Why are African Immigrant Students Succeeding in School?



Why are African Immigrant Students Succeeding in School?

Introduction

Background of Study

Early research reported the benefits of home-school partnerships in supporting children's scholastic achievement and in enhancing parents' attitudes about themselves and the roles that they and school personnel play in their children's learning (Epstein, 1987; Henderson, 1987; Smrekar, 1996). Teachers recognize the benefits derived from such partnerships by gaining insights about their students and their home environment, which support what Delpit (1988) terms the necessity of accessing the “culture of power” for school success. Yet the widespread acceptance of the efficacy of supporting parent involvement in their children's schooling is not evidenced in widespread practice. Mother tongue, socio-economic status, culture, and education levels influence parents' readiness to engage in home-school partnerships, as well as the roles they are able to play in such partnerships.

Immigrant parents in Moles' (1993) research often felt uncomfortable and fearful when visiting their children's schools because they had difficulty communicating effectively in English. They were unaware of the school's expectations for parent involvement and unfamiliar with the technical language used by teachers to describe curriculum and instructional strategies. Teachers in DelgadoGaitan's (1996) and Purcell-Gates's (1995) research did not recognize these barriers to immigrant parent involvement. Instead, they misinterpreted immigrant parents' minimal or absent participation in school-related events as evidence that parents were not interested in their children's schooling. Similarly, Cummins (2000) found that “if ability to speak English and the knowledge of North American cultural conventions are made prerequisites for 'parental involvement,' then many of those parents will be defined as apathetic and incompetent and will play out their pre-ordained role of non-involvement” (p. 8). These studies correlate parent involvement with their “learning to decode the system” (Stanton-Salazar, 1997, p. 13).

Statement of the Problem

Immigrant students that seek education in the United States of America face various problems in the attempt to gain education. African immigrants are precisely amongst the very few of the immigrant students that do not have much issues in succeeding in their academic careers in the United States of America.

Research Question

Why do African immigrant students not face the common issues faced by most immigrant students in gaining knowledge abroad?

What cultural aspects influence the ability to be successful in the academic careers of students that study abroad?

What ways can enable the immigrant students to succeed in their careers while studying abroad?

Significance of Problem

A demographic shift has initiated many changes in school districts in the United States. Schools are trying to address the needs of a school-age population that is culturally, linguistically, ethnically, and economically diverse (CLEED). However, there is one group that continues to be “invisible” in our schools, and that group is students of new African immigrants. These children come from a continent of great diversity that includes many countries (Speer, 1995). They come from the North to south of the Sahara and have a phenotype that ranges from White Africans to Black Africans. They come from Anglophone- to Francophone-speaking countries and from various socioeconomic ...