Immigrant Children Research Articles

Outlier speakers and apparent effects: The case of variable subject placement in Spanish

Aims and objectives: The current paper utilizes corpus data to examine variation and potential language contact effects regarding pronominal subject placement among first-generation immigrants in Atlanta, with particular attention paid to the individual speaker. The research questions that guide the study are the following: What linguistic and social predictors govern subject placement in Mexican Spanish spoken in Roswell, GA? What role, if any, does English contact play in the overall preverbal rates and/or constraints that govern subject placement? Do the data show any substantial individual differences with regard to rates of subject placement? If so, how might the inclusion versus exclusion of these speakers influence the overall interpretation of the results? Design and data: This study employs a variationist sociolinguistic framework, and the speakers comprise 20 first-generation Mexican immigrants living in Georgia. Analysis: Descriptive statistics are employed for purposes of overall as well as individual usage rates of postverbal subjects. In addition, linguistic (e.g., person/number, priming) and social predictors (e.g., sex, English proficiency, preferred media language) were incorporated into logistic regression analyses using Rbrul. Findings: Pronominal subject placement is most strongly influenced by person/number. Third-person singular pronouns favor postverbals while other pronouns favor preverbal position. Regarding social predictors, both sex and preferred media language appeared to play significant roles in the initial analysis; however, upon considering outlier speaker effects, the apparent effect of sex disappeared. The media language effect shows that those with a preference for English media favor preverbal subjects, suggesting a potential language contact effect. Originality and implications: The current study is the first to analyze this phenomenon in southeastern U.S. Spanish. The findings have implications for the study of language contact and change, demonstrating the importance of considering how individual speakers could misrepresent the overall data, interpretations of results, and conclusions in sociolinguistic studies of bilingualism.

Three Women, Three Generations: An In-Depth Case Study of Language Retention and Shift in One Family from the Maltese Australian Community in Melbourne

This paper analysis one family pertaining to the Maltese Australian community in Melbourne and investigates the retention of the Maltese language. The Maltese Australian community is a small community that is getting smaller since migration from Malta to Australia has largely stopped. Thus, the Maltese language is spoken mostly by the first generation of immigrants who left the island after the Second World War seeking a better future. The second generation, born in Australia, usually understands the language but lacks the opportunity or the will to speak the language except with members of the family. The third generation, raised in a multicultural country, normally has very little fluency in the Maltese language. The investigation is grounded in interview data gathered among a family of three generations of Maltese origin in Melbourne. The findings of this research show that the aging population of the Maltese community and the dominance of the English language do not favour the retention of the Maltese language in the future. With the end of the first generation of post-World War Two migrants and the emergence of the fourth and fifth generations, probably, there will be an absolute shift to English, the de-facto national language of Australia.

Interrogating double absence in transclasse autobiography: Postcolonial identity in flux in Kaoutar Harchi's Comme nous existons

In 2014, philosopher Chantal Jaquet coined the term transclasse to describe a person who is in the process of changing their social class. In opposition to the perhaps more widely-known expression ‘transfuge de classe’ – popularised by writers such as Annie Ernaux and Édouard Louis – transclasse allows for a comprehension of the necessarily transient nature of social migration, encapsulating a vital element of flux. Importantly, Jaquet's term allows for an understanding that the transclasse is not a rigidly definable identity category, and instead reflects individual experiences of liminality. In this article, I demonstrate the continuing relevance of Jaquet's theorisations by analysing the ways in which Kaoutar Harchi's memoir Comme nous existons explores the unique position of double absence that she occupies as a transclasse who must also navigate her identity as the child of postcolonial immigrants in France, using Abdelmalek Sayad's work La double absence in dialogue with Jaquet and Harchi.

A Critical Analysis of Immigrant Children and Adolescents in U.S. Professional Counseling Literature

ABSTRACT In this content analysis, we examined 20 years of peer-reviewed counseling research with immigrant children and adolescents published between 2002–2022. We conducted a comprehensive analysis that included a total of 32 articles from American Counseling Association (ACA) and ACA division journals. We analyzed the articles and identified five overarching themes that shed light on the publication trends and existing gaps in the literature concerning issues of immigrant children and adolescents. Recommendations are presented and discussed for advancing future practice and research in the counseling field.

