Acculturation Attitudes Research Articles

Intergroup Contact, Intergroup Anxiety, and Attitudes towards the Opposing Group in Divided Society

The negative attitudes and negative emotions play a key role in maintaining the hostilities between the groups of a divided society. Evidence suggests that intergroup contact can improve or worsen intergroup attitudes. The current study examined the mediating role of intergroup anxiety on quantity of interethnic contact and acculturation attitudes and emotional responses to contradictory conflict narratives in a divided society with a background of armed conflict in the past. The study was conducted among 202 Albanians and 239 Serbs in Kosovo. The results indicate that as more as they meet members of the opposing group the less they feel intergroup anxiety and the more they show acculturation attitudes towards the opposing group among both Albanians and Serbs. However, such mediating role of intergroup anxiety was not found on emotional responses to contradictory conflict narratives, except among Serbs who live in certain enclaves. The findings are discussed in terms of context, reconciliation, and maintenance of frozen conflict.

Predictors of acculturation attitude of international students in China.

This study investigates international students’ acculturation attitude preference and the influence factors (i.e., gender, duration in China, host and English proficiency, adult attachment style and social ties) on each acculturation attitude (i.e, integration, assimilation, separation and marginalization attitude) in China. A group of 229 international students within China responded online. Results from cluster analysis based on process model of acculturation revealed that, integration was the most prevalent acculturation attitude of international students in China. Additionally, logistic regressions analysis indicated that duration in China was negatively associated with adoption of separation and marginalization attitude also higher level of English proficiency predicted the preference of marginalization attitude. However, Chinese proficiency was positively associated with integration attitude adoption, host ties were positively and significantly associated with adoption of assimilation and integration attitude, but negatively associated with the usage of marginalization attitude. Lastly, avoidance attachment was found negatively associating with the integration attitude. This study provides valuable insights for international student education policymakers to assist international students in order to adapt to a new environment quickly and effectively.

A Qualitative Exploration of Acculturation Practices of Pakistani Scholars in Dutch Society

The psychosocial adaptation of international scholars is a growing area of inquiry in social sciences. Currently, almost 47,164 Pakistani international scholars are enrolled in various universities worldwide but there is a dearth of literature concerning their psychosocial adjustment. This qualitative inquiry focuses on Pakistani graduate and postgraduate international scholars’ insights concerning their adaptation practices in Dutch culture and society. The study is grounded in a sociocultural adaptation model. The primary data was collected through in-depth interviews with ten Pakistani international students who are currently registered in three Dutch universities. The seven central themes that emerged out of in-depth interviews were the perception of cultural disparity, linguistic challenges, limited interaction with host nationals, discrimination, difficulties practicing religious obligations, acculturation attitudes, and participants’ coping strategies applied during the adjustment process. The findings of the current study highlight both barriers and protective factors within the scope of theoretical assumptions and literature. The current study contributes to the gap in the available literature concerning Pakistani international scholars’ experiences. A limited number of studies have discussed acculturation practices of Muslim students and from a specific region. The present findings would be useful for Pakistani international scholars who intend to study abroad and the administration of the host universities receiving Pakistani international scholars to facilitate their adjustment to the new context.

Distress and wellbeing among 1.5-generation immigrants 3decades after immigration to Israel.

The aim of the study was to examine psychological adaptation levels (distress and wellbeing) and their association to acculturation strategies among 1.5 generation immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union (FSU), 3decades after large waves of immigrants from these countries came to Israel. Three-hundred and forty-one participants, 176 from Ethiopia and 165 from FSU, completed survey questionnaires assessing their acculturation attitudes and the levels of their wellbeing and stress. Personal wellbeing and distress were found to be moderate among all participants. In addition, while no ethnic group differences were found for integration, separation and marginalization, FSU immigrants reported higher levels of using assimilation strategies than those who came from Ethiopia. Regression findings show that personal wellbeing was significantly explained by the acculturation strategies of integration and marginalization, such that a greater use of integration and a lower use of marginalization were associated with higher personal wellbeing. The adaptation process in which immigrant groups adapt to a host society is dynamic, takes many years and the acculturation strategies change over time. The change is related to attitudes toward the destination culture and to the culture of origin, both among the immigrants and the host society.

