The effect of group counseling on the self-esteem, attendance, and counselor utilization of immigrant Hispanic secondary limited English proficient students

As the population of the United States becomes more diverse and the immigrant Hispanic, limited English proficient (LEP) school age population continues to grow, understanding and addressing the needs of these students becomes a pressing question. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of group counseling, by a bilingual counselor, on the self-esteem, attendance and counselor utilization of Hispanic LEP high school students. The design for this study was a quasi-experimental design. The experimental and control groups consisted of one class from each of the four levels of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), I-IV. The counseling intervention, the independent variable, was delivered by a bilingual counselor once a week, for fifteen weeks.^ A total of 112 immigrant Hispanic LEP students selected from the total ESOL student population participated in the study. The experimental and control groups were administered the Culture Free Self Esteem Inventory (CFSEI) Form AD as a pretest and posttest. The Background Information Questionnaire (BIQ) was utilized to gather information on counselor utilization and demographic data. Attendance data were obtained from the students' computer records. At the conclusion of the study the differences between the experimental and control groups on the three dependent variables were compared.^ Statistical analyses of the data were done using SPSS statistical software. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was utilized to determine if there were significant differences in the self-esteem scores, attendance and counselor utilization. Correlational analyses was utilized to determine if there was a relationship between English language proficiency and self-esteem and between acculturation level and self-esteem.^ The study results indicate that there were no significant differences in the self-esteem scores and attendance of the subjects in the experimental group at the completion of the group counseling treatment. Counselor utilization was statistically significant for the targeted population. A relationship was found between English language proficiency level and self-esteem scores for students in ESOL levels II, III and IV. No significant correlation was found between acculturation and self-esteem.^ Research on the dropout rates of LEP coupled with the results of this study show that students at the intermediate and advanced levels of ESOL (III and IV) exhibit more positive self-esteem and achieve higher graduation rates that levels I and II. LEP students at levels I and II, once they became familiar with the role and function of school counselors through group counseling, utilized their services. ^

Community formation among Asian Indians in southeast Florida

Nearly one million Asian Indians have immigrated to the United States. Asian Indians are scattered across wide geographic areas. While some have chosen transnationalism, most are taking the traditional route of building ethnic communities. Using what the West has to offer in terms of communication and transportation technologies, they are constructing communities without geographic boundaries, with the extensive use of the automobile and air transportation, cellular phones, FAX machines, commercial delivery services, multi-party conference phones. Also, they are incorporating the American tradition of immigrant associations into an Asian Indian syncretism of community. In the process there emerges an Asian Indian identity and concept of kinship and community. ^

Social and cultural influences in the formation of identity: A cross-national/cultural study

This multi-site, multi-ethnic/cultural study examined the effects of variation between ethnic/cultural groups and the effects of institutional variation within ethnic/cultural groups on identity formation. The participants were 892 late adolescent college students from six sites in 5 countries (Brazil, China, Costa Rica, US, and Sweden) representing different linguistic and ethnic/cultural traditions living in the context of varied social conditions. As hypothesized, there were significant differences in the proportion of identity statuses between sites in the Personal domain, $\chi\sp2$(20, N = 858) = 164.78, $p<.001,$ the Interpersonal domain, $\chi\sp2$(20, N = 858) = 145.69, $p<.001,$ and the World View domain, $\chi\sp2$(20, N = 858) = 120.89, $p<.001,$ but the distribution of the differences was more complex than expected. In addition, there were significant differences in Identity Satisfaction among sites, F(15, 2325) = 12.65, $p<.001.$ Further univariate analyses revealed that differences among sites were found on Identity Satisfaction in the personal, interpersonal and world view domain. The direction of the differences, however, were more complex than hypothesized.^ The second hypothesis was confirmed but only with the world view identity status and not for each of the six sites. Stepwise discriminant analyses showed that Identity status in the world view domain was predicted by Institutional Support in Nebraska, gender and Institutional Change in Brazil, and Institutional Access in China. Lastly and as hypothesized, some Institutional Attributes significantly predicted Overall Identity Satisfaction in all sites as revealed by multivariate regression analyses, except in Sweden, F (5, 79) =.660, p =.65. These findings extend the literature on identity formation not only by having investigated how culture influences the process of identity formation with samples representing different ethnic/cultural and linguistically different populations but also by empirically testing the role that social processes play in identity formation at the cross-cultural level. ^

Safety habits promoted by Hispanic parents for school-aged and adolescent children