Immigrants’ habitus transference and recreational expectations in urban parks cultural landscape settings

ABSTRACT This paper draws attention to the importance of immigrants’ efforts to maintain their cultural identities, which are often manifested through the way they use the built environment for recreational activities. It investigates the way recent first-generation Iranian immigrants use the Australian cultural landscape, specifically urban parks, for recreational activities. The process of habitus transference and the role of park settings and design characters in immigrants’ use of these spaces are examined by applying Q methodology with photographs, along with observation and semi- structured in-depth individual interviews. This study suggests that in the process of habitus transference recent immigrants tend to undertake recreational activities in the settings that support their understanding of landscape as mediated by their cultural background. It highlights the recent immigrants’ expectations of these spaces and the importance of a ‘fit’ between habitus and the park settings in generating a ‘sense of belonging’. However, the settings that are not aligned with the immigrants’ expectations and understanding of park spaces may alter their patterns of use after migration. The results of this study support urban park settings that offer a broad range of experiences: from naturalness to developed settings suitable for social activities.

Historical memory as a factor of family and state socialization (on the example of generations of “local” and “newcomers” of Kazan)

The problem of comparative study of socialization in the commemorative field of the family and the state is posed on the example of generations of immigrants and internal migrants. The parallel existence of discourses of family and official historical memory is stated. Based on a wide range of sources, common elements are identified in the family socialization of young generations and in the integration of “newcomers” by the state. The unifying mechanism is the “gift exchange” known to anthropologists and philosophers. It is proved that it is an important component of the worldview of immigrants and internal migrants of different generations, as well as official state narratives about the past. The hypothesis is proposed that full integration consists in the formation of a willingness to engage in a centuries-old exchange between this family and the state. Symbolic exchange, as in the case of socialization through family memory, should be beneficial to the family, and not to the state with the idea of sacrifice in its name. Thus, according to the authors, it is possible to overcome symbolic borders that are an obstacle to the integration of different generations of immigrants and internal migrants into the all-Russian commemorative space.

Intergenerational Social Mobility Among the Children of Immigrants in Western Europe: Between Socioeconomic Assimilation and Disadvantage

Intergenerational Social Mobility Among the Children of Immigrants in Western Europe: Between Socioeconomic Assimilation and Disadvantage

The risk of hemochromatosis among first- and second-generation immigrants: a cohort study of the total population in Sweden.

We aimed to analyze the risk of hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) among first-generation and second-generation immigrants in Sweden using Swedish-born individuals and Swedish-born individuals with Swedish-born parents as referents, respectively. All individuals aged 18 years of age and older, n = 6,180,500 in the first-generation study, and n = 4,589,930 in the second-generation study were included in the analyses. HH was defined as at least one registered diagnosis International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (E83.1) in the National Patient Register between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2018. Cox regression was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) with 99% confidence intervals (CI) owing to multiple testing, of incident HH with adjustments for age, cancer, other comorbidities, and socio-demographics. In the first-generation study, there were 5,112 cases of HH, and in the second-generation study 4,626 cases of HH. The adjusted HRs for first-generation men and women overall were 0.72 (99% CI: 0.63-0.82) and 0.61 (99% CI: 0.52-0.72), respectively, and for the second-generation men and women 0.72 (99% CI: 0.62-0.83) and 0.97 (99% CI: 0.83-1.14), respectively, with a higher risk found only among first-generation men from Western Europe, HR 1.47 (99% CI: 1.05-2.06), compared to the control group. Our findings indicate that the overall risk of HH was lower among both first-generation and second-generation immigrants when compared to individuals born in Sweden or with Swedish-born parents. An elevated risk for HH was observed exclusively among first-generation men originating from Western Europe. These findings represent new knowledge and should be of global interest.