Assessing attitudes towards mutual acculturation in multicultural schools: Conceptualisation and validation of a four-dimensional mutual acculturation attitudes scale

Assessment of acculturation attitudes usually has focused on the importance of two dimensions: first, immigrants’ maintenance of cultural heritage and, second, immigrants’ adoption of the majority culture. Because acculturation is a reciprocal interaction, we extended a bidimensional scale to four dimensions to assess mutual acculturation. Given the importance of the social context for acculturation and schools as a crucial context for immigrant pupils’ acculturation, the scale extension was validated within the context of school. We hypothesised that acculturation attitudes are held not only towards immigrant pupils but also towards native pupils and towards schools’ responsibility to support intercultural contact. The study sample comprised 364 secondary school pupils in Swiss multicultural schools. Using exploratory structural equation modelling, we validated four distinct dimensions of acculturation attitudes: attitudes towards immigrant pupils’ (a) heritage culture maintenance and (b) adoption of the dominant culture and attitudes towards (c) native pupils acquiring cultural knowledge and (d) schools enabling intercultural contact. We conclude that the proposed four-dimensional scale is a valid tool for assessing attitudes towards mutual acculturation within the school context and that acculturation attitudes are held not only towards immigrant pupils but also towards native pupils and schools.

Intercultural Attitudes as Predictors of Student’s Prejudices Towards Refugees

One of the major challenges for modern western societies is the reduction of prejudice in order to achieve a sufficient level of integration of immigrants and especially refugees. The current literature thus presents a multitude of approaches to understand and reduce prejudices. Therefore, the following paper investigates the relationships between ethnic identity, acculturation attitudes, intercultural competence, and prejudice and how contact experiences shape these relationships for students in Germany with and without migration background. The results show that there is a significant relationship between prejudice and the social identity, cultural intelligence, and acculturation strategies. Furthermore, the results indicate that the experienced contact quality and quantity to refugees moderate the effect of acculturation strategies on overt prejudice and xenophobia. However, the relationship between acculturation strategies and covert prejudice is only moderated by contact quantity. Because of the relatively weak manifestations of the dependent variables in the study at hand, alternative instruments should be used for investigation. Based on the obtained results, this paper finally tries to give some guidance for the facilitation of diversity and reduction of prejudice at higher education institutions.

Minority-Group Teachers‘ Different Attitudes toward Controversial Political Issues in Israel (Diferencias actitudinales de los docentes de grupos minoritarios en relación con las controversias políticas en Israel)

ABSTRACT The importance of teachers holding discussions of controversial political issues (CPI) in class is commonly acknowledged, but teachers vary in their willingness to engage in such discussions. The aim of this study is to compare different groups of minority teachers with regards to their attitudes towards CPI. Questionnaires were obtained from 282 teachers belonging to five different minority-teacher groups in Israel. Their attitudes towards conducting discussions of CPI were examined in relation to self-efficacy, acculturation attitudes and demographic variables. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that teachers’ pluralistic acculturation attitude was the most important predictor of attitudes towards CPI, followed by teachers’ social self-efficacy. Arab teachers scored lower than all other groups on organizational self-efficacy and exhibited the most integrationist approaches, while teachers of low-incidence ethnic origin exhibited the most assimilationist approach. The research draws attention to the diversity of diversity — that different minority groups approach the issue of CPI depending on the nature of their relationship with the majority group, the size and political power of the minority group and its acculturation approach.

When in Rome… A longitudinal investigation of the predictors and the development of student sojourners’ host cultural behavioral engagement

International educational mobility is an important instrument for immersing multicultural diversity into the thinking, feeling, and acting of young global citizens. Yet, little is known about the development of students’ host-cultural behavioral engagement during a stay abroad and the individual characteristics that predict it. We adapted the theory of planned behavior to investigate the dynamic longitudinal interplay between individual predictors and students’ host-cultural behavioral engagement over the course of the stay abroad. Data come from the first four waves of the project Mobility and acculturation experiences of students (MAPS; N = 1,225). Results confirmed the influence of acculturation attitudes, subjective norms, and multicultural self-efficacy on host-cultural behavioral engagement over time. Simultaneously, host-cultural behavioral engagement was identified as a relevant predictor of adolescents’ individual development abroad.

