the southwest. When the Spanish returned to conquer the Rio Grande pueblos nine years later they did not venture as far west as Hopi territory. The Hopis lived virtually unbothered for more than a century until they became part of the United States at the end of the Mexican War in 1848. As Americans began to settle the southwest, the question of land rights arose. In 1882 President Chester A. Arthur established a 3,863-square-mile reservation for the Hopis (Hieb 1994). Now under U.S. government control, a culture that had remained practically unchanged for centuries began to feel the strong influence of an encroaching and far bigger society called America. "
Abstract This paper briefly defines these two concepts and examines how they apply to the societies of Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia, and the Dominican Republic. The writer defines acculturation as the process by which a culture is transformed due to massive adoption of cultural traits from another society. Transculturation is defined as a mutual sharing of cultures.
From the Paper "Perhaps one of the most clear-cut examples of transculturation is that of Mexican culture. This culture evolved from the pairing of Spanish settlers and the native inhabitants of present day Mexico, particularly the Mayas and the Aztecs. Unlike many other attempts at European colonization, the Spanish settlements in Mexico did not (at least in the long run) attempt to "filter out" native culture ("Mexico"). Instead, the culture of the original inhabitants were embraced, and likewise, so was that of their European counterparts ("Mexico"). The match resulted in a very unique identity that we know today as ?Mexican.? "
Abstract This paper explores literature on acculturation and assimilation as it relates to the school system. The paper examines the successful coping of educational, family, and social factors of the Latino population in the school system. The paper contends that important factors are the perception of the school system by the Latino family, specifically in disciplinary issues with students of middle school age.
From the Paper "The perspective of the teacher and school in their role of educating the Latino student is a role that must be cognizant to the fact that: ?Learning does not take place in a social vacuum. It takes place in a social, political, and psychological contest.? Empowering Families through Literacy, Arlington's program focuses toward, some of the challenges in the education, of the poor Latino children from families with inadequate literacy in relation to skills and knowledge. This program educates the parents in reading and writing while, at the same time, educating their children in reading."
Abstract This paper examines how John Schumann's acculturation model, which is centered on the metaphor of distance, provides a possible explanation for why people that live in North America for many decades, speak only minimal English.
Abstract This paper studies the statistically high rate of suicide among American Indian youth, focusing on the impact of acculturation. The paper begins with a brief discussion of the suicide statistics and their distribution among particular tribes. Then the paper takes a critical look at the historical phenomenon of acculturation. Among the effects of acculturation examined are geographic isolation and confinement to the reservation, which led to the disorganization of traditional family structures. The paper then explores how these impacted the negative self-image of youth, and in particular male youth, which is a major contributor to suicide.
From the Paper "In a white man's society the American Indian held little status. While there was slavery, black man may have been deprived of his body and labor and kept from being a part of white society; the American Indian was robbed of his land and forced to acculturate. The American Indians were not free to practice their religion in a land that proclaimed religious freedom. When the census was taken, a black man was counted as half a person; an American Indian was not even considered a human being. This only changed when the white man wanted to buy land; legally an American Indian had to be a human being to sell it (Allen 1973)."
Abstract This paper discusses the topic of acculturation among the Cree of the Subarctic. It demonstrates that the fur trade had less of an impact on the Cree than other groups who were exposed to more direct contact with the Europeans. In the area of James Bay, acculturative processes appear to have been gradual rather than sudden and dramatic.
From the Paper "The accounts of early missionaries and traders cannot be trusted, especially on the subject of subsistence, as they are often ambiguous and ethnocentric. Fur traders' journals overuse words such as "starve", creating misleading impressions (Black-Rogers, 1986). Analysis of these journals soon makes obvious that starving came in a number of different varieties. It is necessary to consider the context in which they were written as the intended meaning could be either literal, technical, or manipulative. In many cases, natives and their families were not starving at all. Meaning could be further confused if a trader was reporting what was actually said by a native as opposed to what he observed. It was sometimes customary in native culture to claim to be starving, in an effort to portray humbleness."