Conceituações e encenações de precariedade e interculturalidade em escolas multiculturais e políticas educacionais no Chile

ABSTRACT There is an increasing demand to address interculturality in schools due to increasing global mobility at an institutional and practical levels. However, issues of identity and language commodification seem to hinder these processes in communities that have been historically and precariously minoritized such as indigenous and immigrant children. Hence, this embedded mixed-methods study analyses how interculturality is conceptualized, implemented, and experienced 1) in the National Policy for Foreign Students (2018-2022) (PNM); and 2) by six EFL teachers working in vulnerable multicultural educational contexts in Chile. First, the PNM document is analyzed following a corpus-assisted approach to critical discourse analysis. Then, the interviews were analyzed following a grounded approach to thematic coding. Results show a clear dichotomy between ontological and epistemological understanding of interculturality in which schools attempt to promote the critical coexistence of various cultures among their students and communities despite the precariousness they face and the lack of an intersectional understating of interculturality in the PNM.

Transition to adult healthcare for immigrant youth: Practice recommendations

IntroductionThe transition from pediatric to adult healthcare is challenging for adolescents and young adults (AYA) with pediatric-onset chronic health conditions. Although barriers faced by AYA during transition are well-documented, previous studies have not considered how migration and settlement impact patient and family experiences. ObjectivesTo fill this gap, we conducted a qualitative descriptive study to explore the recommendations for policy and practice from the perspectives of immigrant and refugee AYA living with chronic health conditions in Canada as they transition from pediatric to adult healthcare. We also sought the perspectives of their parents/caregivers and service providers. MethodsSemi-structured individual interviews and focus groups were conducted with 20 AYA, 14 caregivers, and 5 service providers. AYA were 1st or 2nd generation immigrants to Canada, aged 16–25, with childhood-onset chronic health conditions. Parents or caregivers were 1st generation immigrants, having children with chronic health conditions. Service providers delivered healthcare or other services to immigrant populations. ResultsRecommendations to improve the transition process and mitigate barriers to care included providing more accessible information about patients’ health conditions prior to transition, moving the age of transfer beyond age 18, establishing a centralized online health portal for patients who are transitioning to the adult system, providing family case workers, increasing language support, and increasing cross-sector support. ConclusionA broad range of recommendations aimed at improving the transition process were provided. Future interventions to support transition from pediatric to adult care for immigrants and refugees should incorporate these recommendations.

Change and Decline in London's Jewish East End: The Yiddish Sketches of Katie Brown

Abstract: The British Yiddish writer Katie Brown wrote humorous stories and sketches for the London Yiddish newspapers Di post (The Post) in the 1930s and Di tsayt (The Times) in the 1940s. The stories, set in London's Jewish East End, concern the day-to-day effects of immigration, poverty, and Jewish culture in Britain. After the Second World War, in a bombed-out East End where Jewish migration to the suburbs was accelerating, Brown did not write entirely new sketches, but rather edited versions of her prewar stories. Looking at the earlier and later stories together, we get a sense of the changes happening to London's Jewish community: the decline of Jewish culture and religious practice, the changing relationship with the Eastern European homeland, and the decline of the Yiddish language. Through close reading and analysis, this article gives historical background to Brown and the social, cultural, and political context of her stories. It situates Brown as the only female journalist writing regularly for the press and identifies her unique perspective in making poignant interventions into Jewish debates of the day through stories of small incidents in family life. She raises questions around how to maintain a Jewish identity in England and visibility as a Jew in a Christian world, and traces change through two decades by describing the tension between the immigrant generation and their children. Using a range of neglected source material in Yiddish, this article throws new light on the Jewish East End in its twilight years.

Between the lines: A mixed-methods study on the impacts of parental deportation on the health and well-being of U.S. citizen children

ObjectiveTo explore the impacts of parental deportation on the health and well-being of U.S. citizen children of Mexican immigrants. MethodsFrom 2019–2020, this ambi-directional cohort study recruited U.S.-based families with an undocumented Mexican immigrant parent and U.S.-citizen childrens (ages 13–17) recently exposed to parental deportation (N = 61), and similar families without a history of parental deportation (N = 51). Children health, behavioral, economic, and academic outcomes were measured via phone surveys upon enrollment and six months later. A subsample of “exposed” caregivers (N = 14) also completed in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using fixed-effects regression models and thematic analyses. ResultsChildrens exposed to parental deportation had significantly worse health status, behavioral problems, material hardship, and academic outcomes than children in the control arm (p<.05). Caregivers’ interviews illustrated these health, behavioral, academic and family impacts. ConclusionsParental deportations have wide and potentially long-lasting health, behavioral, economic, and academic consequences for U.S. citizen youth. Changes in immigration policies and enforcement practices are urgently needed to protect the unity of mixed-legal status families in the U.S. and prevent the suffering of U.S. children in these families.