Psychoactive substance abuse: prevalence, risk factors and relation to acculturation in adults living in North Cyprus, 2003–2018

This study aimed to analyze the prevalence, risk factors and relation to the acculturation of psychoactive substance abuse in adults living in North Cyprus (NC). Method: Data was collected from 1064 people who were living in NC using multiple stepped stratified random sampling method between April–May 2018. Socio-demographic information form, Model Europe Survey and Acculturation Attitudes Scale were used as study instruments. 2018 data were compared with 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015 and 2017 studies in which the same survey and method were used. Results: Five hundred and forty five participants were male and 519 female. Also, 33.6% of the participants were between the ages of 18–29, 58% of participants were born in Cyprus, 38.2% were university graduate or above and 48.2% of the participants were living with their spouses. According to the study, the prevalence of cigarette usage at least once in a lifetime was 64.9%, alcohol 74.5%, other psychoactive substance (OPS) 11.4% and illicit substance (IS) 9.0%. Being under 25 years of age, Turkey-born, not religious, using alcohol and cigarettes and experiencing drunkenness constituted the risk factors of IS users. Marginalization scores were lower both for drug users born in Turkey and NC. Discussion: It was observed that both OPS and IS usage have increased in the last 15 years. Cannabis, synthetic cannabinoid and ecstasy are more widely used. It was also observed that OPS is more used among those who cannot create a marginal response to acculturation stress. In prevention programs and treatments, sociocultural characteristics should be considered.

Социальный капитал и аккультурационные ожидания принимающего населения: медиативная роль воспринимаемой угрозы (на примере г. Москвы)

Background. Russia ranks fourth in the World in terms of the influx of migrants (of which 12 million currently live within the country). At the same time, the factors accompanying the process of acculturation can be quite different and lead to contradictions and conflicts between the groups. As far as migrants are concerned, the study of mediative role of the perceived threat in formation of acculturation expectation sremains an under researched topic in cross-cultural psychology. Objective. The study is aimed at determining whether the perceived threat from migrants has a mediating effect on the relationship between social capital and the acculturation expectations of the host population towards migrants. Design. The study was carried out in an online format by a questionnaire given to young adults living in Moscow (N = 214). The participants answered the questions that determined the level of trust, ethnic tolerance, perceived threat, and acculturation expectations. Results. The results of the study revealed that the perceived threat (especially the cultural one) turned out to be a mediator of the connection between ethnic tolerance and acculturation expectations of “melting pot” and “exclusion”. In case of connection of the indicators of trust and ethnic tolerance with “segregation”, only the perceived physical threat played a mediating role. The role of ethnic tolerance has been confirmed in the above three acculturation expectations, while trust turned out to be significant only in the “segregated” models. The meditative role of the perceived threat in the relationship between the three indicators of social capital and the acculturation expectation of “multiculturalism” has been completely refuted. Conclusion. The results of the research make it possible to determine the role of the perceived threat in acculturation attitudes and expectations towards migrants. The main limitation of this study is the fact that it took place only in Moscow. In the nearest future, it is planned to compare the results obtained in Russia from Russian-speaking test-groups with the results of other groups in other countries.

Home-Based Acculturation and Chinese Attitude Toward Intercultural Marriage: A Cross-Generational Comparison

This paper explores factors associated with intergenerational differences in home-based acculturation (HBA) and the attitude of Chinese college students and their parents toward intercultural marriage with a focus on China’s cultural context where parents have a strong influence on child’s decisions. In two related studies, we recruited a total of 749 Chinese college students and parents (387 in Study 1 and 362 in Study 2; all are living in China) to participate in the survey. The results indicate that (a) online intercultural contact is positively associated with HBA; (b) HBA is a strong predictor of attitude of intercultural marriages by Chinese parents and college students and the socioeconomic status has a divergent effect on the two groups; and (c) Chinese college students and parents differ in terms of their HBA and online intercultural contact. Findings from the research add knowledge to our understanding of the impact of globalization and digitalization on acculturation and Chinese residents’ perspectives on intercultural marriage.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ СТРАТЕГІЇ АКУЛЬТУРАЦІЇ ТА СОЦІОКУЛЬТУРНОЇ АДАПТАЦІЇ СТУДЕНТІВ-ПЕРЕСЕЛЕНЦІВ ЗІ СХОДУ УКРАЇНИ