Accidents are the leading cause of death among children. Compliance with safety measures have been shown to reduce morbidity and mortality in children. However, Hispanic parents and children have not been adequately studied in the literature in regard to trauma and safety habits utilized. In this exploratory-descriptive study, a convenience sample of 48 Hispanic parents were questioned about their child's activities. The purpose was to determine what safety equipment was used during these activities and how often they were used. Responses to an English/Spanish questionnaire were summarized by frequencies and percentages. Findings suggested that these Hispanic children were at risk for injury due to a low percentage of children wearing the necessary protective equipment. Therefore, education must stress consistent use of safety equipment if injuries are to be prevented. ^

Equity policy, educational practice, and limited English proficient (LEP) students in two high schools in Miami

Most studies of language minority students' performance focus on students' characteristics. This study uses qualitative methodology to examine instead how educational policies and practices affect the tracking of language minority students who are classified as limited English proficient (LEP). The placement of LEP students in core courses (English, Math, Social Studies, and Science) is seen as resulting from the interaction between school context and student characteristics. The school context includes factors such as equity policy requirements, overcrowding, attitudes regarding immigrants' academic potential, tracking, and testing practices. Interaction among these factors frequently leads to placement in lower track courses. It was found that the absence of formal tracks could be misleading to immigrant students, particularly those with high aspirations who do not understand the implications of the informal tracking system. Findings are discussed in relation to current theoretical explanations for minority student performance. ^

Comparative analysis of a moderating and mediating model of stress, appraisal, and coping in Hispanic and non-Hispanic Alzheimer's disease caregivers

This dissertation utilizes a cross-sectional study to examine the phenomenon of caregiving within a theoretically grounded stress, appraisal, and coping model. Hispanic and non-Hispanic caregivers were studied to examine the factors associated with variance in caregiver appraisal, coping, and outcomes of caregiving strain (depression and somatic complaints) and caregiving gain (life satisfaction, mastery, and personal gain). A purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit 204 Alzheimer's disease caregivers in South Florida. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect demographic data, and to measure stress, appraisal, coping, and psychological well-being of caregivers. Regression equations were developed to compare moderating and mediating models of appraisal and coping. Emotion-focused coping skills were found to significantly moderate the effects of stress (F [1,195] = 4.62, p < .05), explaining approximately 21% of the variance in satisfaction was found to moderate the effects of stress (F [1,195] = 7.09; p < .05), explaining approximately 27% of the variance in personal gain and approximately 8% of the variance in life satisfaction (F [1,195] = 4.14; p < .05). Appraisal of Burden was found to significantly mediate the effects of stress, explaining approximately 30% of the variance in somatic complaints (F [1,196] = 31.60; p < .001) and 32% of the variance in depression (F [1,196] = 38.18; p < .001). The results of the analyses indicate that appraisal and coping skills are important variables in the stress process. The results of this study underscore the importance of accounting for positive and negative outcomes in providing a fuller understanding of the stress, appraisal and coping process of Alzheimer's Disease caregivers. ^

Voices at the shore: Ethnolinguistic identity among adolescent Haitian students

Newly immigrated Haitian adolescent students enrolled in the Miami-Dade Public School System and designated as Limited English Proficient (LEP) face many challenges as they adjust to new expectations for performance and success in the family, school, and community. The dissertation examines the emerging self-identities of 32 Haitian LEP students attempting to fit in and succeed within the classrooms and larger community of Miami. Research questions asked include (1) What models for self-identity, including education and careers, are postulated for young Haitians? (2) What are the discourses and cultural models through which these identities are expressed? (3) How does the school assign identities to Haitian students? (4) How do the notions of identities conflict? and (5) How do emergent identities affect the students, orientations, adaptation, and performance in the worlds of secondary and higher education? ^ Research was conducted longitudinally over a three-year period (1996–1999) within the Miami-Dade Public School System and within the Miami Haitian community. Research methods included ethnographic research (participant and nonparticipant observation); interview; collection of oral histories; focus groups; and the examination of school records (grades, attendance, test scores). ^ The findings suggest that despite pressures from school and peers many Haitian students maintain a strong ethnolinguistic identity that provides the means to maintain an ideal “student” identity even as it conflicts with the American school Is negative marking of the LEP students I social background, culture, and language. The label “limited proficient” also limits the Haitian students' access to strong remedial or advanced academic programs and hence to future opportunities. ^ In conclusion, it is recommended that a re-working of the ways Haitian immigrant students are identified, tested, counseled, and advanced to other academic programs is necessary. ^