Identity Building through a Sense of Injustice for Housing Estate Kids Historical Transmission, Segregation Processes and Radical Stances

Made up for the most part of children of blue-collar workers and immigrants, the youth of French housing estates is yet denied the social organization of the labor community. The legacy of its working-class past is all the more heavy to carry that its present is as uneasy and uncertain as ever. This is why these young people have developed, over two generations, a way of life that is partly specific to them, from creating their own “street culture” to practicing Islam with varying degrees of assiduity, to starting a career in petty crimes – the latter aiming to counteract unemployment and general precariousness. While most are not delinquents, they are faced, as the “inheritors of the working-class neighborhoods,” with economic hardship and discrimination, making them the scapegoats of a country that yet is a democracy. That is why within less than 30 years, as a response to both social frustration and the contempt shown by elites and administrative institutions alike, a sense of collective injustice permeates the youth-and those who are now adults-in these neighborhoods.

Croatian immigrants’ trust in the police in Croatia and abroad: The roles of police integrity and transnational migration factors

Abstract Research posits that immigrants view the police in the host countries more positively, especially when their experiences with the homeland police are unpleasant. However, empirical research often focuses on immigrants of color in White-dominant countries with drastically different cultures from their own. Using survey data of the first-generation Croatian immigrants in Germany (N = 274) and Ireland (N = 219), our research looks at how Croatian immigrants in two geopolitically adjacent countries perceive the police in both their homeland and current countries of residence. We find that police integrity factors have the greatest impact on immigrants’ trust in the police; namely, perceived corruption with the police consistently erodes Croatian immigrants’ trust in the police across contexts. The nature of immigrants’ previous contact with the police also helps determine their trust in the police in their host countries. Finally, transnational migration factors only have a conditional effect on the outcome.

Factors influencing communication between parents and early childhood educators in multilingual Luxembourg

The collaboration between educators of early childhood education and care (ECEC) and parents has a significant positive impact on children's development, particularly for young immigrant children. However, research in multilingual and multicultural contexts is scarce. Therefore, the aim of the present study conducted in multilingual ECEC context in Luxembourg was twofold: (1) to identify the significant predictors that influence goal-oriented communication between parents and educators, and (2) to showcase a dynamic interplay between these factors in practice through observations and interviews. To address the first aim, we conducted two regression analyses, one involving parents (N = 323) and the other educators (N = 289). The analysis with parents showed that the most significant factor that influenced goal-oriented communication was parent satisfaction, while for educators it was educators’ professional attitudes towards parents and parent involvement. Furthermore, the results from interviews and observations of parent involvement in literacy activities in two multilingual centres showed that these factors are closely linked. When educators have positive attitudes, they will communicate more frequently and purposefully, and offer opportunities for parents to be involved, which will then lead to parent satisfaction. This study has important implications for policymakers, practitioners, and parents especially in multilingual contexts.

Benefits and Challenges of Adolescents’ Participation in Organized Activities for Mexican-origin Families

In our study, we aimed to qualitatively understand Mexican-origin parents’ perceptions of how adolescents’ participation in organized activities can contribute to benefits and challenges for families and examine whether these benefits and challenges varied depending on the parents’ level of enculturation to Mexican culture. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 34 Mexican-origin parents (mean age = 39.45; 47% 1st generation immigrants, 26% 1.5 generation, and 26% 2nd generation). Inductive and deductive approaches were used in multiple iterative stages of coding to determine the final themes. A cross-case analysis was conducted to compare parents’ responses based on their enculturation to Mexican culture. Parents perceived that the benefits of adolescents’ participation in organized activities were protection, family bonding, transfer of skills, and reinforcement of family ethnic culture. The challenges parents reported were exposure to unsafe situations, constraints on family resources, and family conflict. Parents with a higher enculturation to Mexican culture, more frequently reported family bonding and reinforcement of family ethnic culture as a benefit and family conflict as a challenge of activities compared to parents with a lower enculturation. Findings from our study have implications to help organized activities be culturally responsive to the Mexican-origin families and adolescents they serve.