The article investigates the acculturation strategies chosen by Ukrainian Inner Displaced Persons (UIDPs) who were students from the uncontrolled territories of Eastern Ukraine within the longitudinal experiment (2015-2019 pp.). Among the acculturation strategies, we analyzed, first of all, integration and assimilation. The correlations among variables such as acculturation strategies and Ukrainian languages proficiency, psychological and social-cultural adaptation, psychological well-being, ambiguity (frustration) tolerance, anxiety and dominant acculturation attitudes of local students toward migrated ones were analyzed. The examined young people were living in the metropolis of Dnipro and the small town of Sievierodonetsk - suburb of Lugansk, which was previously a Ukrainian city and is at ORDLO’s territories currently. The results indicated differences in chosen acculturation strategies by UIDPs students depending on their places of residence (Dnipro metropolis or the small town) and on the types of their psychological adaptation. The direct correlations were found between intention to stay in Ukraine and the Ukrainian-language proficiency, psychological well-being, and vice versa, іndirect correlations were determined between intention to stay in Ukraine and ambiguity (frustration) tolerance and anxiety. Dominant acculturation attitudes of local students from both cities toward migrated young people included expected high assimilative potential which had an indirect negative effect on UIDPs students’ psychological well-being. The problem of the Eastern Ukraine students’ acculturation can be solved in the perspective if theoretical, empirical models and political decisions are coordinated, because chosen acculturation strategies and psychological well-being of such students and their efficient adaptation depend on specific-helping, accompanying, or indulging-neutral support of forced migrants from Eastern Ukraine.

Στρατηγικές επιπολιτισμού Αλβανών και Ινδών μεταναστών στην Κρήτη

The aim of this study was to explore the factors related to the acculturation strategies of first generation Albanian and Indian immigrants in Greece. On the basis of Berry’s acculturation model (1997), immigrants’ demographic characteristics, factors related to intercultural contact (ethnic identity and perceived discrimination) and self-esteem were examined, regarding the acculturation strategies of integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization. The findings indicated that immigrant’s ethnicity differentiated all four acculturation attitudes, with the Indians falling mostly into separation and Albanian participants into integration. The factors of intercultural contact, inconjunction with demographic factors, predicted integration, assimilation, and separation. On the contrary, in the case of marginalization, immigrants’ demographic characteristics and self-esteem were significant, indicating a negative relationship between marginalization and self-esteem. Furthermore, perceived discriminationwas related positively to separation and negatively to integration. These results are discussed on the basis of Berry’s acculturation model and the rejection-identification model, suggesting that possibly immigrantswith pronounced cultural differences from Greeks experience discrimination and identify more with their in-group, thus choosing separation as a way to protect their self-image.

Youth sport motivational climate and attitudes toward migrants’ acculturation: The role of empathy and altruism

AbstractPrevious research has shown that an empowering motivational climate in organized sport has been linked to attitudes favoring migrants’ integration. The purpose of the present study was to further test the relationship between motivational climate and acculturation attitudes, and to explore the role of prosocial skills as potential mediators of this relationship in adolescent athletes from the host population. Participants were 338 (13.61 ± .95 years of age) Greek adolescents (167 girls) participating in organized sport. Participants’ acculturation attitudes, prosocial skills, and perceptions of the coach‐created motivational climate were measured. Analysis of structural models revealed that an empowering motivational climate was positively related with prosocial skills, reflecting empathy and altruism, which in turn were positively linked with acculturation attitudes favoring migrants’ integration. The results of the present study replicate previous findings regarding the links between empowering motivational climate and acculturation attitudes, and further, provide evidence that prosocial skills such as empathy and altruism mediate this relationship.

