<p>This study aims to investigate, describe and discuss the views of group new arrived pupils from the preparatory training to the compulsory school level. They all came to Sweden and started in the preparatory training there they also started studying Swedish as a second language. This study aims to investigate the creation of identities and how the pupils socialize in the Swedish school. The study has been conducted with respect to the pupil´s own perspectives and what they consider important.</p><p>The methods used are interviews together with an interpreter. Their voices are used and described in this paper. Their names and the school´s name have been used anonymous. One must take into consideration that there is no objective of being neutral or to generalize the results to any other group.</p><p>The pupils are convinced that second language acquisition is the key to success although their first language - the Arabic language is still symbolized as their identity. They are still working on their identities, their language acquisition and adaptation to expectations in different situations. They always will be seen as multidimensional personalities. </p><p> </p>

<p>Some six million people in modern Central America are considered to be “Maya” and thereby descendants of an ethnic group that created one of the great early civilizations of mankind. The present study, in a first section, looks in some detail at how the Maya became a group of its own, slowly separating itself from Mesoamerican neighbors, taking on an ethnic identity, markers and boundaries Attention is paid to what can be considered uniquely Maya and what remained features shared with other groups. This historic section follows the Maya until early colonization. The next section gives an overview of modern Mayaness, activism and Maya claims to preserve and revitalize a supposed heritage, taking it into the 21st century. With the historic section as a mirror and background, the study aims at identifying how Mayaness is maintained through time, how silent testimonies tell us about the use in the past of ethnic and cultural markers. Proofs are given of such elements still alive. The text goes on to discuss the future of Maya ethnic identity and culture, its continuity while changing.</p>

In this paper I focus on the process of formulating an ethnic identity in the United States for individuals of mixed-ethnicity. My main question explores the complexities an individual with parents of separate and distinct ethnic heritages faces when constructing an ethnic identity in our society. American society is reaching a new reality where influences of not only mixed "race", but of an individual's multiple ethnic heritages can be recognized and discussed. Still, American culture has little patience with changing identities between contexts or with an ambiguous identity. Through the combination of research, interviews, and my own life experiences, I explore the many complex influences and conditions which shape an individual's mixed ethnic identity over time. My main informants are individuals whose parents acknowledged an evident and specific ethnic heritage distinct from one another. My informants are a combination of their cultural and biological heritage, leaving them with more flexibility how to construct their own ethnic identity, which may then change through time, based on their unique life experiences. As I traced the formulation of ethnic identity, for individuals of mixed-ethnicity, I found that it is not only shaped by how they see themselves, but also by how others perceive them. Ethnic identity begins with the individual's family heritage, cultural background, language, and personality and is then transformed by political, economic, educational, and other diverse influences of society, which unfortunately also includes prejudice, discrimination, and embellished stereotypes. / Graduation date: 2000

Thesis (M.Phil.) - University of Queensland, 2006. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [52]-55).

This study examined measures of disease specific quality of life (DSQOL), coping, and benefit finding for differences between ethnic groups in a diverse sample of men treated for localized prostate cancer. The relationship between DSQOL and benefit finding was also evaluated, along with the relationship between coping and benefit finding. Ethnicity was evaluated as a possible moderator of the relationship between DSQOL and benefit finding, and coping was examined as a possible mediator. Results demonstrated that while minority men did show decrements in urinary function, sexual function scores were similar between groups. Furthermore, minority men reported higher levels of benefit finding as well as more frequent use of active and passive coping strategies. DSQOL was not associated with benefit finding, and the relationship was not moderated by ethnicity or mediated by coping. However, benefit finding was associated with ethnic minority status, religious group identification and less yearly income. Both active and passive coping composites were also related to benefit finding. These findings contribute to current literature on factors related to benefit finding in prostate cancer survivors. Limitations of the current study, as well as future directions are explored in the discussion.

Considerable research exists on the importance of self-determination in the transition of students with disabilities from high school. Much of this research has focused on conditions in the family that may nurture and support the development of self-determined motivation. These conditions, as described by Self -Determination Theory, include support for autonomy, relatedness and competence. Little data exists, however, on whether the conditions in the family environment associated with self-determination vary depending on students' ethnic backgrounds. Participants consisted of 138 Latino and Anglo students with disabilities enrolled in six high schools within a large urban school district. Self-determination was measured using the Arc Self-Determination Scale (Wehmeyer & Kelchner). Students' perceptions of their family environment were measured using six subscales from the Family Environment Scale (Moos & Moos). Latino students scored significantly higher than Anglo students in level of self-determination, but no significant differences were found in perceptions of the family environment between the two groups. Self-determination was regressed on the family environment subscales and no significant effect sizes were obtained for the sample as a whole (R2 = .044, F (6, 129) = .993, p = .433). However, comparisons between Latinos and Anglos on the relationship between perceptions of the family environment and self-determination suggested that family environments associated with Autonomy were more related to levels of self-determination in Anglo than in Latino students. Family environments associated with Cohesiveness, Achievement Orientation and Control were more highly related to level of self-determination for Latino than for Anglo students. The study has practical implications for parents and school practitioners when planning for transition and implementing strategies to develop self-determination for students with disabilities.

