Living between two cultures : personality and adaptation in Chinese immigrant youth /

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between shyness and acculturation modes of Chinese immigrant youth in Canada and whether shyness moderates the relationship between acculturation and adaptation. In addition, I examined whether shyness, in conjunction with sociability, moderates the relationship between acculturation and adaptation. Ninety-nine young Chinese immigrants (42 men), ranging in age from 16 to 26 years old, completed a questionnaire that assessed their demographic information, acculturation modes, shyness, sociability, psychological adaptation Oife satisfaction, self-esteem, and depression), and socio-cultural adaptation. Results showed that Chinese orientation was significantly and negatively correlated with age, generation status, English proficiency, and length of residence in Canada. In contrast, Canadian orientation was significantly and positively correlated with generation status, English proficiency, and length of residence in Canada. Canadian orientation was also significantly and negatively correlated with shyness and positively correlated with sociability and psychological and socio-cultural adaptation. Participants who were shyer were more likely to have poorer psychological and socio-cultural adaptation, and to report lower life satisfaction and self-esteem and higher depression. Results from hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that Chinese immigrant youth who were separated had higher scores on shyness than those who were integrated and assimilated. There were no significant differences in shyness between youth who were separated and youth who were marginalized, nor were there differences between youth who were integrated and those who were assimilated. Furthermore, integrated Chinese youth reported significantly higher scores in sociability than those who were separated and marginalized but not significantly higher than those who were assimilated.' Shyness did not moderate the relationship between acculturation modes and psychological and socio-cultural adaptation. Unfortunately, the hypothesis to examine if shyness, in combination with sociability, moderated the relationship between acculturation and psychological adaptation could not be tested in the present study because of limitations in cell sizes. The findings suggested that how Chinese immigrant youth acculturate in the receiving country might not be the crucial factor in determining their adaptation. Instead, other factors, such as personality characteristics and nature of the acculturating group, may playa more crucial role. Shyness may have important ramifications for the acculturation and adaptation of young Chinese immigrants to a new society.

L'Acolliment de l'alumnat nouvingut als centres educatius

En els últims anys s’ha viscut a Catalunya, com a la resta d’Espanya un procés d’arribada continuo i creixent de persones provinents d’altres països. Evidentment aquest fenomen repercuteix directament als centres educatius. A Catalunya, tenim alumnes procedents de més de 150 estats. Ha estat una arribada molt ràpida i amb una distribució que afecta a totes les comarques catalanes. Aquest augment de població nouvinguda que viu a Catalunya planteja al sistema educatiu català uns reptes importants. Concretament ens trobem davant de tradicions educatives molt diverses per aquests nens i nenes i les seves famílies, la pluralitat de llengües en les escoles i sobretot el desconeixement del català ( llengua vehicular en l’educació) de la majoria d’alumnes nouvinguts; els diferents orígens culturals i també la diferència de coneixements apresos prèviament pels alumnes; les expectatives de l’alumne i la seva família sobre el concepte d’escola. Totes aquestes variants provoquen una multitud de circumstàncies que dins d’una escola, poden generar un xoc si l’Administració educativa no aporta els recursos humans, econòmics i normatius adequats. Per això davant d’aquesta realitat, el Departament d’Educació posa en funcionament el curs 2004-2005 les aules d’acollida, com una resposta a aquest nou repte educatiu. La creació d’una aula d'acollida implica una dotació de professorat, una dotació informàtica amb el programari adient, una dotació econòmica inicial per a l’adquisició de material didàctic, formació específica per al tutor o la tutora de l’aula d’acollida i per als professionals que intervenen en el procés d’acollida, a càrrec dels assessors/es LIC ( llengua, interculturalitat i cohesió social) que el Departament d’Educació té arreu de Catalunya. Actualment el nombre d’aules d’acollida ha quedat estabilitzat, ja que degut a la crisi que afecta al nostre país no emigren tantes famílies d’origen estranger

Els processos de socialització dels adolescents immigrants: la xarxa d’amistats del jovent nouvingut a Palma

La consolidació d’una xarxa d’amistats esdevé una vertadera prioritat en la vida de qualsevol adolescent, més encara si es tracta de persones que han aterrat recentment en un entorn que els resulta del tot desconegut. D’aquesta manera, l’article que us ocupa pretén oferir una panoràmica real dels processos de socialització dels joves immigrants, tot partint d’un estudi empíric realitzat a la ciutat de Palma que analitza tres col·lectius concrets: argentins, marroquins i xinesos. Així, doncs, els resultats aquí plantejats permeten interpretar amb certa nitidesa quina és la genètica a partir de la qual es vertebren les relacions amb iguals d’aquests nouvinguts, amb les conseqüències que de tots aquests processos es poden derivar, en Educació Infantil i del Grau en Educació Primària de la Universitat de les Illes Balears.