A Study to Investigate Predictive Factors of Acculturation Attitudes Among Myanmar People in Japan

A Study to Investigate Predictive Factors of Acculturation Attitudes Among Myanmar People in Japan

The Effect of Acculturation Attitude on Second-Hand Clothes Purchases

Traditionally, second-hand clothes (SHC) are viewed as non-valuable items that exclusively belong to the lower social class. Today, SHC have become a new global fashion trend and a new business phenomenon. This study explores the effect of acculturation attitudes on SHC adoption intention and behavior. The survey outcomes from 300 Indonesian respondents show that proactive and reactive attitudes affect SHC adoption intention and behavior differently. In addition, intention is found to significantly affect SHC buying behavior. In this article, we discuss these findings and implications. The findings of this study are important because the SHC phenomenon is increasing significantly and SHC are predicted to become even more popular in the years to come.

Consumer behavior of rural migrant workers in urban China

In Chinese cities, rural migrant workers are usually considered consumers with the lowest purchasing power. Nevertheless, the younger generation of rural migrants, who are considerably better educated and higher paid than their predecessors, form a growing group of able consumers. The increased consumption demand and capacity of rural migrants have started to transform the commercial landscape of Chinese cities, potentially contributing to the country's transition towards a consumption-driven economy. Based on a 2012 survey in Jiangsu Province, this paper identifies four distinct consumer types among young rural migrant workers: conservative, balanced, frustrated and adventurous. Their different consumption behaviors are shaped not only by their financial capacities, but also by their family responsibilities and acculturation attitudes in the city. Despite the similar constraints faced by all young rural migrant workers, some are more eager to develop an urban lifestyle and identity through imitating the consumer behavior of urban natives, while others largely retain rural customs and habits, which are shared by older generation migrant workers. The findings point to the impact of social and institutional barriers on rural migrants' consumption in light of increased social inequality amid China's urban transition.

Creating Canadians through Private Sponsorship

AbstractWe investigate how refugee sponsors and sponsorship groups approach their responsibility to “create new Canadians.” We set the stage by reflecting on the history of Canada as an immigrant-receiving, multicultural country, as well as on the role of acculturation attitudes of host community members in establishing the integration environment for newcomers in general. We use findings from nearly 60 interviews with sponsors in the Ottawa area to outline the different approaches that sponsors take. Approaches to sponsorship fall into three general orientations: paternalistic, passive paternalistic and mutualistic. These approaches manifest in the actions that sponsors take during the sponsorship process. In our discussion, we consider the implications of these approaches for the sponsor–refugee relationship, as well as the broader project of Canadian multiculturalism. We argue that mutualistic approaches best demonstrate welcoming acculturation orientations to newcomers, and that they are an important component of supporting privately sponsored refugees to become Canadians.

Parental Acculturation Attitudes: Direct and Indirect Impacts on Children’s Second Language Acquisition

ABSTRACT The goal of the present study was to investigate the relationship between parental acculturation attitudes and second language (L2) skills and acquisition in immigrant children and to identify the mechanisms that potentially mediate between parental acculturation attitudes and children’s L2 skills and acquisition. Our longitudinal study is based on a sample of 252 children with German as L2 (age t1: M = 41 months; t2: M = 57 months) and their parents. Research Findings: Results revealed that parental acculturation attitudes toward the country of origin negatively correlated with children’s L2 skills at t1 and at t2. Furthermore, time spent in early childcare predicted L2 skills at t1 and at t2. Parental L2 proficiency and children’s contact with German language speakers outside of childcare were related to children’s L2 skills at t1. Parental L2 proficiency mediated the relationship between parental acculturation attitudes and children’s L2 skills. Practice or Policy: The findings support the importance of early childcare attendance and parental acculturation for L2 skills and acquisition in children with an immigrant background.

Senses of Belonging and Identity within North American Turkish Diaspora in the post-9/11 Era

The Turkish diaspora is growing rapidly in North America. Despite the vast number of studies investigated social integration and the identity construction of Turkish immigrants in European countries, Turkish communities in the United States and Canada attracted lesser attention in the academic literature. This paper seeks to understand the identity formation and acculturation attitudes of Turks and their perceptions of rejection and acceptance from their respective societies in a post 9/11 context through interviews with Turkish opinion/community leaders living in the United States and Canada.