Being “in a Limbo”: Perceptions of Immigration,Identity and Adaptation of Immigrant Students in South Africa and the United States

Much research is available that details student experiences of immigration and adaptation to receiving countries and schools, but few studies analyze the metaphors used by immigrant students (IS) when talking about the immigration experience, or offer a comparative lens through which to view identity negotiation in two very different contexts. The present paper aims to address these gaps by conducting a comparative linguistic analysis of 20 interviews conducted with IS at universities in South Africa and the United States in order to gain a greater understanding of immigration and the types of identity negotiation processes learners undergo in these very different countries. Findings reveal interesting similarities between metaphorical conceptions of immigration across different cultural contexts and a remarkable resilience in the use of adaptation strategies and identity development that leads to salient pedagogical implications for teachers of higher education who face increasingly international classrooms.     

Elections in the United States

惊奇常常是在箱子里出现:包在彩色包装纸里面的生日礼物,朋友寄来牛皮纸包的包裹。不论是怎样的箱子,人们都喜欢打开来看看里面是什么。在美国以及其它许多国家,有一个特殊的箱子关系着未来,这     

The Education of Students with Immigrant Background in Iceland: Parents’ and Teachers’ Voices

In recent years Icelandic schools have seen an increase in students with immigrant background. These changes require schools and teachers to respond to the educational needs these students may have. The aim of this article is to examine these changes by looking at the experience of teachers and parents of immigrant students regarding their education. As part of this qualitative research, 38 teachers were interviewed in focus groups with a view to the challenges and experiences of teaching immigrant students. Ten parents were also interviewed individually about their experiences of Icelandic schools and their children’s education. The findings revealed that teachers are unsupported in their quest for understanding and managing multicultural education and that the Icelandic school system challenges foreign parents’ understanding of school as a traditional place for learning. It is suggested that addressing the lack of collaboration and discussion between both parties on students’ needs and parents’ expectations could improve the education of immigrant students.     

Education in the United States

In the United States,boys and girls start school when they are five yearsold.In some states they must stay in school until they are sixteen.Moststudents are seventeen and eighteen years old when they finish high school.     

International Counseling Trainees’ Experiences and Perceptions of Their Multicultural Counseling Training in the United States: A Mixed Method Inquiry

This study examined international counseling students’ (ICTs) experiences and perceptions of their multicultural counseling training (MCT) in the United States. The focus was on (a) relevance of the training, (b) effectiveness of the training methods, and (c) development of cross-cultural competence as trainees. Major findings indicated that ICTs found their MCT to be more useful in the areas of knowledge and awareness rather than in skill development. Dissatisfaction was expressed with training received; limited applicability to country of origin was noted. MCT in the US appears to reflect primarily a Westernized approach to teaching and learning related competencies. Implications and recommendations for counselors and educators are discussed.     

Understanding families’ conceptions of school readiness in the United States: a qualitative metasynthesis

ABSTRACT

The call by policymakers, education stakeholders, and families for children to enter school ‘ready’ has led to numerous empirical studies that seek to identify how children and their families are or are not prepared for school. In the United States, this empirical work tends to identify particular children and their families ‘at-risk’ for school success and often seeks out ways to intervene so that such risks are addressed. Absent from this work is an understanding of how families conceptualise school readiness, and how those understandings influence their conceptions of whether or not their own children are ready for school. Such work could assist educators and other school personnel in supporting families and their children as they enter their programmes. This article examines this issue by presenting findings from a qualitative metasynthesis of studies that investigated how families conceptualised school readiness. Analysing, synthesising, and interpreting their conceptions of school readiness offers the chance to consider how early childhood stakeholders can be ready for families as they enter their programmes as well as support their efforts in readying their children for school.     

Mothers’ Goals Influence Their Responses to Children’s Performance: An Experimental Study in the United States and Hong Kong

This research examined the role of mothers’ self-worth and self-improvement goals in their responses to children’s performance in the United States (80% European American) and Hong Kong (100% Chinese). Mothers (N = 330) were induced to prioritize self-worth or self-improvement among children (M_age = 10.24 years; 48% girls) . Mothers induced to prioritize self-worth (vs. self-improvement) used more success-oriented responses in both regions (ds = 0.53 and 0.35). Mothers induced to prioritize self-improvement (vs. self-worth) used more failure-oriented responses only in the United States (d = 0.29). Mothers’ success-oriented responses predicted more positive beliefs and affect in a cognitive task among children (βs = .10–.18). Taken together, the findings support the importance of parents’ goals in the socialization process.     

