The purpose of the study was to compare the English III success of students whose home language is Haitian Creole (SWHLIHC) with that of the more visible African American high school students in the Miami Dade County Public Schools System, in an effort to offer insight that might assist educators in facilitating the educational success of SWHLIHC in American Literature class. The study was guided by two important theories on how students interact with and learn from literature. They are Reader Response Theory which advocates giving students the opportunity to become involved in the literature experience (Rosenblatt, 1995), and Critical Literacy, a theory developed by Paolo Freire and Henry Giroux, which espouses a critical approach to analysis of society that enables people to analyze social problems through lenses that would reveal social inequities and assist in transforming society into a more equitable entity. Data for the study: 10th grade reading FCAT scores, English III/American Literature grades, and Promotion to English IV records for the school year 2010-2011 were retrieved from the records division of the Miami Dade County Public Schools System. The study used a quantitative methods approach, the central feature of which was an ex post facto design with hypotheses (Newman, Newman, Brown, & McNeely, 2006). The ex post facto design with hypotheses was chosen because the researcher postulated hypotheses about the relationships that might exist between the performances of SWHLIHC and those of African American students on the three above mentioned variables. This type of design supported the researcher’s purpose of comparing these performances. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA), two way ANOVAs, and chi square tests were used to examine the two groups’ performances on the 10th grade reading FCAT, their English III grades, and their promotion to English IV. The study findings show that there was a significant difference in the performance of SWHLIHC and African American high school students on all three independent variables. SWHLIHC performed significantly higher on English III success and promotion to English IV. African American high school students performed significantly higher on the reading FCAT.

The purpose of this randomized experimental design was to determine the impact of a culturally adapted family-based intervention program on parenting styles. A secondary purpose was to determine the impact of cultural factors, biculturalism and familism, on the parenting styles of parents who participated in the family intervention, as compared to those who did not participate in the intervention. The sample consisted mostly of Haitian parents whose youth, ages 13-17, were involved in the juvenile justice system in South Florida. Twenty-one parents were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 15) and comparison group, or standard of care (n = 6). This study was a substudy of a larger scale study that was conducted at a major university in South Florida. Participants in the family-based intervention group received an evidence-based intervention that was adapted to their cultural needs and language preferences. The intervention lasted between 3-4 months. Participants in the comparison group were those in the standard of care, or treatment as usual group, who were referred to community-based organizations for counseling services. A pretest-posttest design was used to examine the effects of the culturally adapted intervention on parenting styles and familism. Parenting styles were measured using the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ, Robinson et al., 1995) and familism was measured using the Attitudinal Familism Scale (Lugo Steidel & Contreras, 2003). T-test analyses were used to determine statistical significance of the variables and gain scores were calculated for the intervention group and comparison group. Pearson’s r correlation coefficient was also used to explore any significant relationships between the dependent variables, parenting styles and familism, and parenting styles and biculturalism. Biculturalism was measured using the Bicultural Involvement Questionnaire (Szapocznik et al., 1980). / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (PhD)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Migration is on the rise as Haitians seek economic and educational opportunities for their progeny in the U.S. Though migration to a new country often introduces a new set of immigration and acculturation-related stressors that can lead to mental health problems, Haitians remain underrepresented in clinical mental health settings. Previous studies with ethnic minority populations have enumerated several barriers to seeking mental health services. However, research on barriers to help-seeking is sorely lacking for specific migrant groups, including Haitians. Thus, this study examined barriers to seeking help for mental health problems among Haitians. Participants were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling methods. Specifically, recruitment flyers were used to recruit participants meeting specific inclusion criteria, and these participants identified other participants who qualified for this study. Data were collected via four focus groups from 26 Haitian adults, ranging from 18 to 52 years old. A semi-structured focus group protocol developed from research literature was used to conduct these focus groups. Qualitative data analysis was used to organize focus group data into themes. Three major themes emerged: (a) beliefs related to seeking mental health services, (b) cultural values and help-seeking, and (c) education and awareness of services and help-seeking. More specifically, participants noted that Haitian’s beliefs (e.g., religious/spiritual beliefs and beliefs about therapy, therapists, social consequences, and trustworthiness of institutions), cultural values (e.g., minimization of mental health problems, accepting problems as part of life), and education and awareness of mental health and mental health services contribute to Haitians’ likelihood to seek services. In addition, participants noted that these factors likely vary for first and second generation Haitian Americans, which further influences likelihood to seek services. These results suggest that both Haitians (first and second generation) and mental health professionals must take an active role to address barriers to help-seeking related to Haitians’ beliefs, cultural values, and education and awareness of mental health services, and subsequently, enhance treatment engagement.