Adherence to traditional masculinity has been associated with negative physical and psychological health outcomes. Specifically, the standards of masculinity imposed on men have been associated with high levels of stress reactivity, interpersonal violence, and substance abuse. However, previous research has been limited to primarily Caucasian samples. In order to better understand masculinity and the stress associated with adherence to masculinity across ethnicity, we examined the validity of the Masculine Gender Role Stress scale in a diverse sample. We hypothesized that the MGRS in a diverse sample would function similarly to the MGRS in a primarily Caucasian sample in that it would be reliable and valid and that a five factor model of MGRS would be the best fit. Undergraduate students (N = 234) completed the MGRS scale and several questionnaires measuring masculinity, stress, anger and anxiety. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in order to assess the validity of the five-factor model of the MGRS scale in a diverse sample. Results confirmed that the MGRS is valid among a diverse sample, a diverse Caucasian excluded sample, and a Hispanic only sample. Additionally, the five factor model was the better fit for all samples evaluated.

My research is a qualitative study about the Asian American experience. Studies have shown that Asian Americans obtain high levels of educational attainment and household income, but these figures are misleading. Asian Americans are getting a lower financial return on their education compared to their white counterparts. They suffer higher rates of suicide and depression than all other racial groups. Little quantitative and no qualitative research exists addressing these issues. My research explores Asian American life experiences with a focus on what role systemic racism plays in their lives and how this connects to the health disparities. This analysis utilizes thirty-six in-depth interviews to discuss the types and frequency of racist events. Respondents revealed a plethora of discriminatory incidents and shared various coping strategies that they use to deal with the stress of discrimination and to combat future racism. The analysis concludes that the great efforts that Asian Americans go to in order to protect themselves from white racism are costly. Respondents have to combat feelings of isolation, inadequacy, and inferiority. The analysis also utilizes interview data to discuss the ways in which respondents attempt to conform to the white racial frame in hopes to find relief from discrimination. By conforming, some adopt negative racial stereotypes about themselves and other people of color. Even after going to great lengths to conform, interviewees still struggled with feeling excluded by whites. Eventually, some respondents became hopeless that they would ever be accepted. This work also explores alternative methods some Asian Americans are using to combat systemic racism. Some respondents revealed an alternate mindset to those who have chosen to conform to the white racial frame. This group of respondents challenged white racist ideologies, and some even discussed methods in which they actively resist in hopes to improve the racial situation for all Asian Americans. This work is an attempt to fill the large gaps in research about the unique Asian American experience. There has been no other similar analysis in the past. My data reveal the complexities of the Asian American experience and the need for further research.

Why are so many persons with an immigrant background self-employed in Sweden? To just say that it is discrimination in the labor market or that some immigrant groups have a “cultural inclination” that makes them fit to run a business does not provide for a full explanation. I first give an overview of the research of immigrant- and minority business in sociology. I present those factors which place an emphasis on the characteristics and resources among ethnic groups. Thereafter I focus on the structural factors, which can encourage persons from a minority background to become self-employed. My own perspective places an emphasis on social relations when trying to understand the mechanisms which influences a person with an immigrant background to become self-employed. In relation to this, ethnicity defined in a relational context is particularly emphasized. I also examine if self-employment is a solution to the problems of segregation among the foreign born in Sweden. I have chosen to study persons with an Iranian, Kurdish and Chilean background who start and run their own businesses. One important result in this investigation is that many of the persons from all three groups have a common experience of discrimination and exclusion in the Swedish labor market and in society at large. There are some individuals who became self-employed to bring a business concept into reality, i.e. in this sense they are entrepreneurs. But even in these cases there were elements of features of discrimination that motivated them to become self-employed. Another finding is that especially persons with a Kurdish background often make use of their ethnic or social network when they start and run their own businesses. Many of the self-employed in this study are well educated, but often participate in business activities that do not require so many qualifications. They are in some respects economically integrated, but the question remains whether or not the ethnic segregation still exists.