Ethnic Students Research Articles

Cognitive Distortion While Attending Online Class: Study on Banjar College Student

Online learning has begun to take place in Indonesia since March 2020 simultaneously in all educational institutions due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 outbreak. Sudden changes make it difficult for students to process information and lead to various patterns of thinking errors which are known as cognitive distortions. This study aims to reveal the patterns of cognitive distortions that students have during the online lectures. The research design used is a phenomenological qualitative design. Analysis of cognitive distortions was collected through in-depth interviews and document studies to 8 Banjar ethnic students. The results of the study found that there were 3 cognitive distortions, namely: (1) catastrophizing; (2) all-or-nothing thinking; and (3) should statements. The effects of these cognitive distortions include feeling lazy, bored, afraid, uncomfortable, drowsy, shaking, and heart palpitations. In the context of student behavior, students also tend to neglect lectures, access social media, sleep, and go to hang out with friends. Further research is needed to explore student’s cognitive distortions in post-Covid-19 pandemic situation or with diverse populations.

Comparing Students’ Perceptions on Quality of School Life: Voices from Malay and Chinese Ethnic Students

While the quality of school life is expected to be cultural and context-specific, fewer studies have been conducted to investigate the conceptualisation of quality of school life in a multi-ethnic and multicultural context. This study aims to compare Malay and Chinese primary school students’ perceptions on the quality of school life in Malaysia. This study employed a quantitative cross-sectional survey research design. Survey data were collected from 594 Grade 5 students. Findings revealed that both Malay and Chinese students ranked the highest score on the opportunity dimension and the lowest scores on the negative affect dimension. The Malay students scored higher means in all dimensions of quality of schools than the Chinese students, except the findings revealed cultural differences in the perceptions of quality of school life.

Conceptualising mental illness among University students of African, Caribbean and similar ethnic heritage in the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT Objective Students of African, Caribbean and similar ethnicity (ACE) encounter unique mental health challenges within the Western higher education system, such as feeling constrained in social spaces and perceiving greater stigma about mental health. Students of ACE are also resilient to mental health problems, such as depression, when enduring social inequality. This study aimed to conceptualise mental illness and help-seeking behaviours among university students in the United Kingdom (UK) in the context of their identity as ACE. Design Six university students of ACE in the UK were interviewed about the meaning of mental illness, the influence of ACE culture on mental health and help-seeking by ACE students. Thematic analysis was applied from a socio-constructionist theoretical lens to interpret the interview transcripts. Results Five main themes emerged, namely ‘Perceived meanings and attitudes toward mental health problems’, ‘Beliefs about the non-existence of mental health problem and its spiritual attributions’, ‘Family dynamics and the ‘silencing’ of mental health problems’, ‘Help-seeking for mental health among people of ACE’ and ‘Stigma and discriminatory responses to mental health issues’. Participants expressed that mental health is an imported concept that people from ACE communities tend to shy away from. A reluctance to discuss mental health problems arose over fear of rejection from families and fear of not being understood by a mental health professional from a different cultural background. Conclusion University students of ACE and their families struggle to adopt the Western conceptualisation of mental health. Consequently, there is poor awareness of mental health issues and stigma of mental illness among university students of ACE which pose a barrier to help-seeking for mental health. The limited sample size constrains the ability to draw sound conclusions. Nonetheless, a culturally sensitive conceptualisation of mental health is needed to address poor help-seeking for mental health among people of ACE.