Abstract This paper explains that, as the largest growing minority group, it is essential that America's mental health experts identify the needs and implement programs, which will help Hispanic people gain access to mental health services and increase the likelihood that these services will be used. The author points out that the Hispanic population can experience some acculturation stress, which may result in a more difficult time seeking mental health services. The paper reveals that the main problems are associated with cultural and linguistic differences with counselors; however, Hispanics who had Hispanic, Spanish-speaking counselors were more likely to complete treatment. The paper includes several long quotations.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Acculturation Identifying the Needs of the Hispanic Population
Problems and Limitations for Hispanics to Access Mental Health Services
Recommendations
Discussion and Conclusions
From the Paper "Indeed, there are certain problems and limitations associated with mental health services and Hispanic access. According to Arellano (2004) the Surgeon General has reported that culture plays a significant role in administering mental health services to minority groups. The article explains that cultural factors tend to have an impact on all aspects of psychological health and illness. In addition, culture impacts how and whether individuals seek help, types of social supports and survival skills they utilize, types of help they seek, the shame attached to seeking psychological services, and, the definitions people correlate with their psychological problems."
From the Paper "Research Proposal:
Acculturation of Iranians in America
Background of the Problem
The United States has been variously characterized as either a "melting pot" or a society that reflects cultural pluralism (Hess, Markson, & Stein, 1990). The "melting pot" model suggests that differences among groups are "melted down" over time and cease to exist, creating a social system of a high degree of homogeneity. In the model of cultural pluralism, it is proposed that the special contributions of immigrant groups and cultures add to the diversity and vitality of American cultural life (Hess, Markson, & Stein, 1990). Cultural pluralism implies an acceptance of differences in relatively personal matters such as food, family, religious rituals, and community associations. Further..."
This paper examines American Indian acculturation and assimilation into the dominant culture of the United States: Culture; history; oppression; reservations; conflicts of time saving and work; Puritan ethics; clashes of religion and mentality; all in co
5,400 words (approx. 21.6 pages), 13 sources, 1979, $ 135.95
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to examine American Indian cultural values with respect to how those values affect Indian acculturation and assimilation into the dominant culture of the United States.
In the wake of violent confrontations between Indian and the established power structure of the United States--at Alcatraz, at Wounded Knee, at the Bureau of Indian Affairs--Robert Burnette and John Koster wrote: "The American Indian today is a product of history and of the disruptive elements of modern society. Federal policies--from the signing of the Constitution down to the present day--can be said to legislate his every waking action, for good, or, more frequently, for ill.". There is little doubt that this is true. During the great period of Westward expansion in the United States, the Indian was viewed by ... "
Abstract This paper reviews the history of Chinese immigration to the United States and explores the process of assimilation and acculturation that they underwent before becoming accepted as Americans and an integral part of American society.
From the Paper "The Chinese, like many immigrants to the United States after the Revolutionary War, had to "prove" themselves as citizens. President Grover Cleveland in 1888 went so far as to say the Chinese were ignorant of the American way of life and that assimilation was "impossible" as well as ?dangerous to our peace and welfare" (Quoted in Anonymous 76). However, despite facing language problems, racial discrimination and a legal system that discounted all that a Chinese person said, the Chinese immigrant was able to become a Chinese-American through acculturation, assimilation and, most of all, perseverance."
Abstract This paper discusses the damage done to the Native-American people as a result of the efforts by the American government to replace the Native-American culture with the dominant white culture. The paper discusses the problems associated with confinement to reservations, limited access to a culturally sensitive educational environment and the unique legal position that Native-American tribes hold. The paper also briefly looks at how the tribal gaming and casino business has helped bring economic prosperity and self-sufficiency to the the Native-American tribes.
From the Paper "All individuals, especially during the years from adolescence to early adulthood must come to terms with one's identity and the society in which they live. The process is frequently difficult and complex. For the Native American, especially the youth, it poses greater difficulty and complexity. They often feel pulled in different directions by two different cultures, including one, which has often to fail to accept them. The impact of United States culture and the combination of acculturation, pluralism, frequent segregation has produced results such as disorganized family life, geographic isolation created by remote reservations, educational deficiencies, alcoholism, to name a few."
