Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

A ‘sense of belonging’ has been found to have positive effects for all children in school. However, it may be difficult to promote with INA pupils who face cultural, language and systemic barriers. To date, there has been little attempt at investigating the factors in school that can promote a sense of belonging for these pupils. This research attempts to fill some of the gaps in the research that have been identified. Unlike the other research that does exist in this field, the current study focuses on the experience of secondary school aged pupils specifically in UK schools.Two secondary schools were identified to take part in the research through purposive sampling. One a mixed school and the other an all-boys school, both schools have experience of supporting INA pupils. Young people in Year 8-10 were selected as the focus of this research to avoid exam and transition periods. In total 5 INA pupils, 11 peers and 13 staff members contributed to the research. A case study design was used that involved 5 semi-structured interviews, 2 peer focus groups and 2 staff focus groups. The data were partially transcribed and thematic analysis was used to highlight key themes.The findings revealed that ‘belonging’ is a complex, dynamic construct which may also have different cultural connotations. There are many shared themes in relation to conceptualizing belonging and the strategies that are used by the two schools. These findings have wide implications for schools’ practice in relation to supporting INA pupils to foster a sense of belonging and acculturate to their new home.

Theses (M. Ed.)--University of Alberta, 2001. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Counselling Psychology, Dept. of Educational Psychology, University of Alberta. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-108).

There is evidence for increased rates of psychoses and mood disorders in immigrant populations, with some contradictory findings showing that migrants have better mental health outcomes than their native-born counterparts. Explanatory theories considered individual and contextual factors. Acculturation processes are regarded to play an important part, but again there are contradictory findings. The relationships between immigration, acculturation and mental health are complex and more explorations are needed. The aim of this study was to explore whether construing before and after emigration was related to acculturation processes and mental health in Polish immigrants in the U.K. Forty adult immigrants participated in this study; measures of psychological well-being, cultural attitudes, and repertory grid interviews were used. Participants reported positive attitudes towards Polish and British cultures, significantly more positive attitudes towards the heritage culture. As a group, participants compared favourably to their counterparts living in Poland in terms of levels of psychological well-being. They also construed themselves more favourably following emigration. Nevertheless 20% of participants reported a history of mental health difficulties. Nearly half (45%) of participants reported clinically significant levels of distress, which is more than double the national prevalence rate in the U.K. The main findings of this study indicated a relationship between how Polish migrants construe themselves and significant others, their psychological adjustment and cultural attitudes. More positive attitudes towards Polish culture were associated with higher levels of positive affect. A positive view of Polish culture was associated with a relatively more salient construing pre-emigration. Contrary to the prediction, high levels of conflict in construing of significant others before emigration was related to a positive view of Polish culture. A relatively more conflicted view of self post-emigration was related to less positive attitudes towards British culture. As predicted, more structured construing post-emigration was linked with better mental health outcomes. Furthermore, a relatively more favourable view of self following immigration was associated with higher levels of positive affect and fewer symptoms of psychological distress. The latter was also linked with relatively lower levels of conflict in construing of 'self after emigration'. Case examples are presented. Recommendations for clinical practice and further research are made.

Adaptation of immigrants is one of the most relevant international and national issues in the modern world. In this thesis, the psychological aspects of immigrants' acculturation changes occurring in the Czech Republic will be discussed. Acculturation appears to be a complex, dynamic process that involves a large number of elements, the interaction between which is the subject of our research. An important aspect in the process of acculturation is the phenomenon of acculturative stress. Successful overcoming of acculturative stress depends on a number of predictors and its research might be beneficial not only for immigrants, but for the host society as well. The desirable aim of any acculturation process is the effective adaptation of immigrants, which is associated with creating a series of prospective psychological competencies. In the empirical part we wanted to investigate the interrelationship between selected factors influencing the preference of acculturation strategy: moderating factors prior to (sociodemographic characteristics, tolerance, anxiety) - and during acculturation (personal characteristics such as anxiety and coping strategies). The performed analysis utilizes quantitative data processing based on methods of statistical analysis. The data was obtained using questionnaires from...