The academic orientation of first and second generation Nicaraguan immigrant adolescents

The rise in diversity and numbers of U.S. immigrants since 1965 has spawned a number of studies about the education of these immigrants and their children. Most of this research finds that school-age immigrants arriving in the last 20 years have the highest drop-out rates, lowest test scores, and are less likely than their native born peers to go to college. This dissertation examines the experiences of Nicaraguan immigrant youth living in Miami and the factors that make some of these adolescents feel positive about education, while others have negative attitudes about education. The method for this study combined structured and unstructured interviews, participant observation, focus groups, and data collected from a larger data set to understand the academic orientation of 25 Nicaraguan youths over a 4-year period. One of the independent variables is length of time in the United States. During the time of my initial contact with the subjects, 6 had been living in the United States for less than 3 years, 14 had been living in the United States between 6 and 12 years, and 6 had been living in the in the United States most or all of their lives (either they were born in the United States or had resided here for over 12 years). ^ Results are based on the students' particular experiences, which influence the dependent variable, academic orientation. Besides length of time, the independent variables also include ethnic self-identity, perceived discrimination, social capital in Miami, and peer influence. The study finds that those who are very recent arrivals have a “dual frame of reference,” that is, they directly compare their educational opportunities here in the United States, with their prior, often less favorable, situation in their homeland. Many of those who were born in Nicaragua, but have been residing in Miami most of their lives, have a less favorable view of education based on a higher degree of perceived discrimination. However, those who are second generation Nicaraguans deliberately take advantage of the strength inherent in their co-ethnic community unique to Miami. Recognition of this ethnic community prompts them to perceive education as worthwhile. ^

Mentoring and minority student development

Positive student development is a complex and multidimensional process, and is therefore best understood through interdisciplinary approaches. Recently, researchers studying the optimization of student development have responded to the challenge by using and integrating concepts from both educational and human developmental theories (King & Magdola, 1999). This theoretical confluence holds significant promise for ethnic minority college students due to the particular challenges these students often encounter. This research assesses individuals involved in an undergraduate educational and professional development mentoring intervention designed to optimize student development for ethnic minority students. First, in order to explore how development is fostered for minority college students, three objectives were pursued. The first objective was to assess the goals that students set for themselves and the degree of personal expressiveness they have in relation to their chosen goals. The second objective was to identify the types of challenges and obstacles that minority students perceive during their college years. The third objective was to identify the need for and availability of resources and support in overcoming obstacles to college success. Specifically, it was assessed whether (and in what ways) students involved in the intervention perceive significantly fewer obstacles and limitations to their development and greater availability of support and resources as a result of their involvement with the mentoring intervention. Second, the relationship between intervention involvement and students' perceptions of institutional and mentor nurturance and support was assessed. ^ A survey was conducted with 77 undergraduate students at Florida International University. A comparison-control design was used to compare students who were involved in the intervention (n = 38) and students who were not involved (n = 39) on variables related to their goals, perceived obstacles and supports, and college experiences. Results indicate that students in the intervention and students in the control group differed in goal orientation and perceived obstacles and supports. The two groups did not differ in their perceptions of institutional nurturance and support. Implications for the development and refinement of interventions aimed at fostering professional development for minority students are discussed. ^

Boundary maintenance in Qatar: Interpretation of domination, segregation and subordination

This study explores the interaction of expatriates in Qatar and their perception of their subordination. The study design included participant observation in an all female University and University housing as well as interviews with Qatari government agencies and ministries, expatriate embassies and expatriates. Semi-structured interviews were conducted across seven expatriate groups: domestic workers, unskilled laborers, semiskilled, professionals, housewives, second-generation expatriates with host country other than Qatar, second-generation expatriates with host country Qatar, and Gulf Cooperation Council citizens. Forty-two subjects completed the interview schedule while 87 interviews were incomplete. ^ Physical control of expatriates occurs through the Gulf practice of sponsorship (The Kafeel System), and local cultural and Islamic related controls intertwined with the Arab Code of honor. Interviews and observations revealed rankings of Arabs and foreigners which emphasize Qatari superiority such as tribal identity, moral ranking of female groups by dress, legal protection and power, sexual consideration and desexualization and salaries and job opportunities based on nationality and ethnicity. Individuals who desire to transcend boundaries into the Qatari realm through citizenship or marriage view Qataris as possessing the “image of the unlimited good” and have acquired Qatari social and cultural capital. Members from all expatriate groups engaged in various forms of resistance to labor and gender domination which ranged from forms of “exit,” expressing a hidden transcript in the privacy of their own group, disguised resistance in public, and occasionally, direct confrontation with the Qatari. Although the legal arena created the appearance that worker's needs were being addressed, laborers engaged in forms of “exit” to escape their oppression. Omani students in the hostel disguised their resistance by spreading gossip, nick-naming homosexual Qatari students at the University, acting out a skit depicting their exclusion from Qatari privilege, spreading rumors of impending freedom, and singing songs of despair in the courtyard. Other sites of resistance were expatriate embassies, the road, the newspaper and technology. This study emphasizes that blaming oppression of the expatriate worker on globalization is a simplistic view of oppression in the Gulf, and ignores complex issues within Qatari society and other Gulf States. Sponsorship, servitude, and gender segregation intersect in Qatar to create a system of segregation and domination of expatriates. ^

