From the family universe to the outside world: Family relations, school attitude, and perception of racism in Caribbean and Filipino adolescents

I Felt Like My Heart Was Staying Behind: Psychological Implications of Family Separations & Reunifications for Immigrant Youth

“…In a previous study examining the patterns of separations and reunifications of 385 adolescent newcomers from China, Central America, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and, Mexico, nearly 85% of the participants were found to have undergone separation from at least one parent (Suárez-Orozco et al, 2002). In a more recent study conducted in Montreal, a similar pattern was found (Rousseau et al, 2009). Among 254 first-and second-generation immigrant origin high school students from the Philippines and the Caribbean, approximately 62% of the Filipino origin participants and 38% of the Caribbean origin participants had experienced separations.…”

“…This literature suggests that over time, the family may have evolved in such a way that excludes the parent who has been away, making reunification of the family system difficult (Falicov, 2007;Partida, 1996). Parents tend to expect their children to be grateful for their sacrifices but often find that their children are ambivalent about joining their parents in the migratory process (Boti & Bautista, 1999;Rousseau et al, 2009;Sciarra, 1999). Also, children may be disappointed for how their real parents turn out to be, as compared to their fantasies and expectations about the life in the United States (Artico, 2003).…”

Migration: Cultural Aspects

“…In a recent study conducted in Montreal, among 254 first-and second-generation immigrant-origin youth from the Philippines and the Caribbean, approximately 62% of the Filipino-origin participants and 38% of the Caribbean-origin participants had experienced separations during their migration (Rousseau et al, 2009). In a nationally representative survey of 1772 youth that restricted its sample to documented immigrants, nearly one-third of the participants between ages 6 and 18 years had been transnationally separated from at least one parent for two or more years (Gindling and Poggio, 2009).…”

Taking the bull by the horns: the critical perspectives and pedagogy of two Black teachers in Anglophone Montreal schools

“…In a study of Caribbean and Filipino youth in French and English high schools in Montreal, Rousseau et al (2009) note that Caribbean youth are caught in a contradiction: they have high educational aspirations in order to meet the expectations of their parents and communities who bank on education as the route to their families' Canadian dreams, yet they also want to be realistic in the face of the disconnect for Blacks between educational achievement and commensurate employment (728; see also Chung 2010). Rousseau et al (2009) focus on the reciprocal relationships between these realistic student attitudes and their family cohesion -the latter often protecting youth from the harshness of societal racism, and the former sometimes disrupting family cohesion.…”

“…Rousseau et al (2009) focus on the reciprocal relationships between these realistic student attitudes and their family cohesion -the latter often protecting youth from the harshness of societal racism, and the former sometimes disrupting family cohesion. However, it is not difficult to imagine how these dynamics impact schooling and student achievement.…”