The utilisation of skilled immigrants and skilled Refugees in countries of destination

about 82 million immigrants in the OECD area; and worldwide, there are about 191 million immigrants and displaced persons, and some 30-40 million unauthorised immigrants. Also according to recent OECD report, little in-depth research has been carried out to-date to help decision makers in government, business, and society at large, to better understand the complexities and wider consequences of future migration flows. Literatures have also indicated that the lack of a skilled population in muchneeded occupations in countries of destination have contributed to the need to bring in skilled foreign workers. Furthermore, despite current global financial crisis, some areas of occupation are in need of skilled workers such that in a job-scarce environment jobs become fewer and employers are more likely to demand skilled workers from both natives and immigrants. Global competition for labour is expected to intensify, especially for top talent, highly qualified and semi-skilled individuals. This exacerbate the problems faced by current skilled immigrants and skilled refugees, particularly those from non-main English speaking countries who are not employed at optimal skill level in countries of destination. The research study investigates whether skilled immigrants are being effectively utilised in their countries of destination, in the context of employment. In addition to skilled immigrants, data sampling will also include skilled refugees who, although arriving under the humanitarian program, possess formal qualifications from their country of origin. Underlying variables will be explored such as the strength of social capital or interpersonal ties; and human capital in terms of educational attainment and proficiency in the English Language. The aim of the study is to explain the relationship between the variables; and whether the variables influence the employment outcomes. A broad-ranging preliminary literature review has been undertaken to explore the substantial bodies of knowledge on skilled immigrants worldwide, including skilled refugees; and to investigate whether the utilisation issues are universal or specific to a country. In addition, preliminary empirical research and analysis has been undertaken, to set the research focus and to identify the problems beyond literature. Preliminary findings have indicated that immigrants and refugees from non-main English speaking countries are particularly impacted by employment issues regardless of their skills and qualifications acquired in their country of origins; compared with immigrants from main-English speaking countries. Preliminary findings from the literature review also indicate that gaps in knowledge still exist. Although the past two decades have witnessed a virtual explosion of theory and research on international migration, no in-depth research has been located that specifically links immigrants and refugees social and human capitals in terms of employment outcomes. This research study aims to fill these gaps in research; and subsequently contribute to contemporary body of knowledge in literatures on the utilisation of skilled immigrants and skilled refugees, specifically those from non-main English speaking countries. A mixed methods design will be used, which incorporates techniques from both quantitative and qualitative research traditions that will be triangulated at the end of the data collection stage.

Avoidance of advertising on social networking sites : the teenage perspective

Technology has provided consumers with the means to control and edit the information that they receive and share effectively, especially in the online environment. Although previous studies have investigated advertising avoidance in traditional media and on the Internet, there has been little investigation of advertising on social networking sites. This exploratory study examines the antecedents of advertising avoidance on online social networking sites, leading to the development of a model. The model suggests that advertising in the online social networking environment is more likely to be avoided if the user has expectations of a negative experience, the advertising is not relevant to the user, the user is skeptical toward the advertising message, or the consumer is skeptical toward the advertising medium.

Osteopenia in a teenage boy presenting with previously undiagnosed guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT) deficiency and response to creatine supplementation

A 16 y.o. fully ambulant boy born to consanguineous Indian parents, presented for assessment of a fragility femoral neck fracture sustained against a background of autism and moderately severe intellectual disability. He had a past history of infantile eczema, and epilepsy treated with anticonvulsants from 2 to 10 years of age, with no further seizures following cessation of anticonvulsants. He had a thin body habitus (see Table 1) with long fingers and a high arched palate. He had no speech and negligible social interaction, but physical examination was otherwise unremarkable. Positive investigations revealed an undetectable serum creatinine and a urinary metabolic screen which showed an elevated GUA:Phe of 160 (< 36) and a decreased creatinine of 0.3 mmol/l (1.2–29.5) consistent with the diagnosis of guanidinoacetate methyltransferase(GAMT) deficiency. He was commenced on oral creatine 5 g three times daily. Despite improvement in physical activity, height and bone density, there was no discernable improvement in his intellectual functioning. Proton and phosphorous brain and leg magnetic resonance spectroscopy(MRS) was performed at baseline and showed an increased inorganic phosphorus peak and decreased phosphocreatine synthesis in brain and decreased creatine concentration in muscle. Following creatine treatment total brain creatine(1H-MRS) and phosphocreatine/ATP ratio (31P-MRS) content increased to 30% and 60% of control values, respectively. Brain GUA returned to normal levels.

Ruptures in the production of girlhood : teenage flows and multiplicities [Abstract]

This paper examines the paradoxical and ubiquitous nature of Butler’s heterosexual matrix, and opens it up to an alternative Deleuzian analysis. Drawing on stories and art works produced in a collective biography workshop on girls and sexuality this paper extends previous work on the subversion of the heterosexual matrix undertaken by Renold and Ringrose (2008). The paper moves, as they do, from a molar to a molecular analysis, but extends that work by re-thinking the girl/subject in terms of Deleuze and Guattari’s endlessly transforming multiplicities where “the self is only a threshold, a door, a becoming between two multiplicities” (Deleuze and Guattari, 1987: 249)