Ragging as an expression of power in a deeply divided society; a qualitative study on students perceptions on the phenomenon of ragging at a Sri Lankan university

Initiation rituals such as hazing, bullying, and ragging, as it is referred to in Sri Lanka, is a global phenomenon and has become a serious public health problem. Students are bullied and harassed by senior students causing them to suffer severe adverse consequences including depression, increased university dropouts and suicide. Although this has led to a significant burden on the country, research on ragging is scarce. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of students concerning the phenomenon of ragging and to understand how ragging affects student life and culture at the University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. This paper is based on 17 focus group discussions with male and female students of Sinhalese, Tamil, and Muslim ethnicity. Thematic analysis was employed to navigate through the theoretical lenses of structural violence, intersectionality, and social dominance. The findings revealed how students perceived ragging differently; as an expression of power to initiate order and as a way to express dissatisfaction towards social inequalities occurring within the larger society or to facilitate bonds between university students. Students trivialized violence related to ragging and accepted it as a part of the university subculture despite being aware of the dire consequences. There was a described cyclical nature to ragging whereby victims become perpetrators. The student's perspective appeared to be a missed opportunity in finding feasible solutions to a societal problem that must take all parties involved, into consideration.

Traveller students being and relating to an/‘other’: identity, belonging, and inter-ethnic peer relationships in a highly diverse post-primary school

ABSTRACT Irish Travellers have long endured racism in Ireland. In education, they have experienced significantly lower participation and academic achievement rates relative to the settled community. This paper draws on a study examining how an intercultural approach to education was implemented in one urban DEIS post-primary school with a highly diverse student population. Informed by Critical Race Theory, an in-depth qualitative case study design was implemented. Data collection involved twenty-eight semi-structured interviews with staff, Traveller students, ‘other’ minority ethnic students, and White settled Irish students. Data analysis involved several coding stages, and the development of categories. This paper examines one category focusing on issues of identity, belonging, and relationships amongst minority ethnic groups in the school, with a particular focus on the Traveller participants. Participants’ constructions of ‘normality’ are considered with regard to how people ‘look’ and behave as well as their perceptions of student peer relationships and the lack of engagement between student groups. The findings are interrogated in the context of Critical Race, feminist, and class theories, and the prevailing discourse about educational disadvantage. The recommendations for policy, practice, and future research provided emphasise the need for critical engagement with and sensitive implementation of intercultural education in post-primary schools.

Komunikasi Antarbudaya Guru Terhadap Siswa Etnis Tionghoa Di Bagansiapiapi

This study aims to find out the pattern of intercultural communication between teachers and Tionghoa ethnic students in the First High School (SMP) Wahidin, which is one of the favorite schools in Baghdad, Riau. Qualitative research methods with phenomenological approaches are used by writers to describe the results of this research. The results of this study show that teacher communication patterns against Tionghoa ethnic students are linear and circular depending on the situation and conditions in the learning process. In addition, there is a semantic impediment in the communication process.

Practices of Submersion Education and Readiness of Teachers to Teach in a Culturally Diverse Classroom on the Case of Georgia

In this article will be introduced the teaching practice and challenges for one of the most popular education programs in Georgia, the Submersion Bilingual Program. The practice of submersion bilingual education includes the learning and teaching process of linguistic majority and minority students together, in the same classroom environment, with the same curriculum in the majority language. The existence of a submersion bilingual program in Georgia is conditioned by the ethnic and linguistic diversity of the country's population. The article is based on a qualitative research in which I studied the attitudes of teachers in submersion schools and their professional readiness to teach in a multilingual classroom. The research analyzes the difference between teachers' expectations towards minority and majority students and the impact of teachers' attitudes and preconceptions on the process of forming expectations towards ethnic students. The article below also highlights the challenges specific to submersion schools, the methodological knowledge and intercultural skills of teachers, and their practices for effective teaching in a different language environment. At the end of the article the author's conclusions and recommendations are provided which are based on the research findings in order to improve teaching practice

Student–staff partnerships for diversifying and decolonising the higher education curriculum

In this paper, we discuss a student–staff partnership project to diversify and decolonise the Higher Education curriculum at the University of Brighton, UK. The Inclusive Practice Partnership Scheme was launched in November 2020, and now in its second year, recruits 64 undergraduate students to co-develop the curriculum within each of the eight Schools across the University. The Scheme is unique in the sector in its focus on undergraduate student experience as the catalyst for a review of curriculum, supporting the development of this work across a wide range of subject areas. It uses the expertise of academic developers to guide and facilitate the work, developing an institutional approach with localised strategies and outcomes, and establishing effective partnership working relationships with academic staff to change perceptions about the relevance and importance of curriculum reparation in all disciplinary areas. The Scheme is a key part of University strategy that aims to address differential outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students and is supported through the Access and Participation Plan and Race Equality Charter Action Plan.

