In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family"

ERCAN IŞIK, Zeynep

In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family"

Zeynep ERCAN IŞIK (Indiana Univercity, USA)

Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri

5 0

Yıl: 2012 Cilt: 12 Sayı: 2012 Sayfa Aralığı: 3025 - 3038 Metin Dili: İngilizce İndeks Tarihi: 29-07-2022

In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family"

Öz:

This paper describes a qualitative inquiry into the experiences of Burmese refugee families with elementary schools in the U.S. and proposes a new perspective for serving the educational needs of refugee children. Data included in-depth interviews with 25 Burmese families in a midsize Midwestern city. Findings from the preliminary analysis demonstrated that due to their own limited school experiences, the parents did not know how they could advocate for their children’s schooling and use academic opportunities. While the parents appreciated and encouraged their children’s school learning, they lacked the resources to support their children in negotiating academic contexts. Moreover, the schools policies lacked innovation and resources to involve refugee parents. Finally, Burmese children’s diverse out of school learning contexts and unique needs went unnoticed in school contexts. These findings suggest that educators, community agencies and policy makers take a new perspective, advocacy for the whole family, so that the parents might provide a stronger leadership in children’s schooling. This could be accomplished in various ways: Advocacy for true bilingualism of refugee children, advocacy for family presence in school, support for community based academic learning and cultural responsiveness to the family goals for child growth.

Anahtar Kelime:

Konular: Eğitim, Eğitim Araştırmaları

Belge Türü: Makale Makale Türü: Araştırma Makalesi Erişim Türü: Bibliyografik

Abbott-Shim, M., Lambert, R., & McCarty, F. (2003). A comparison of school readiness outcomes for children randomly assigned to a Head Start program and the program’s wait list. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 8 (2), 191-214.
Anderson, A., Hamilton, R., Moore, D., Loewen, S., & Frater- Mathieson, K. (2004). Education of refugee children: Theoretical perspectives and best practice. In R. Hamilton & D. Moore (Eds.), Educational interventions for refugee children: Theoretical perspectives and implementing best practice (pp. 1-12). London: Routledge Falmer. Atwell, R., Gifford, S., & Mc-Donald-Wilmseti, B. (2009). Resettled refugee families and their children’s futures: Coherence, hope and support. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 40 (5), 677-697.
Banks, L., & MacDonald, D. (2003). Refugees into higher education. Brighton: Health and Social Policy Research Centre at the University of Brighton for the Community University Partnership Programme. Beiser, M., & Hou, F. (2006). Ethnic identity, resettlement stress and depressive affect among Southeast Asian refugees in Canada. Social Science and Medicine, 63 (1), 137-150.
Bialystok, E., & Martin, M. M. (2004). Attention and inhibition in bilingual children: Evidence from the dimensional change card sort task. Developmental Science, 7 (3), 325-339. Bishop, R. (2005). Freeing ourselves from neocolonial domination in research: A Kaupapa Maori approach to creating knowledge. In N. Denzin, & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), The handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed., pp. 109-138). Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage. Bourdieu, P. (1998). Practical reason: On the theory of action. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Brees, I. (2010). Refugees and transnationalism on the Thai– Burmese border. Global Networks, 10 (2), 282-299.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American Psychologist, 32 (7), 513-531.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Burmese Advocacy Center. (2010). Overview. Retrieved January 5, 2010 from http://www.bacindiana.org/aboutus/overview. html Carlson, S. M., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2008). Bilingual experience and executive functioning in young children. Developmental Science, 11 (2), 282–298.
Charmaz, K. (2002). Qualitative interviewing and grounded theory analysis. In J. Gubrium & J.A. Holstein (Eds.), Handbook of interview research (pp. 675-94). Thousand Oaks: Sage. Fuerte, A. (2010). Birds inside a cage: Metaphor for Karen refugees. Social Alternatives, 29 (1), 20-24.
Goodkind, J., & Foster-Fishman, P. (2002). Integrating diversity and fostering interdependence: Ecological lessons learned about refugee participation in multiethnic communities. Journal of Community Psychology, 30 (4), 389-409.
Han, H. S. (2010). Sociocultural influence on children’s social competence: a close look at kindergarten teachers’ beliefs. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 24 (1), 80-96. Han, W.-J. (2006). Academic achievement of children in immigrant families. Educational Research and Review, 1 (8), 218-236.
Hernandez, D. J., Denton, N. A., & Macartney, S. E. (2008). Children in immigrant families: Looking to America’s future. Social Policy Report, 22 (3), 3-22.
Hodes, M. (2000). Psychologically distressed refugee children in the United Kingdom. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 5, 57–68 (doi: 10.1111/1475-3588.00286). Hickey, G. (2005). “This is American get punished”: Unpacking narratives of Southeast Asian refugees in the U.S. Intercultural Education, 16 (1), 25-40.
Hlaing, K. Y. (2009). Setting the rules for survival: Why the Burmese military regime survives in an age of democratization. The Pacific Review, 22 (3), 271-291.
Indiana’s News Center. (2010). Burmese refugee relocation issues. Retrieved December 26, 2010 from http://www.indianasnewscenter. com/news/political/Burmese-Refugee-Relocation- Issues-99074099.html IPFW News Release. (2010). IPFW student and Burmese leader shares his success with members of New Immigrant Literacy Program. Retrieved September 15, 2010 from http://www.ipfw. edu/news/archives/2010/May/03-student-burmese-leadershares. shtml Keels, M., & Raver, C. C. (2009). Early learning experiences and outcomes for children of U.S. immigrant families: Introduction to the special issue. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 24 (4), 363-366.
Lather, P. (1991). Getting smart: Feminist research and pedagogy with/in the postmodern. New York: Routledge. Lincoln, Y., & Guba, E. (1985) Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Linsenmayer, S. (2006, May 25). Burma: From a forgotten land to family and freedom in Fort Wayne? Special report, The News Sentinel. Retrieved January 5, 2010 from http://fwnextweb1.fortwayne. com/ns/projects/burma/Flashfiles/final_printed_book.pdf Lugar, R. G. (2010). Abandoned upon arrival: Implications for refugees and local communities burdened by a U. S. resettlement system that is not working. A report to the members of the Committee on the Foreign Relations, United States Senate, July 21, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2010 from http://lugar.senate. gov/issues/foreign/refugee/report.pdf.
Martin-Rhee, M. M., & Bialystok, E. (2008). The development of two types of inhibitory control in monolingual and bilingual children. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 11 (1), 81–93.
McBrien, J. L. (2005). Educational needs and barriers for refugee students in the United States: A review of literature. Review of Educational Research, 75 (3), 329-364.
McKinnon, S. L. (2009). “Bringing new hope and new life”: The rhetoric of faith based refugee resettlement agencies. Howard Journal of Communications, 20, 313-332. Mistry, R. S., Biesanz, J. C., Chien, N., Howes, C., & Benner, A. D. (2008). Socioeconomic status, parental investments, and the cognitive and behavioral outcomes of low-income children from immigrant and native households. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 23 (2), 193–212.
Moll, L., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzales, N. (2005). Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. In N. Gonzales, L. Moll, & C. Amanti (Eds.), Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practice in households, communities, and classrooms (pp. 71-88). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Mosselson, J. (2009). From the margins to the center: A critical examination of the identity constructions of Bosnian adolescent refugees in New York City. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 3 (4), 260-275.
Mosselson, J. (2006). Roots & Routes: A re-imagining of refugee identity constructions and the implications for schooling. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 9 (1), 20-29. Ogbu, J. U., & Simons, H. D. (1998), Voluntary and involuntary minorities: A cultural-ecological theory of school performance with some implications for education. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 29 (2), 155–188 (doi: 10.1525/ aeq.1998.29.2.155). Oh, S.-A., & Van Der Stouwe, M. (2008). Education, diversity, and inclusion in Burmese refugee camps in Thailand. Comparative Education Review, 52 (4), 589-617.
ORR [Office of Refugee Resettlement]. (2012). Who we serve. Retrieved July 12, 2012 from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ orr/about/whoweserve.htm Portes, A., & Zhou, M. (1993). The new second generation-segmented assimilation and its variants. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 530 (1), 74-96.
Reynolds, A., Temple, J., Ou, S-R., Robertson, D. L., Mersky, J. P., Topitzes, J. W. et al. (2007). Effects of a school-based, early childhood intervention on adult health and well-being. Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 161 (8), 730-739.
Rogoff, B. (2003). The cultural nature of human development. New York: Oxford University Press.
Sarroub, L. K. (2002). In-betweenness: Religion and conflicting visions of literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 37 (2), 130-148. Shields, C. M., Mazawi, A. E., & Bishop, R. (2005). Pathologizing practices: The impact of deficit thinking on education. New York: P. Lang.
Shimoni, R., Este, D., & Clark, D. E. (2003). Paternal engagement in immigrant and refugee families. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34 (4), 555-568.
Smith, L. T. (1999). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples. New York: St Martin’s Press. Steimel, S. J. (2010). Refugees as people: The portrayal of refugees in American human interest stories. Journal of Refugee Studies, 23 (2), 219-237.
Staehr, M. A. (2001). Psychoeducation with Kosovo Albanian refugee children. Psyke & Logos, 22, 127-146.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998) Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage. Suárez-Orozco, C., Suárez-Orozco, M., & Todorova, I. (2007). Learning a new land: Immigrant students in American society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Trawick-Smith, J. (2010). Can classroom play ease the transition to a new culture? Diaspora, Indigenous and Minority Education, 4 (2), 92-102.
UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]. (2012). Who we help. Retrieved July 25, 2012 from http://www. unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c11c.html U.S. Census. (2010). 2010 Census briefs: the Asian population. Retrieved April 29, 2012 from http://www.census.gov/prod/ cen2010/briefs/c2010br-11.pdf.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012). Data report of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Retrieved April 2, 2012 from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/data/refugee_ arrival_data.htm Weine, S. M., Ware, N., & Lezic, A. (2004). An ethnographic study of converting cultural capital in teen refugees and their families from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Psychiatric Services, 55, 923-927.
Zhou, M. (1997). Growing up American: The challenge confronting immigrant children and children of immigrants. Annual Review of Sociology, 23 (1), 63-95. Zhou, M., & Bankston, C. L. (2000). Straddling different social worlds: The experience of Vietnamese refugee children in the United States. New York: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, Institute for Urban and Minority Education.

