Acculturation, school context, and school outcomes: Adaptation of refugee adolescents from the former Soviet Union

Abstract

A differentiated model of acculturation was used to assess the relationship of acculturative styles to school adaptation among a group of 110 refugee adolescents from the former Soviet Union. Acculturation was assessed with respect to both American and Russian cultures and, within each culture, distinguished among language competence, behavior, and identity. School adaptation was assessed in terms of academic (GPA), behavioral (disciplinary infractions), and attitudinal (sense of school belonging) components. Results suggested that differing patterns of overall American and Russian acculturation were associated with differing school outcomes, as were language competence, behavior, and identity with respect to the different cultures. In general, higher levels of American acculturation predicted school adaptation while aspects of Russian acculturation were differentially related to school adaptation for different subgroups. Results indicated the importance of conceptualizing acculturation as a multidimensional concept with respect to both culture or origin and culture of resettlement. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 27–38, 2005.