Engaging Underrepresented Groups Through Appraisal and Accessioning

 Appraisal of student records is an essential part of building a complete narrative of a university's history. Within this process, it is important to capture the experiences of underrepresented student groups. A rich source of documentation of both student life and campus diversity comes from the records produced by university ethnic student clubs, cultural houses, and sororities and fraternities with historically minority membership. The formation activities, and dissolution of ethnic student organizations can help to shape an understanding of a university's demographic, social, and political history. Working with and building relationships with organization advisors and student members is important to forming good appraisal decisions of the records they produce. This paper will examine examples from appraisal projects with the Ethnic Student Center at Western Washington University and the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It will also include an analysis of the appraisal of records from ethnic student organizations, discuss the importance of working with stakeholders, and understanding ownership of records. 

An Anti-Racism Public Health Graduate Program: Mentoring of Students and Igniting Community

Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) are underrepresented in the public health workforce. Strengthening the public health pipeline through graduate institutions of public health is a necessary anti-racist approach to address health disparities. Programs that provide effective mentoring are one strategy for evidence-based anti-oppressive instructional practice, proven to help racial and ethnic students historically targeted by oppression in propelling career trajectories, professional development, and overall institutional experience in graduate school. The Mentoring of Students and Igniting Community (MOSAIC) program was founded in 2019 as a comprehensive and anti-racist faculty-to-student mentorship initiative for BIPOC and first-generation students. Through a scoping review of mentorship programs at schools of public health and an iterative feedback process that included faculty, students, and staff, the MOSAIC model was created. Built on the tenets of successful mentorship approaches, MOSAIC focuses on increasing equity and educational justice with a focus on professional development and academic success through faculty-to-student mentorship. The growth of MOSAIC has demonstrated it fills a critical gap for students of color and first-generation students in a school of public health. MOSAIC intends to act as a programmatic model for replication at other schools of public health to provide necessary support and mentorship for BIPOC students.

Race, fitness-to-practice and the experience of trainee educators

This study examines the reasons behind Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students’ over-representation within fitness-to-practice (FTP) processes at a university in the north of England. Referrals to FTP are intended to rectify the underperformance of students, acting as a workplace misconduct procedure, applied in an education context. The phenomenon itself replicates trends of racial disadvantage across education and the workplace. Some suggested causes for these trends include capital, racial discomfort and structural inequality discussed in the literature review. In this study, the experiences of BAME students on placement in education settings are examined to provide insights into the disparity in FTP referrals, using a phenomenological approach. This involved semi-structured interviews to capture subjective first-person accounts from the target sample. These were evaluated using thematic analysis, and the findings were considered using Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a lens.The findings demonstrated two opposing accounts that were united by their conception of racial identity. The research found that BAME students’ placement experiences may be in response to an intersectional convergence of race and the status of the role they occupy within the placement. A clear link between FTP and placement experiences could not be established, but the CRT perspective points to issues around racism, white neutrality and supremacy active in BAME students’ placement settings. 

Influence of Acculturation in Yunnan’s Ethnic Minority College Students on Their Academic Achievement: The Moderating Role of Learning Motivation

<p style="text-align:justify">This study examined the effect of Yunnan’s ethnic minority college students’ acculturation on their academic achievement under the risk of the Matthew effect. Additionally, the role played by learning motivation in the relationship between ethnic minority college students’ acculturation and academic achievement was explored. A total of 403 valid questionnaires were collected from four areas in Yunnan province, China. Consequently, the Acculturation Scale, Academic Achievement Scale, and Learning Motivation Scale were used for measurement materials. These items of scales were evaluated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). SPSS (statistical package for the social sciences) and AMOS (analysis of a moment structures) softwares were used for data analyses. In addition, items were analyzed through item analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis and regression analysis. These results indicated that ethnic minority college students with low acculturation and learning motivation or high acculturation and low learning motivation can become objects of the Matthew effect. However, this study also observed that in certain students, high acculturation and high learning motivation can prevent the Matthew effect. Thus, high acculturation is crucial for improving academic achievement in ethnic minority college students. A level of high learning motivation is a powerful moderator promoting the academic achievement of students with high acculturation.</p>