The Transparent Eyes from Limbo in Hisaye Yamamoto’s Stories

ABSTRACT In her short-story collection Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories (1988), Japanese-American writer Hisaye Yamamoto (1921–2011) depicts the spiritual predicament of the Nisei, the children of Japanese immigrants, after World War II when they were incarcerated in camps. Because they were born in America, the Nisei are not Japanese like their parents, nor are they familiar with Japanese culture and tradition; however, they are not American either. Japanese Americans were not considered “proper” Americans because Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Yamamoto depicts the Nisei’s vulnerability through various motifs, the most overt of which is the imagery of perception. As the Nisei straddle the line between Japan and America and therefore lack a sense of cultural belonging, their seeing is free of national ideologies yet also unrooted. This analysis connects the Nisei’s vulnerability to Limbo in Dante’s Inferno, whose inhabitants are not condemned to eternal torture but remain trapped in indeterminacy without hope of salvation. The souls in Limbo signify the hazy status of the Nisei, who exist in the purgatory of identity.

Immigrant Parent Legal Status and Children's Health in the Hispanic Community Health Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth).

We assess how immigrant parent legal status shapes children's physical and mental health. Using the Hispanic Community Health Study of Latino Youth-a multi-site dataset-we evaluated mean differences in multiple physical and mental health indicators and parents' and children's stress and resilience by parents' (primarily mothers') legal status (N = 1177). We estimated regression models of two overall child health outcomes-allostatic load and any internalized disorder. Average allostatic load was 28% higher (0.36 standard deviations) and average prevalence of any internalizing disorder was 16% points greater for children of foreign-born unauthorized versus US-born parents. Higher levels of socioeconomic and acculturative stress contributed to children of foreign-born unauthorized parents' heightened health risk, while resilience factors-parental health and familial support-protected their health. Children with unauthorized immigrant parents experience both negative physical and mental health outcomes that can have potential long-term costs.

Problematics of Science Learning With Limited Educators at Sentul Community Learning Center Kuala Lumpur

Background: In the context of science learning, the readiness of teaching staff greatly influences learning because the difficulties experienced by teachers are a trigger for learning failure in students and give rise to the view that science is a difficult subject. Aim: The aim of this research is to analyze the problems of science learning within the limited teachers in the Sentul Community Learning Center Kuala Lumpur. The Sentul Community Learning Center is a non-formal school for Indonesian immigrant children who do not have the opportunity to attend formal school in Kuala Lumpur. Method: This research uses a qualitative approach, and the type of research is descriptive research. The data collection methods used were interviews, observation, and documentation. Results and Dıscussion: In implementing science learning at the Sentul Community Learning Center, there are many limitations, especially in terms of teachers. Science learning is taught to students in grades three to six at one time because the Sentul community learning center lacks teachers and there are no adequate facilities to support science learning. Conclusion: Even though science learning at the Sentul community learning center is not yet effective and efficient, considering all the limitations of teaching staff as well as media and infrastructure for science learning, the implementation of learning at the Sentul community learning center is one form of effort made so that students receive education equivalent to formal schools.

Case Study: Parenting Use of Digital Technology in Preschool Children by Middle-Class Digital Immigrant Parents

This study explores parents' knowledge of digital technology among the digital immigrant generation, who often face difficulties in utilizing technology, parenting practices for preschool children, and associated challenges. It employs qualitative research through a case study method, conducting interviews with parents born before 1981, having children aged 0-6 years, and falling within the lower-middle-class income bracket. This research was conducted from May to June 2023 in Bandung. From the five informants, it was evident that they possessed various digital devices, including smartphones, televisions, computers, and laptops with internet connections. Despite not growing up with digital technology, these parents utilize smartphones to enhance their children's motor and language development, often through educational videos or entertainment, such as games. Nonetheless, they face challenges and risks, such as children becoming overly reliant on technology and reducing their direct social interaction. In the current digital age, parents play a crucial role in ensuring appropriate and safe digital technology usage for preschool-aged children whose cognitive and functional abilities are still developing. Consequently, these findings emphasize the need for parents to exercise careful supervision of the content accessed by their children, potentially by implementing special rules or restrictions on screen time.