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.

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The current project used data from the Health & Retirement Study (HRS) 2016 wave and assesses the relationship between everyday racial/ethnic discrimination and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The role of acculturation and social support on this relationship was also considered. The sample size consisted of 3,994 non-Hispanic White, 1,140 non-Hispanic Black, and 842 Hispanic older adults. The results suggest that non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic individuals endorse higher perceived everyday racial/ethnic discrimination (p < .001) in comparison to non-Hispanic White individuals. Additionally, non-Hispanic Black adults have higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings (p < .001) than non-Hispanic White and Hispanic adults. Support for the direct and moderating role of certain aspects of social support and acculturation on health outcomes/behaviors related to cardiovascular disease risk among non-Hispanic Black (R2 = .07, F(15, 415) = 2.06, p= .011) and Hispanic (R2 = .30, F(5, 34) = 2.97, p = .025) older adults, respectively, were found. The limitations and clinical implications of the study are further discussed.

At the end of 2018, more than 68.5 million people were displaced from their homes. Of these displaced persons, 22.5 million of these people were forced to leave their homes and find safety in another country. These people are known globally as refugees. Many of these refugees in recent years have fled to Western countries in Europe and North America. This immigration and the general subject of refugees and their integration into their host countries have recently been a large subject for media. Many of these refugees came from countries and cultures that may carry stigmatic backgrounds including Middle Eastern and African countries. For decades, media portrayals in entertainment, social, media, and news media have shown people from these countries in certain ways that may conflict with truthful characteristics of people from these cultures. The purpose of this study is to help better understand how refugees personal assimilation experiences compare to information distributed by the media. Through researching existing studies of media portrayals of refugees and Muslims through the lens of framing theory readers can better understand what information is distributed in Western cultures about refugees. Then, through conducting in-depth interviews with refugees hosted in Europe and the United States, seeking understanding of refugees personal stories, life experiences, and their perceptions of media representations of people of their same refugee status, readers may additionally better understand any differences in the portrayal of refugees and the experiences had by refugees themselves. Using grounded theory, poignant themes emerged from the interviews to explain how interviewed refugees lives are similar or differ and are affected by Western media portrayals. Emergent themes indicated that primarily polarized news accounts may interfere with refugee acculturation by making social and cultural connections difficult, discrepancies in qualifications, and issues with misunderstanding refugees lack of mobility. Additionally, refugee sentiments about refugee media portrayals and acculturation were evaluated to better understand how the media affects their assimilation processes.

In 2016, in the article Global Migration, Diversity, and Civic Education Banks et al. discuss migration flows and the inevitable “ascendency of globalization.” They explain that this globalization trend has taken hold of the entire world because of political, education, economic, and religious reasons that have seen people upend their lives moving across continents. For example, this migratory flow phenomenon has given rise to shifts in the way that education is conducted in different countries as the host countries aim to accommodate foreign students to create a homogenous learning environment conducive for everyone.Zimbabwe, being no stranger to social turmoil, has contributed to the migratory flow trend with the U.S. being one of the target countries for students. This dissertation aims to explore and present students’ experiences as they transition from their Zimbabwean high school writing environments into U.S. writing classes. The three writing environments are: Zimbabwean high school(s), the Gap Year Program, and U.S. writing class(es). These experiences are explored through a collection of documents closely analyzed using the lens of Grounded Theory. Grounded Theory as an analysis tool highlights common and different concepts as they emerge from these documents ultimately allowing room to explore why those similarities and differences exist. These concepts are also compared with students’ responses from interview questions that ask them to express their attitudes towards each writing environment. The study potentially will provide a steppingstone to a higher goal of advocating for writing study programs in Zimbabwe where students will learn skills that will better prepare them for other learning environments and cultures.

Expectations of children to perform parenting tasks above their development level, a phenomenon known as parentification, is said to be destructive in western literature. However, in other cultures, children taking on some parenting duties may not be considered a detriment but rather an attribute of filial responsibility. The current study examined the relationships between identity distress and parentification as it differs by culture. A comparison of parentification by ethnicity revealed that individuals who did not classify as an ethnic minority experienced significant levels of identity distress compared to ethnic minority individuals regarding parentification. This variation may be attributed to elements of parentification seen as an expectation by some ethnic groups. Further analyses of the data and implications for understanding cultural bias in our assumptions of the adverse effects of parentification is discussed.

This study explores the topic of corporal punishment and examines the degree to which young adults have been subjected to corporal punishment, their attitudes about corporal punishment, the likelihood of them using corporal punishment on their children, and their propensity towards violence. Among African American participants, I also examine the correlation between their attitudes toward corporal punishment and their levels of acculturation toward the dominant culture. I predict that African Americans will have been subject to Corporal Punishment more than White Americans. I hypothesized that participants who have been subjected to corporal punishment will have a higher propensity towards violence and will continue to use corporal punishment on their children. I also hypothesized that African Americans who are relatively highly acculturated will be less likely to use Corporal punishment. Participants were asked to fill out a series of scales that tested for all of the research questions. Results for this study did support the hypothesis that African Americans did report receiving more Corporal Punishment than White Americans. Results did show that there is a negative correlation between levels of acculturation and likelihood to use Corporal Punishment for African Americans. However, the direction of the correlation was consistent with the hypothesis, in that higher acculturation scores correlating with less desire to use corporal punishment on children. The results also did not support the hypothesis of a positive correlation between being subjected to Corporal Punishment and propensity towards violence. Finally the results did not support the hypothesis of a positive correlation between being subjected to Corporal Punishment and the likely to use Corporal Punishment on their own children.

This thesis examines the relationship among previous exposure to war and conflict, acculturation, and identity formation among adolescent refugees. It was hypothesized that US acculturation would mediate the association between exposure to war and conflict and identity development among adolescent refugees. Participants included 33 adolescent refugees (16 males and 17 females) ranging in age between 11 and 17 years (M = 14.61, SD = 1.48), who were recruited through a refugee resettlement service provider located in Orlando, Florida. Country of origin included Cuba (n = 25), Iraq (n = 4), Jordan (n =1), Haiti (n =1), Colombia (n =1), and Venezuela (n =1). Previous exposure to war and conflict was found to impact identity development; however, the proposed hypothesis in which US acculturation mediates the association between exposure to war and conflict on the one hand, and identity development on the other was not supported. Results indicated that US acculturation was not related to any of the study variables. Previous exposure to war and conflict, along with hardships caused by such experiences, were negatively correlated with identity development and positively correlated with identity distress. In addition, native acculturation was negatively correlated with identity distress, suggesting that acculturation to one's native culture may serve as a protective factor against identity distress among adolescent refugees. Implications for professional practice are discussed.

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