The acculturation of middle income Hispanic households

Research on the consumer behavior of the Hispanic population has recently attracted the attention of marketing practitioners as well as researchers. This study's purpose was to develop a model and scales to examine the acculturation process of Hispanic consumers with income levels of $35,000 and above, and its effects on their consumer behavior. The proposed model defined acculturation as a bilinear and multidimensional change process, measuring consumers' selective change process in four dimensions: language preference, Hispanic identification, American identification, and familism. A national sample of 653 consumers was analyzed. The scales developed for testing the model showed good to high internal consistency and adequate concurrent validity. According to the results, consumers' contact with Hispanic and Anglo acculturation agents generates change or reinforces consumers' language preferences. Language preference fully mediates the effects of the agents on consumers' American identification and familism; however, the effects of the acculturation agents on Hispanic identification are only partially mediated by individuals' language preference change. It was proposed that the acculturation process would have an effect on consumers' brand loyalty, attitudes towards high quality and prestigious brands, purchase frequency, and savings allocation for their children. Given the lack of significant differences between Hispanic and Anglo consumers and among Hispanic generations, only savings allocation for children's future was studied intensively. According to these results, Hispanic consumers' savings for their children is affected by consumers' language preference through their ethnic identification and familism. No moderating effects were found for consumers' gender, age, and country of origin, suggesting that individual differences do not affect consumers' acculturation process. Additionally, the effects of familism were tested among ethnic groups. The results suggest not only that familism discriminates among Hispanic and Anglo consumers, but also is a significant predictor of consumers' brand loyalty, brand quality attitudes, and savings allocation. Three acculturation segments were obtained through cluster analysis: bicultural, high acculturation, and low acculturation groups, supporting the biculturalism proposition. ^

Risk factors of coronary heart disease and correlates of type 2 diabetes among Cuban Americans

Cuban Americans, a minority Hispanic subgroup, have a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Persons with diabetes experience a higher rate of coronary heart disease (CHD) compared to those without diabetes. The objectives of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) are to investigate the risk factors of CHD and the etiology of diabetes among diabetics of minority ethnic populations. No information is available on the etiology of CHD risks for Cuban Americans. ^ This cross-sectional study compared Cuban Americans with (N = 79) and without (N = 80) type 2 diabetes residing in South Florida. Data on risk factors of CHD and type 2 diabetes were collected using sociodemographics, smoking habit, Rose Angina, Modifiable Activity, and Willet's food frequency questionnaires. Anthropometrics and blood pressure (BP) were recorded. Glucose, glycated hemoglobin, lipid profile, homocysteine, and C-reactive protein were assessed in fasting blood. ^ Diabetics reported a significantly higher rate of angina symptoms than non-diabetics (P = 0.008). After adjusting for age and gender, diabetics had significantly (P < 0.001) larger waist circumference and higher systolic BP than non-diabetics. There was no significant difference in major nutrient intakes between the groups. One quarter of subjects, both diabetics and non-diabetics, exceeded the intake of percent calories from total fat and almost 60% had cholesterol intake >200 mg/d and more than 60% had fiber intake <20 gm/d. The pattern of physical activity did not differ between groups though, it was much below the recommended level. After adjusting for age and gender, diabetics had significantly (P < 0.001) higher levels of blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, triglycerides, and homocysteine than non-diabetics. In contrast, diabetics had significantly (P < 0.01) lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). ^ Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that increasing age, male gender, large waist circumference, lack of acculturation, and high levels of triglycerides were independent risk factors of type 2 diabetes. In contrast, moderate alcohol consumption conferred protection against diabetes. ^ The study identified several risk factors of CHD and diabetes among Cuban Americans. Health care providers are encouraged to practice ethno-specific preventive measures to lower the burden of CHD and diabetes in Cuban Americans. ^

