Paper
Acculturation and school achievement of refugee children: a case study
- issue: Issue 1 / 2009
- authors: Betty Goguikian Ratcliff
- keywords: children, Switzerland, psychopathology, acculturation, schoo, migrant
- views: 4538
- downloaded: 0
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abstract
Background. Almost 25% of the Swiss population have a foreign origin; 85% of these migrant populations have an European origin (Former-Yougoslavia, Portugal, Turkey, Italy, Spain), even though the proportion of non-western populations has grown during the last decade. Children of these migrant populations form more than 40% of the school population of a city like Geneva.
Empirical studies have consistently demonstrated a clear relashionship between school outcomes and macrosocial variables like social background and language spoken at home. Children of migrant populations often start their academic carrier path with an handicap, that of being born in low educational level families. In that sense, migration constitutes a kind of barrier to education and further formation opportunities. Thus, before entering secondary school, students are selected and oriented towards different courses of study that will deeply determine their future. It appears that students recently immigrated, and living in low social and economic contexts, are clearly overrepresented in the so called "specialized classes" (where the academic requirements are very low). According to the developmental psychopathology paradigm, disorders are considered as the result of the interaction between psychological and environmental systems, wich implies to study their developmental pathways. Specifically, the learning disorder will be here considered as an adaptive strategy and not as the expression of an intrinsic pathology of the child.
Among the migrant students, young refugees are a psychologically vulnerable group facing specific problems in the areas of peer relations, emotional difficulties and learning abilities. This paper will support the idea that more than a lack of competence or abilities necessary to school achievement, children of refugee families may be confronted to conflictual acculturation strategies, within the family or at a personal level, which will have negative consequences on the school benefits. This psychological variable, linking acculturation strategies with cognitive performance, has rarely been taken into account in studies focusing on the role of school in education and integration of migrant children. The case study presented here will be approached from different perspectives: intrafamily relationship aspects, acculturation difficulties, language development.
Research questions are:
- Are there specific areas of school difficulties of refugee children?
- What is the relationship between acculturation strategy and cognitive performance?
- What factors influence the outcome of the acculturation process?
Some background information about the school system in Switzerland will be exposed. Specific life context and difficulties of refugees and asylum seekers will be pointed out. Finally, the ethnic community of Suzana (11 years old) will be presented.
Sources of information. This case focuses on a clinical assessment and not on a therapeutic process. Clinical observations and measures were completed with information from mother, teacher and speech therapist.
Findings. Assessment tools employed were:
1. The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC, 1993) investigates cognitive processes in children from 2 to 12;6 yrs old. K-ABC is a culturally fair ability test in wich items contain little cultural containts. It provides a picture of a child's cognitive abilities, in despite of language difficulties or cultural differences. Results show a low cognitive achievement, specially in the fields of working memory capacity and successive process, and overall, a rather heterogeneous profile.
2. The Children Memory Scale (CMS, Cohen, 1997); subtests concerning immediate and delayed verbal memory in order to assess memory/attentional deficits and learning difficulties.
3. The Complex Figure Test (CFT, Rey, 1959) to assess visuo-constructive abilities and visual/non-verbal memory in relation to writing and learning difficulties.
4. The Perron Projective Test (Dynamique Personnelle et Image (DPI, Perron 1969) to assess interpersonal relations and conflicts.
Even though Suzana seems very awake and plays the role of the interpreter within her family, she has huge difficulties in reading in French. She also has difficulties in learning and memorising. Moreover, she presents important emotional difficulties (internalized and externalized) and peer problems at school. Besides, acculturation strategies differ between family members, which seems highly conflictual.
Implications. Intergenerational conflict concerning acculturation strategies may have an impact on learning and school achievement. Furthermore, it is suggested that immigration brings up a multitude of psychological and social problems that need to be considered during patient assessment and treatment.
Key references
Kanouté, F. (2002). Profils d'acculturation d'élèves issus de l'immigration récente à Montréal. Revue des sciences de l'éducation, 28(1), 171-190.
Lischer, R. (2003). Intégration réussie des étrangers? La réponse des statistiques. Les enfants et adolescents étrangers dans le système Suisse d'éducation et de formation. In S. Rosenberg, R. Lischer, W. Kronig, M. Nicolet, A. Burli, P. Schmid, R. Buhlman (Eds.), Le parcours scolaire et de formation des élèves immigrés à faibles performances scolaires. Rapport final de la Conference Suisse des directeurs cantonaux de l'instruction publique.
Van de Vijer, F. J., Helms-Lorenz, M., & Feltzer, M. (2007). Acculturation and cognitive performance of migrant children in the Netherlands. International Journal of Psychology, 34(3), 149-162.
Contacts: Betty Goguikian Ratcliff, Maitre d'enseignement et de recherche. Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l'Education, Université de Genève, 40, Bd. du Pont-d'Arve, 1205 Geneve- Suisse, E-mail: Betty.Goguikian@pse.unige.ch, Phone: 0041 22 379 93 08 - Fax: 0041 22 379 93 59.