1 / 26

Dr. Susan Stillman, Chair of Committee Dr. Donna Rice, Committee member

Learning the Ropes: A Grounded Theory Study of Children Crossing Cultures Patricia E. Reynolds School of Education, Northcentral University Prescott Valley, AZ March 2012. Dr. Susan Stillman, Chair of Committee Dr. Donna Rice, Committee member Dr. Glen Gatin, Committee member. Introduction.

mabyn
Télécharger la présentation

Dr. Susan Stillman, Chair of Committee Dr. Donna Rice, Committee member

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Learning the Ropes: A Grounded Theory Study of Children Crossing CulturesPatricia E. ReynoldsSchool of Education, Northcentral UniversityPrescott Valley, AZMarch 2012 Dr. Susan Stillman, Chair of Committee Dr. Donna Rice, Committee member Dr. Glen Gatin, Committee member

  2. Introduction • Current demographics demand a change in praxis • P-12 under federal mandates to “Leave No child Behind” • Information gaps exist for the educators working with English Language Learners • The loss of human and cultural capital

  3. Problem Statement • Little is known about how English Language Learners cross cultures in school environments • Current praxis is based on models that have assumed adaptation and freedom of choice • Educators lack information about the academic as well as the sociocultural processes • Research on first and second generation children is difficult to locate and almost non-existent

  4. Purpose • To examine the recollected experiences of youth who have had to cross cultures in order to discover a pattern of behavior that facilitated or hindered the process. • To determine how these experiences affected students’ ability to acquire language and to move through the developmental stages of identity formation.

  5. Current Concerns • Current studies fail to make a distinction between the experience of adults, who have made informed choices to move across cultures, and children who are not able to control their choices • Schools focused on language development • Schools carry the “burden” for the acculturation process

  6. Theoretical Framework • Determining the concerns and behaviors children crossing cultures engage in while they go through the acculturation process. • Understanding identity development accomplished while in multicultural transition. • Balancing concerns of academic and language development in educational settings.

  7. Grounded Theory • Choice of grounded theory as the method to allow a theory to emerge from the data. • Desire to go beyond the current constructs and determine my own theoretical framework for the study. • Bring a new approach to an issue in education that did not have good explanatory power for educators.

  8. Research Questions • How do PreK–12 transcultural students recall the experience cross cultural transitions had upon their arrival at and progression through their education? • What significant events or milestones may initiate or expand a cultural experience for school-age transcultural students? • What specific aspects of the educational experience are affected by cross-cultural transitions? • How does the experience in schools influence transcultural student choices of opportunities in the United States?

  9. Grand Tour Question • Tell me about your recollections and experiences as you entered school in the United States for the first time..

  10. Nature of the Study • Northern Virginia: Multiethnic and Multiracial • Participant Pool: Graduates of high schools in one district who had been designated Limited English Proficient. • Personal interviews and documents provided by participants.

  11. Significance of the Study • Focusing on the actual experiences of students provided conceptual theory of explaining how students cross cultures. • Developed a theory grounded in the experience of people as they resolved their main concerns. • Current methodology is focused on academic development and may be missing important aspects of identity development.

  12. Terms • Acculturation • Cultural Dissonance • Immigrant a. Voluntary vs. Involuntary • Four Phase Model ( Oberg)

  13. Current Models in Use Gullahorn &Gullahorn, 1963 Ting, Toomey & Chung, 2005 Based on Oberg, 1954 Krohls1958

  14. Literature Review • Outdated models may not be explanatory of the process of crossing cultures by young children in P-12 settings. • Educators are not well trained to identify cultural dissonance in children. • The actual process of crossing cultures is more complex than heretofore acknowledged.

  15. Method and Design • Method : Qualitative • Design: Classical Grounded Theory • Instrument : Grand Tour Question

  16. Participants and Materials • Theoretical Sample • Documents and school records provided by participants • Total of 13 participants interviewed for the study

  17. Data Analysis • Interviews with all 13 participants were transcribed • Documents were provided by all 13 participants • Interviews and documents were analyzed for theoretical codes • Codes were transformed into concepts • Memos about the concepts were ongoing throughout the analysis • Constant comparative analysis of concepts until saturation • Concepts led to the development of a basic social process • Once the process emerged from the data, four participants were re-interviewed to determine fit, work, grab and modifiability of the basic social process.

  18. Learning the Ropes A Grounded Theory Study of Children Crossing Cultures

  19. The Stages • 4 Stages • Stage 1: Frozen in Time Breaking the Ice Hiding in Plain Sight • Stage 2. Turtling Slaying Dragons Closing the Door • Stage 3. Painting a new Picture Getting a New Voice Aiming to Please • Stage 4. Finding the Future Staying Ahead of the Game Something Always Missing

  20. Stage 1:Frozen in Time • Unlike current models in practice, this stage demonstrates that students are not able to engage because they are suspended in space and time. • They must break the ice and develop a comfort area to move into the process. • They hide in plain sight and observe what will be the best course of action.

  21. Stage 2. Turtling • Stark contrasts between the two cultures are difficult for children to process. Consequently, they go between cultures “turtling” by putting on a hard shell when they have to emerge from the home environment. • They constantly are slaying dragons because they have to survive in both worlds without much guidance. • At some point, they have to come to terms with closing a door on the past and moving forward into the new culture.

  22. Stage 3. Painting a new Picture • Once the new culture is then accepted, participants related they had to figure out a way to develop a new persona in the new culture by imitating those around them. • By getting a new voice, individuals are now able to self advocate consequently finding a value and identity in the new self. • When this happens, individuals set about aiming to please everyone around them so they can continue to access new information.

  23. Stage 4. Finding the Future • There is no clear end to the process. But there is a recognition that one has gotten this far and can apply newly developed strategies and keep going to discover new pathways. • Challenges at this stage are attempting to stay ahead of the game so that ground achieved is not lost with a clear view to the future. • The one clear knowledge that does emerge at this stage is that something will always be missing and the recognition of who they may have been or known is forever lost to them.

  24. Dimensions • Two dimensions, although relevant, were external to the stages process of the theory, yet added a complexity to the learning the ropes behavior for many of the participants. Nonetheless, the significance of these dimensions to the participants is notable. • Coloring my World • Talking about the Past

  25. Further Research • Findings were indicative that further understanding of the sociocultural aspects would enhance teachers ability to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students. • Grounded action study to develop professional development for educators. • The two dimensions that emerged should be investigated in depth for the implications they may imply in P-12 environments.

  26. Thank You • Questions and Comments

More Related