APA	ERCAN IŞIK Z (2012). In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family". , 3025 - 3038.
Chicago	ERCAN IŞIK Zeynep In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family". (2012): 3025 - 3038.
MLA	ERCAN IŞIK Zeynep In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family". , 2012, ss.3025 - 3038.
AMA	ERCAN IŞIK Z In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family". . 2012; 3025 - 3038.
Vancouver	ERCAN IŞIK Z In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family". . 2012; 3025 - 3038.
IEEE	ERCAN IŞIK Z "In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family"." , ss.3025 - 3038, 2012.
ISNAD	ERCAN IŞIK, Zeynep. "In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family"". (2012), 3025-3038.

APA	ERCAN IŞIK Z (2012). In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family". Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri, 12(2012), 3025 - 3038.
Chicago	ERCAN IŞIK Zeynep In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family". Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri 12, no.2012 (2012): 3025 - 3038.
MLA	ERCAN IŞIK Zeynep In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family". Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri, vol.12, no.2012, 2012, ss.3025 - 3038.
AMA	ERCAN IŞIK Z In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family". Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri. 2012; 12(2012): 3025 - 3038.
Vancouver	ERCAN IŞIK Z In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family". Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri. 2012; 12(2012): 3025 - 3038.
IEEE	ERCAN IŞIK Z "In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family"." Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri, 12, ss.3025 - 3038, 2012.
ISNAD	ERCAN IŞIK, Zeynep. "In pursuit of a new perspective in the education of children of the refugees: Advocacy for the “Family"". Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri 12/2012 (2012), 3025-3038.