Login | Register

Acculturation stress and academic performance among foreign-born Armenian youth in the United States and Canada : an exploratory study

Title:

Acculturation stress and academic performance among foreign-born Armenian youth in the United States and Canada : an exploratory study

Karilian-Konyalian, Sarine (2008) Acculturation stress and academic performance among foreign-born Armenian youth in the United States and Canada : an exploratory study. Masters thesis, Concordia University.

[thumbnail of MR42470.pdf]
Preview
Text (application/pdf)
MR42470.pdf - Accepted Version
1MB

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to better understand the acculturation process and academic performance as experienced by a small group of foreign-born Armenian youth in Montreal, as a case study of immigrant youth in relation to their experiences of acculturative stress and its manifestations--psychologically, linguistically, socially and on the level of academic performance, as they tell their stories. The process of acculturation and the role played by the school, peers and parents was examined through an exploratory study interviewing 4 graduates from French language public schools in Montreal and 4 graduates of an Armenian community high school in Montreal. Participants were between ages 18 to 31. The findings of acculturation studies on foreign-born Armenian students in the U.S.A. were used to set a foundation and as a guideline for conducting similar research among foreign-born Armenian youth in Montreal. The narratives illustrate the process of acculturation of these eight Armenian foreign-born youth who completed their high school in Montreal as they recount their experiences of the role of schooling and family in this process. Results show that there is no apparent negative effect on academic performance that stems from acculturation stress experienced by the eight participants in this study. Language was one area of major initial difficulty. All participants exhibited areas of acculturation stress which were manifested in different ways. The acculturative strategy adopted by each participant was that of integration and was not influenced by the degree of ethnic identity, the country of origin nor the type of schooling in Montreal. Gender did not play a major role in influencing acculturation stress. Students are satisfied that they did well academically although they all experienced the effect of cultural differences and initially some degree of linguistic incompetence. The study has implications for teachers, school counsellors and school administrators.

Divisions:Concordia University > Faculty of Arts and Science > Education
Item Type:Thesis (Masters)
Authors:Karilian-Konyalian, Sarine
Pagination:ix, 140 leaves ; 29 cm.
Institution:Concordia University
Degree Name:M.A.
Program:Educational Studies
Date:2008
Thesis Supervisor(s):Hamalian, Arpi
Identification Number:LE 3 C66E38M 2008 K37
ID Code:976046
Deposited By: Concordia University Library
Deposited On:22 Jan 2013 16:19
Last Modified:13 Jul 2020 20:09
Related URLs:
All items in Spectrum are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved. The use of items is governed by Spectrum's terms of access.

Repository Staff Only: item control page

Downloads per month over past year

Research related to the current document (at the CORE website)
- Research related to the current document (at the CORE website)
Back to top Back to top