Background: The pervasiveness of hypertension (HTN), morbidity, and mortality in Haitians immigrants are frightening. Nonadherence with hypertensive medications, disease management, lifestyle modifications, and cultural and spiritual beliefs, including prayer; faith healing; use of herbal teas; and a diet that is deficient in potassium, rich in sodium, high in fat, cholesterol, and carbohydrates result in increased prevalence of HTN and disability in the Haitian community. Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to examine the existing system for adherence to hypertensive medications, standardized clinical practice guidelines, identify patients at risk for nonadherence to hypertensive medications, disease management, medical follow-up, and incorporate standardized clinical guidelines into existing medical practice at a primary care office. Theoretical Framework: Theory of transnationalism was used. The transnationalism theoretical framework presents the impact of migration and transnational activities on the health of immigrants. Methods: The mixed model research with exploratory design was used. Results: The implementation of the resource guide was effective as evidenced by improved blood pressure readings and increase adherence to hypertensive medications as well as follow-up appointments. Conclusion: The prevalence of HTN in Haitian immigrants necessitate a different approach to health care delivery. Health care providers need to be aware of Haitian culture to deliver culturally competent care to improve health outcomes in Haitian immigrants.

This dissertation critically examines both the discursive and empirical significances of recent newcomers in the Haitian religious field, namely Korean and Korean American Protestant women missionaries. This confluence of Korean and Haitian Protestantism, which first emerged in the early 1990s, is a compelling case of the diversification of contemporary transnational and even global Christianity. Protestant Christianity was implanted in Haiti and Korea at around the very same time, in the nineteenth century, by North American missionaries who were inspired to work in new national religious fields by the Second Great Awakening (1790-1840) and its evangelical fervor. In the eyes of North American missionaries, both countries were religious wildernesses waiting to truly receive and understand the Good Word. Since then, in both Korea and Haiti, westernization, Western hegemony, and Western neo-colonialization have featured strong undercurrents of North-American-derived Protestantism. However, the respective lots and religious fields of each country have been dramatically different overall largely because of national and global economic and political forces. South Korea enjoyed formidable growth both in its economy and its evangelical Christian population after the Korean War (1950-1953), resulting in Korean Christianity’s zealous participation in evangelical Protestant mission overseas, following the models of North American mission enterprises, especially toward the end of the century. Meanwhile, Haiti continued to suffer from natural disasters, political turmoil, and widespread abject poverty. Thus, overseas Haitian Protestant mission work is altogether non-existent, though internally evangelical prosetalization efforts are legion and often aggressive. Vodou and Catholicism, meanwhile, continue to captivate the majority of the Haitian masses, but Protestantism is clearly on the rise across the nation. In is into this socio-religious context that Korean Protestant missions expanded in the Caribbean nation, an expansion that has amplified especially since the tragic 2010 earthquake. Toward understanding these developments, this project investigates the influx of Korean and Korean American Protestant missionaries in contemporary Haiti and the reverberations of North American evangelicalism as channeled through and adapted by Korean missionaries. With all of these historical and contemporary contexts in mind, this dissertation more sharply focuses on a specific group of actors in the Haitian religious field, namely contemporary Korean American Protestant women missionaries. I argue that their activity suggests a new type of examples for current scholarly discourses about the relationship between gender and evangelical missions. By way of historical analyses of both Korean and Haitian Protestant Christianity and oral histories based on interviews with Korean missionaries in Haiti, this study argues that Korean evangelicalism has developed a distinctive gendered praxis that claims both continuity with and divergence from North American evangelicalism. It also shows that in both South Korea and Haiti, twentieth-century U.S. hegemony and military occupation were significant factors in propelling Protestant Christianity. / Religion

Background: It is universally known that pregnancy is a vulnerable time for a woman's health. Women of all backgrounds endure significant physiological and anatomical changes during pregnancy and after childbirth. But the latest research studies have called attention to the unique experience of Black mothers. Compared to other racial and ethnic groups, Black women encounter health disparities at an all-time higher rate. According to research studies conducted in Haiti and the United States, Haitian women are amongst the community of Black women who are experiencing disproportionate maternal outcomes. Research Aims: The aim of this systematic review is to explore the prenatal and postpartum support lacking for Haitian women residing in the United States and Haiti, resulting in elevated pregnancy-related mortality and morbidity. Methods: To explore this study's research aims, a qualitative systematic review was conducted. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were found by inserting the following keywords in various research databases: Haitian women, maternal health, maternal disparities, Haitian-immigrant, maternal support, Haitian-American, Haitian pregnant women, Haitian descent, maternal mortality, and maternal morbidity. Key Findings: Prenatal and postpartum support was lacking in various forms for Haitian women. In Haiti, women noted that a lack of compassion from healthcare providers, personal finances, and hospital funds contributed to unpleasant maternal experiences. While Haitian women residing in the United States encountered an absence of support from their health professionals due to being culturally misunderstood.

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