Student partnership to achieve cultural change

This case study offers reflections on a student-led collaboration between the university and its student representative body (the Students’ Union) and outlines the successes and challenges of partnership to address institutional cultural change. The project was set up to improve students’ experiences and raise awareness of the existence of differential outcomes between Black, Asian, or minority ethnic (BAME) and white students and to promote strategies to build meaningful relationships through the development of internal and external networks. It was led by 11 BAME student ambassadors who developed and delivered campaigns and events for students and who linked with university staff and the Students’ Union to represent students’ views on ways to achieve positive change on campus. Partnership working was essential to enable the student ambassadors to develop trust, make their own changes, and influence key decision makers across the University.

Technical Vocational Education for Migrant Girls in Western China: Transformational Benefits

Migrant workers in China and their children too frequently are treated as outsiders in the city. This paper explores and compares the opportunities for female Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students in western rural areas of China. Learning from migrant girls how they perceive and evaluate benefits in and from their schooling provides us insights into how TVET played a role in achievements that rural migrant girls value and enact. The capability approach specified for education is used as a structure to assess TVET as experienced by its participants. This research shows that despite its deficiencies and obscurity within socio-economic structures, for the current generation of young rural migrant girls, TVET education was highly accessible, provided a singular opportunity and space to equip them with some skills and knowledge, and enhanced their capabilities to participate in a rapidly changing urbanizing economy. TVET education created changes on both individual and collective levels. Rural migrant girls’ opportunities were constrained by unequal migration patterns and were structured along intersections of gender and ethnic lines. Implications for improving TVET policy include improved information flow, diversification of TVET curriculums, standardization of regulations, and increased opportunities for female and ethnic students.

‘You Have to Integrate to Belong Here!’: Acculturation and Exclusion among Turkish and Belgian Descent Students on a University Campus

ABSTRACT While substantial attention has been given to the integration processes of ethnic minority groups across Western Europe, few studies have focused on how students in higher education engage with and make sense of these processes. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with 25 female university students of Turkish and Belgian descent to shed light on students’ acculturation meanings. Our analyses show that both student groups reiterate the mainstream interpretation of integration as an adaptation process targeting immigrants and their descendants, although their views differ particularly as they relate to the dimension of cultural maintenance. Students’ accounts show how sweeping demands for integration are putting pressure on female ethnic minorities, restricting their freedom to negotiate their identities and making them vulnerable to exclusion and marginalisation. The acculturation attitudes of ethnic majority students, however, remain exclusionary as they fail to consider their own role in acculturation and enjoy few opportunities to build meaningful relations across ethnic groups on the university campus. We discuss the role of higher education context in reproducing such exclusionary mainstream integration discourses and delve further into the implications of gender in shaping students’ acculturation meanings and experiences.

The experiences of black, Asian and minority ethnic student midwives at a UK university

Background Evidence acknowledges inequalities to progression and achievement for black, Asian and minority ethnic students within higher education, as well as barriers for promotion of black, Asian and minority ethnic staff within the NHS. In the UK, legislation and regulatory guidance requires students studying undergraduate midwifery to undertake their programme across both these institutions. Aims To understand the experiences of black, Asian and minority ethnic students studying undergraduate midwifery at a UK university. Methods This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with five student midwives who identified as black, Asian or minority ethnic from a university, conducted by a peer researcher. Thematic analysis was used to analyse anonymised transcript data. Results Three key themes were identified: ‘invisibility’, ‘emerging visibility’ and ‘managing visibility’. Participants experienced a monocultural focus in the curriculum and in practice and were exposed to racist behaviours, causing them to modify behaviours. Conclusions A need for diverse teaching materials and cultural inclusivity across institutions was identified to help combat outdated systemic Eurocentric practices and support the implementation of recently published midwifery standards.