Hyphenated cultures: Ethnicity and nation in Trinidad

This dissertation attempts to unravel why and how postcolonial Trinidad has displayed relative stability in spite of the presence of the factors that have produced conflict and instability in other postcolonial societies.^ Trinidad's distinctive social formation began in the colonial period with a unique politics of culture among the landowning European groups, Anglican English and French Creole. Contrary to the materialist assumption of landowners' class solidarity, the development of Trinidad's plantation economy into two crops, each controlled by a separate European ethno-religious faction, impeded the integration and subsequent ideological domination of European-Christians. Throughout the nineteenth century neither group dominated the other, nor did they fuse into a single ruling class. The dynamics between them both generated recurring conflict while simultaneously creating mechanisms that limited conflict. ^ Based on original in-depth fieldwork and historical analysis, the dissertation proceeds to demonstrate that Trinidad's unique intra-class conflict within the dominant European population has produced hyphenated, as opposed to hybridized cultural elements. Supplementing the historical analysis with empirical examinations of contemporary inter-religious rituals and post-colonial politics this dissertation argues that social integration is inseparable from the question of inter-cultural mixture or articulation. In Trinidad, however, the resulting combination of distinct cultural elements is neither a "plural society" (M.G. Smith 1965; Despres 1967) nor an integrated totality in the structural-functionalistic sense (R.T. Smith 1962; Braithwaite 1967). Moreover, Trinidad does not conform to the post-structural framework's depiction of the social linkage between power and culture. The concept of cultural hybridization is equally misleading in the case of Trinidad. The underlying assumption of a monolithic European population's cultural hegemony and post-structural analysis's almost exclusive focus on the inter -class politics of culture seriously misrepresent and misunderstand Trinidadian cultural and its associated social and political relations. The dissertation examines this reflexive influence of culture not as an instrument of the powerful few but as an autonomous force that reproduces social divisions, yet restrains conflict.^

Racioethnic differences in job satisfaction: A test of orthogonal cultural identification theory and self -categorization theory

The theories of orthogonal cultural identification and self-categorization are offered as links in examining the possible racioethnic differences in job satisfaction. It is posited that racioethnicity (Cox & Blake, 1991) is multidimensional with at least three conceptually distinct dimensions. Since there is a need for consistent terminology with respect to these distinct dimensions, the following new terms are offered to differentiate among them: "physioethnicity" refers to the physiological dimension of racioethnicity; "socioethnicity" refers to the sociocultural dimension; and "psychoethnicity" refers to the psychological dimension.^ Results showed that for the dominant group (Hispanics in this case) (1) bicultural and multicultural individuals were more satisfied with coworkers than acultural and monocultural individuals and (2) individuals with higher strength of psychoethnicity were more satisfied with coworkers, the work itself, and supervision than those with lower strength of psychoethnicity. The findings suggest racioethnic differences within the dominant group and between groups beyond race. ^

The use of the Dade County student assistance profile in the identification of at -risk students at a minority senior high school

Current high school completion rates in Dade County and across the nation are considered to be unacceptable. This has led to the development of student assistance profiles to aid in the early identification of students considered to be at risk to allow for some form of intervention. The purpose of this research was to examine the current Dade County Public Schools profile as applied to one specific high school in which most of the students are Hispanic (mostly of Mexican descent) and Black (African-Americans, as well as recent Haitian immigrants). Additionally, the effectiveness of the alternative intervention program provided at this high school--a school within a school--were evaluated. School records of the 1992 in-coming ninth grade class became the initial data base. The individual student records of this cohort were then examined over a four-year period until their expected date or graduation. The DCPS profile used to identify potential dropouts from this group was evaluated, using chi-square and multivariate analysis, to determine its overall effectiveness, as well as the effectiveness of the individual indicators which comprise the profile. The Student Assistance Profile was found to an effective predictor, but it over-identified students from this cohort, particularly minorities, to the extent that it became largely ineffective, especially considering the limited resources available for intervention. The intervention program was found to be ineffective in reducing the dropout rate. Further analysis of the individual indicators used in the DCPS profile as they applied to this school population resulted in the development of an improved profile. By reducing the number of indicators to those found to be most highly associated with failure to graduate--academic performance and absences--a simpler student assistance profile was developed which appears to be better suited to high schools with similar demographics and budget restraints. ^