Farm Life in the United States

美国的农业生产、生活情况是西方文化的重要组成部分。阅读下面的短文并做做文后的正误判断题，能使你对西方文化有所了解。Allbigcitiesarequitesimilar.LivinginamodernAsiancityisnotverydifferentfromlivinginanAmericancity．Thesamecan薷tbesaidaboutlivingonfarms，however．Inmanypartsoftheworld，farmersandtheirfamiliesliveinvillagesortowns．IntheUnitedStates，however，eachfarmfamilylivesonitsownfields，oftenbeyondthesightofanyneighbors．Insteadoftravelingfromavillagetothefieldseverymorning，Americanfarme…     

Fast-food Restaurants in the United States

ＭｏｓｔＡｍｅｒｉｃａｎｓｅａｔｂｒｅａｋｆａｓｔａｎｄｌｕｎｃｈｑｕｉｃｋｌｙ，ｕｎｌｅｓｓｉｔｉｓａｂｕｓｉｎｅｓｓｌｕｎｃｈｅｏｎ（午宴）ｏｒｆａｍｉｌｙｏｃｃａｓｉｏｎ（场合）．ＡｎｄｔｈｅｆａｖｏｕｒｉｔｅｆａｓｔｆｏｏｄｉｎｔｈｅＵｎｉｔｅｄＳｔａｔｅｓｉｓｔｈｅｈａｍｂｕｒｇｅｒ．Ｉｔｓｅｅｍｓｉｍｐｏｓｓｉｂｌｅ，ｂｕｔ３４，０００，０００，０００ｈａｍｂｕｒｇｅｒｓａｒｅｅａｔｅｎａｙｅａｒ．Ｔｈｉｓｉｓｅｎｏｕｇｈｔｏｍａｋｅａｌｉｎｅｏｆｈａｍｂｕｒｇｅｒｓａｒｏｕｎｄ…     

Mothers’ Perceptions of the Climate of Their Children’s Schools: Covariations With Children’s Academic Adjustment in Families of Mexican Origin

Although Latinx parents’ perceptions of the climate of their children’s schools may play a role in their children’s academic adjustment, research examining this idea is sparse. Every 2 years beginning when children were in fifth grade (M_age = 10.86 years) until they were in 11th grade, Mexican-origin mothers (N = 674) reported on their perceptions of the climate of their children’s schools; information on children’s academic adjustment was collected from children and mothers. Multilevel modeling indicated that when mothers had more positive school climate perceptions, their children valued school more and performed better in school, but did not necessarily hold higher educational expectations. The findings suggest the importance of schools in creating welcoming environments for Mexican-origin parents.     

Taking a Taxi in the United States

<正>Because visitors to any country are unfamiliar with public bus or sub-way systems, they are likely to travel by taxi when they first arrive. In most     

Taking a Taxi in the United States

Becausevisitorstoanycountryareunfamiliarwithpublicbusorsubway(地铁)systems,theyarelikelytotravelbytaxiwhentheyfirstarrive.InmostcitiesintheUnitedStates,taxisareconsidereda“luxury(奢侈)”.Inaddition(此外),itisoftendifficulttofindataxiatthebusiesttimeofaday,orwhentheweatherisbad.Telephoneinadvance(事先)forataxiispossible,butyoumayfinditeasier,quicker,andlessexpensivetostopthemonthestreetorfindthemattaxistandsnearlargehotels,railroadstations,orairports.Generally(通常地),taxischarge(要价)passeng…     

