A media studies survey was conducted among university graduate students to study immigrants' attitudes toward advertising under various acculturation conditions. A total of 358 valid responses were collected. The study supported our hypothesis that immigrants have more positive attitudes than Americans do and it also showed that the level of positiveness varies according to different acculturation status. The study also found a larger third-person effect for immigrants than for Americans.

ABSTRACT FOOD INSECURITY AND CULTURE- A STUDY OF CAMBODIAN AND BRAZILIAN IMMIGRANTS SEPTEMBER 2013 SARVNAZ MODARRESI GHAVAMI, B.S., IRAN UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES M.S., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Jerusha Nelson Peterman Vulnerable immigrant populations such as refugees and undocumented immigrants are at higher risk for food insecurity and its health consequences than other low- income populations. Acculturation and adaptation of certain coping strategies, as well as certain characteristics, make these populations vulnerable to food insecurity. This thesis focuses on two of the understudied immigrant populations in Lowell, Massachusetts: Brazilian immigrants and Cambodian refugees and immigrants. To better understand food insecurity, acculturation, and coping strategies of these immigrant populations, we conducted a mixed-methods study with two Brazilian focus groups (n=16) and three Cambodian focus groups (n=21). We assessed 1) food security experiences, 2) the role of acculturation in the aspects of food security status, and 3) the role of coping strategies in the food insecurity and acculturation of these populations. Participants were similar with respect to age, income, length of stay in the U.S. across both Brazilian and Cambodian groups. Native language was the preferred language spoken at home. In quantitative survey analyses, Cambodians participants experienced higher rates of food insecurity compared to Brazilians (91% vs. 25%, p<0.001). Cambodians experienced greater food hardship in their home countries compared to the Brazilian immigrants (66.6% vs. 43.7%). Throughout the focus groups, Cambodians talked about a difficult food environment in which desired foods were not available or accessible to them. In contrast, the Brazilians seemed to enjoy a suitable food environment. Dietary acculturation was also evident in both groups. However, Cambodians expressed more indications of adapting to what they considered an American diet. Also, Cambodians seemed to engage in more risky strategies that could potentially exacerbate their food security status and health than Brazilians. These results suggest that some of the possible contributing factors to the higher rates of food insecurity in the Cambodian groups are their employment of risky coping strategies, as well as the difficult food environment. The difficult food environment along with their past food experience might have played a role in the greater dietary acculturation in the Cambodian groups.

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Alcohol and drug use and abuse are significant concerns in the United States, yet few studies have investigated how cultural factors, such as acculturative type and acculturative stress, impact substance abuse treatment outcomes. In this study, African American (n = 171) and Hispanic (n = 101) substance abusers' acculturative type and acculturative stress levels were compared to substance abuse treatment outcome. Although the results indicated that acculturative type did not predict substance abuse treatment outcome, a positive correlation between acculturative stress and alcohol and substance abuse problems emerged among the combined and Hispanic samples. In the combined and Hispanic groups, participants experiencing higher levels of acculturative stress demonstrated higher levels of substance use consequences at baseline. Additionally, Hispanic participants experiencing higher levels of pressure to acculturate related to difficulty in interpersonal interactions due to language or cultural barriers and encountering prejudice had higher levels of substance use consequences at the outcome of treatment. These findings suggest that cultural factors play a role in substance abuse treatment outcome. Recommendations on how substance abuse treatment facilities can respond to the unique needs of African American and Hispanic clients are provided.

Acculturation refers to the process of change and adaptation that occurs between members of cultural groups, especially when one or more minority groups merge with the majority (Berry, 1980). In order to effectively manage diversity, organizational leaders are beginning to realize the importance of understanding the dynamics associated with cross cultural interactions in the workplace. This dissertation focuses on the acculturation mode of assimilation relative to the experiences of 101 African Americans employed in faculty and staff positions in colleges and universities located in the Southeastern United States. Specifically, the moderating role of ethnic identity on the relation between perceived pressure to assimilate and compliance, and the relations between compliance and both work stress and turnover intentions were assessed. The concept of perceived pressure to assimilate in organizations suggests that employees perceive that they are expected to deny their ethnic identities, or at least their expression, at work in order to conform to the norms of the organization. However, for employees with strong ethnic identities, their ethnicity is an essential component of their self-concept and pressure to deny that aspect of themselves may result in a conflict where they must decide whether to comply or to leave the organization. A Model of the Individual Consequences of Assimilation Pressure is presented based upon the Role Taking Model (Katz & Kahn, 1978), the Model of the Effects of Culture on Role Behavior (Stone-Romero, Stone and Salas, 2003), the Acculturation Typology (Berry, 1980), and the Model of Social Influence (Kelman, 1958). The participants completed questionnaires designed to assess the following constructs: perceived pressure to assimilate, ethnic identity, compliance, work stress, and turnover intentions. In order to obtain an additional assessment of compliance, the primary participants compliance behavior was rated by their coworkers. As hypothesized, the results supported a positive relation between compliance and work stress. The other hypothesized relations were not supported. The implications of these results, a discussion of the study s limitations, and directions for future research are presented.

This study is an exploration of the ways in which four Somali students use language to express their identity and assert their views. The study explores the ways in which the Somali students' home culture and the school culture influence the development of their identity. Students participated in a lunchtime focus group on a regular basis over a period of several weeks. Using a micro-ethnographic approach to analysis, the students' interactions were reviewed while considering the ways in which knowledge was affirmed and contested, examples of intertextuality and intercontextuality were identified, and ideational notations or larger world view constructs were pinpointed. In this approach, specific events and interactions were linked to the broader contexts and connections that the participants were using in their communications. The result suggests a new and deeper understanding of the way in which these Somali learners use language to express their identity and negotiate the world. As a result of the examination of their interactions, educators can take from these participants' experiences some ideas about issues to consider when working with second language learners and their families. In this study students used language to assert their own identities as well as to position others in the group. These identities were continually negotiated by students and teachers alike. Students at times pushed back against ways in which they were identified. The Somali learners spoke of changing roles in the family as a result of learning English and being relied on to translate for parents who were non-English speakers. There were occasions where students used language in meaningful and contextually appropriate ways, but without understanding the power of the terms they used. Teachers have a significant role to play in shaping learners use of language and terms and guiding them to a more nuanced understanding of language. By examining children's language, it became apparent that teachers can provide critical information to help parents of second language learners negotiate the school and district resources. Students did express their Somali language and culture as they negotiated their school experience.