Slide 1

Slide 2 ACCULTURATION AND ADAPTATION : SOCIAL IDENTIFICATION APPROACH Slide 3 SOCIAL IDENTIFICATION Identity Belongingness Pride Centrality Behaviours Intergroup Relations Slide 4 INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ETHNOCULTURAL YOUTH 13 nations Over 30 ethnic groups 7000 migrant youth 20 researchers Slide 5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS How do immigrant youth live within and between two cultures? How well do immigrant youth deal with their intercultural situation? What is the relationship between HOW youth engage in intercultural relations and HOW WELL they adapt? Slide 6 RESEARCH INSTRUMENT Demographic factors- e.g., gender, ethnicity, birthplace, citizenship Intercultural factors- e.g., language use and proficiency, national and ethnic identity, peer contacts, acculturation preferences Adaptation indicators- e.g., school adjustment, behavioural problems, psychological symptoms, life satisfaction Slide 7 RESEARCH SAMPLE 935 migrant youth 53% female 12-19 years (M = 15.5) 70% overseas born 145 Chinese, 188 Korean, 147 Samoan, 102 Indian, 111 British, 101 South African, 141 others 510 national youth 50% female 12-19 years (M = 14.9) 98% New Zealand born 396 NZE and 114 Maori Slide 8 KEY FINDINGS Slide 9 HOW DO MIGRANT YOUTH LIVE WITHIN AND BETWEEN TWO CULTURES? Slide 10 NATIONAL AND ETHNIC IDENTITY Slide 11 NATIONAL AND ETHNC IDENTITY OVER GENERATIONS Slide 12 ACCULTURATION DIMENSIONS Integration Assimilation Separation Marginalisation CULTURAL MAINTENANCE YES NO PARTICIPATION YES NO Slide 13 ACCULTURATION PREFERENCES Scale: 1 (low) to 5 (high ) Slide 14 ACCULTURATION PROFILES Integrated (28.7%) National (28.8%) Ethnic (23.6%) Diffuse (18.8%) Slide 15 INTEGRATED Strong ethnic and national identity Good English proficiency and frequent use of English Strong ethnic peer contacts Strong endorsement of integration Slide 16 INTEGRATED PROFILE Slide 17 NATIONAL Moderately strong national identity and weak ethnic identity High proficiency in and frequent use of English Strong national peer contacts and weak ethnic peer contacts Strong rejection of separation Slide 18 NATIONAL PROFILE Slide 19 ETHNIC Moderately strong ethnic identity and weak national identity Poor proficiency in and infrequent use of English Good proficiency in ethnic language Few national peer contacts and strong ethnic peer contacts Strong endorsement of separation Slide 20 ETHNIC PROFILE Slide 21 DIFFUSE Very weak ethnic identity Poor English proficiency Endorsement of assimilation, separation and marginalization Slide 22 DIFFUSE PROFILE Slide 23 HOW WELL DO MIGRANT YOUTH DEAL WITH THEIR INTERCULTURAL SITUATION? Slide 24 LIFE SATISFACTION Scale: 1 (low) to 5 (high ) Slide 25 PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS Scale: 1 (low) to 5 (high) Slide 26 SCHOOL ADJUSTMENT Scale: 1 (low) to 5 (high) Slide 27 BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS Scale: 1 (low) to 5 (high) Slide 28 DISCRIMINATION Scale: 1 (low) to 5 (high) Slide 29 WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HOW MIGRANT YOUTH ENGAGE IN INTERCULTURAL RELATIONS AND HOW WELL THEY ADAPT? Slide 30 LIFE SATISFACTION Scale: 1 (low) to 5 (high) Slide 31 PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS Scale: 1 (low) to 5 (high) Slide 32 SCHOOL ADJUSTMENT Scale: 1 (low) to 5 (high) Slide 33 BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS Scale: 1 (low) to 5 (high) Slide 34 SUMMARY Both national and migrant youth prefer integration as an acculturation strategy Integration is not achieved to the extent it is desired Overall, migrant youth adapt well Both cultural maintenance and participation (social inclusion) are important Integration associated with better adaptive outcomes Diffusion linked to poorest outcomes Slide 35 POLICY IMPLICATIONS: QUESTIONS FOR THE FUTURE What can be done to facilitate integration? How can we promote greater participation and social inclusion? How do we address the issue of cultural maintenance? Who are our policies for? Slide 36