Students’ Perceptions of Mental Health Counseling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Counseling services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have focused on counseling in the elementary and secondary schools. To date, the idea of the private practitioner of mental health counseling has been virtually nonexistent. However, education officials at the University of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been exploring the option of following the international trends of preparing students for mental health counseling services, with special emphasis in marriage and family. A counselor education degree would allow individuals to operate private practices to address various concerns that impact individuals within the society at large. No instruments that measure perceptions of counseling from an international perspective were found for the purposes of this study. Therefore, it was necessary for the authors to devise and test a new tool. Surveys were completed by a sample of 141 undergraduate students regarding their perceptions of the importance of counseling in UAE society and the role of the counselor in society and other general questions regarding perceptions of counseling. With this initial effort, psychometric properties of the ‘Perceptions about Counseling Survey’ appeared promising. Results revealed that students had a favorable view toward the role of the counselor in UAE society. Results further revealed that students perceived the counseling profession as favorable. Given that the participants were predominately female, the results were analyzed from the social and cultural perspective of women in Arab society and the social psychological theory of ‘attitude’ is considered as a contextual backdrop.     

Urban Educators’ Voices: Understanding Culture in the Classroom

This article discusses urban educators’ views of their teaching experiences. The article is based upon survey research conducted with teachers in two poor, urban districts during the 2005–2006 academic year. The teachers reported a variety of positive and negative views regarding their classrooms, their students, and the students’ social worlds. The data illustrate the importance of classroom processes for the teachers, and how they believed that their students’ social locations, behaviors, and attitudes impede the delivery of educational content. We believe this research raises interesting challenges regarding the need for urban educators to incorporate students’ perspectives into both instructional processes and curriculum content. Furthermore, this research should contribute to the empirical foundation needed for the creation of better teacher preparation programs.     

Teachers use of writing to support students’ learning in middle school: A national survey in the United States

A random sample of middle school teachers (grades 6–9) from across the United States was surveyed about their use of writing to support students’ learning. The selection process was stratified so there were an equal number of English language arts, social studies, and science teachers. More than one-half of the teachers reported applying 15 or more writing to learn strategies at least once a month or more often. The most commonly used writing to learn strategies were writing short answers to questions, note taking for reading, note taking while listening, and completing worksheets. While teachers reported using a variety of writing to learn strategies, most of them indicated they received minimal or no formal preparation in college on how to use writing to learn strategies to support student learning, less than one-half of teachers directly taught students how to use the writing to learn strategies commonly assigned, and the most commonly used writing to learn strategies did not require students to think deeply about the material they were learning. We further found that teachers’ reported use of writing to learn strategies was related to their preparedness and the composition of their classroom in terms of above and below average writers, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities.     

“Special Support” in Preschools in Sweden: Preschool staff’s definition of the construct

This study investigates the definitions of the construct “young children in need of special support” given by preschool staff in Sweden in 540 preschool units. The study has a mixed‐methods design based on qualitative analysis of an open‐ended question and quantitative analysis of questionnaire responses. The results reveal two general perspectives in definitions of the construct, a child perspective and an organisational perspective. Units with a child perspective had a higher proportion of children in need of special support, especially girls. The study highlights that the term “children in need of special support” is partially socially constructed and is partially based on perceived child characteristics. The perceptions of what is considered to be a child in need of special support held by staff in a unit may impact on the services provided to children in need of special support.     

Immigration in the United States and the Golden Years of Education: Was Ravitch Right?

In this article I address some assertions made by one of the most outstanding educational historians, Diane Ravitch, regarding the relation between immigration rates and academic achievement among children in the United States. In her book The Great School Wars Ravitch asserted that low immigration levels during the 1920s to early 1960s period played a large role in producing a golden age of education in New York and probably in the United States. The research undertaken for this article does confirm some of Ravitch's assertions but questions whether other claims of hers may be overly simplistic. Among her assertions that the research supports are that academic achievement rose among New York City elementary and secondary students during this "golden age," children from most immigrant groups did perform poorly compared to children born in the United States, and that the increased volume of enrollment and language factors did exert added pressure on the school system. Nevertheless, other factors lead one to believe that Ravitch's claim, although possessing merit, may be overly simplistic. For example, certain immigrant groups performed very well academically after coming to the United States. This fact supports the notion that the makeup of the immigrant population may be as important as the immigration volume. In addition, the decline in American student academic achievement in the 1960s and 1970s began well before the United States fully liberalized its immigration policy. One would not expect this, if immigration has the level of impact that Ravitch claims.