The differences between first, second, and third generation West African immigrant attitudes towards schooling

• In Event: Round-Table Session 3
  In Round-table Session: Interculturality, Immigration, and Education

Proposal

The Differences Between First, Second and Third Generation West African Immigrant Attitudes Towards Schooling

Claremont Graduate University

 
Introduction
One success story of the United States Immigration Act of 1965 that abolished national origin quota was that it opened the doors for more Africans to enter the United States (U.S.). Prior to the Immigration Act of 1965, the number of Africans who immigrated to the U.S. was small compared to other groups. Groups like northern and western Europeans received the highest quota from the Immigration Act of 1924 (Rong & Preissle, 1998; Rong & Brown, 2001). The presence of immigrants from Africa is continuing to grow including in U.S. public schools where the number of children of African immigrants are rising faster than other immigrant subgroups (Dryden-Peterson, 2011; Roubeni, De Haene, Keatley, Shah, & Rasmussen, 2015).
Purpose of the study
The purpose of this research is to investigate the differences in attitude to identity, schooling and college attainment across three generations of West African immigrants.
Significance of the problem
There are many reasons this research will focus on West African immigrants. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) found data that indicates that many West Africans will seek resettlements in the coming years in U.S. (2015). Their settlement in the U.S. will present challenges like - adapting to a new culture, assimilation, learning English, issues of identity, gender, racism, class, condescending attitude and discrimination based on speaking English with accent that is not American and, raw hostility directed to immigrants, especially African immigrants.
Rationale for studying the differences in attitudes
The different generations of immigrants markedly differ on how they respond to the processes of living in a new country (Pew Research, 2014). The differences wherever they exist have implications for the school experiences of the immigrants. It is important to understand and address these implications because it will in the short term promote the immigrants’ transition to a new culture, including adapting to school expectations and navigating institutional rules like schools and graduating from them.
Literature Review
Prior to the U.S. Immigration Act of 1965 that caused more Africans to immigrate to the U.S. there appears to be little motivation to study their educational experience. Thanks to the rising visibility of children of African immigrants in U.S. public schools, there are now some interests to study elements that may explain their educational experience and how they
assimilate in the U.S. Literature on this population is consistent on the centrality of culture in their adaptation. The literature will highlight the knowledge gap, which is understanding the attitude of different generations of African immigrants towards schooling.
Home Life
Despite the multiple problems that may confront the immigrant family such as low income, living in high poverty neighborhoods, accepting menial jobs, adapting to new cultural milieu and facing the hostility of a new society, West African immigrants generally have positive attitudes and confront their obstacles with amiable disposition (Gilbert, 2007; Portes & Zhou, 1993). This is because they see the obstacles as temporary and that can be overcome in due time by working hard and acquiring more education (Ogbu & Simons, 1994, 1998).
Spirituality in the home
African immigrants, including the ones from West Africa, adopt coping strategies and engage in spirituality to sustain themselves emotionally and mentally. They do this to help them make sense of the complexities of living in an alien culture that is prevalent in the U.S. African immigrants’ engagement in spirituality is also a protective mechanism to maximize their self-esteem in the face of difficulties.
Education and schooling
Voluntary West African immigrant families in the U.S. see education as a gateway to higher status in society. In the immigrant’s parent theory of “making it”, they believe that “getting good education” is important in achieving success and greater opportunities in the U.S. (Ogbu & Simons, 1998. p. 172; Roubeni et al 2015). West African immigrant families believe in the efficacy of education in translating to future economic gains.
Oppositional behavior and its cost
For the involuntary immigrants, the oppositional behavior is manifested in putting only minimum effort in schoolwork, disengagement during lessons, discipline issues and disruptive behavior demonstrated through defiance of authority figures, use of profane and vulgar words, and quarrels and fights (Ogbu, 2003; Ogbu, 1998, Fordham, 1996).
Jobs and career outlook
Immigrant parents are aware of the importance of their children acquiring a college education. For many immigrant families, education is a ticket for occupational rewards. For middle-class immigrant families, education is cultural capital they transmit to their children. The families do this through emphasizing the value of college education and ways of getting into college and succeeding in college (McDonough, 1997).
Immigrant selection of West Africans/Why study West African immigrants
This research is focused on West African immigrants because their number in the U.S. is increasing. A Pew research (2015) report puts the current estimate at 1.8 million African immigrants in 2013 compared to only 881,000 in 2000. This growth in population is substantial and therefore demands that the group is given more resources to be successful before they become social problems in the society, and a strain for the economy.
Identity
The issue of identity and how black immigrants identify in a racially polarized society such as the U.S. is very delicate and complicated. One thing is certain – they maintain a fluid identity. First generation immigrants have an identity that is often cemented in their country of origin. They believe that in the U.S. hard work will almost certainly guarantee success, economic and social mobility.
How second and third generations identify
A shared dilemma of second and third generation African immigrants is how they identify. They face the challenge of either to adopt the ways of the native-born African Americans or to embrace the ethnic identity of their parents’ heritage.

Author

• Toby Madubuko, Claremont Graduate University