Learning to Succeed? Interplay between Ethnic Identity, National Identity, and Students’ Perception on Social Mobility in a Xinjiang Class School of China

While studies on students’ ethnic identity, national identity and social mobility gained relatively good research development in Western societies, little attention has been given to other social contexts, particularly non-Western societies like China. A questionnaire (N = 570, aged 14 to 20) was conducted in a Xinjiang Class school in Southern China to examine the nexus of students’ ethnic identity, national identity and perception on social mobility. The Xinjiang Class is currently one of the most iconic preferential educational policies recruiting students from ethnic groups in Xinjiang (an ethnic minority-concentrated border region) and offering them senior secondary education in select Han-centric, senior-secondary schools in China’s central and east coast provinces. The results demonstrate that the strengthening effect of students’ ethnic identity on national identity is not obvious; students’ strong national identity contributes to their positive perception on upward social mobility. However, the widely accepted viewpoint that students’ ethnic identity has a negative influence on perception of social mobility cannot be fully supported in this case. This study enriches the extant literature by providing a combined model to explore the nuanced mechanisms between ethnic identity, national identity and students’ perception on social mobility in a multi-ethnic society and by helping to unveil the identity politics unfolded in current China’s educational sector.

Ethnic Student Radicalism and Activism: The Chicana/o Studies Movement at the University of Washington, 1968–1980

Abstract This article examines the historical and political rise and decline of the University of Washington (UW) Chicana/o Studies Movement (CSM) between the years of 1968 and 1980. It argues that the CSM emerged in part due to the growth of local Chicana / o community radicalism and activism throughout the Pacific Northwest. Section one investigates student activism and radicalism on the UW campus. The second section critically analyzes the political struggles and academic landscape of the CSM on the Seattle campus. Finally, it examines the political and ideological struggles that forced UW's Chicana/o studies and other ethnic studies disciplines to merge into a single American ethnic studies department.

The Effect of Wearing Eyeglasses on the Perception of Attractiveness, Confidence, and Intelligence.

IntroductionSeveral studies investigated the effect of wearing eyeglasses on self-esteem measures; however, most of these studies were conducted on western populations. We aim to assess the perception of attractiveness, confidence, and intelligence of young people of college-going age with and without glasses among university students.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study conducted in five main Jordanian universities. We designed a survey with photos of four people with and without glasses (a total of eight photos). Participants rated the photos on a scale of 10 regarding attractiveness, confidence, and intelligence.ResultsA total of 517 participants were included in this study. We found significantly higher ratings for all domains of pictures without glasses compared to the same pictures with glasses. Moreover, participants not wearing glasses provided significantly higher attractiveness scores for most pictures not wearing glasses.ConclusionIn our study on Jordanian college students of Arabian ethnicity, we found that eyeglasses may have a negative impact on a person’s image in regard to attractiveness, confidence, and intelligence.

Silent or silenced? Minority ethnic students and the battle against racism

ABSTRACT Racism is harmful for minority ethnic students from compulsory to tertiary education. Whilst there appears to be renewed public interest in structural racism, the realities of lived racism are, for many, a part of everyday life. This paper explores the experiences of minority ethnic students in UK higher education, especially their approaches to racism and coping strategies. Drawing on 51 in-depth interviews, the authors discuss the different ways in which racism can affect students and the extent to which it is normalised. As a means of coping, students appear to develop different degrees of emotional detachment and desensitisation towards racist behaviours. They discuss how white privilege in higher education can contribute to the silencing of minority ethnic students in the battle against racism, especially in white university spaces where racist behaviours are generally accepted, overlooked or trivialised. They conclude with a discussion of implications for policy and practice.