THE MEXICAN IMMIGRATION EXPERIENCE

Education 308 Presentation

Personal Interviews 4 adult ELL students interviewed, ranging in age

from late 20s – mid 40s Asked the following questions: Where are you from originally (city, region)?

How long have you been in the U.S.? What does a typical day look like for you? What kind of jobs have you worked? Why you leave your country? Why did you choose to come to the United States? How long have you been in the U.S.? Are you first or second generation immigrants? How were you received/treated in the U.S.? Any specific

stories?

Reasons and Consequences

Rationale for leaving Mexico For work (less quality job, but better pay here) Because the parents said so Short-term or long-term

From where? To where? How long?

Assimilation Issues Identity and labeling (p. 309). No upward mobility (p. 61) Transitional bilingualism (p. 67) Dissonant acculturation (p. 308) Educational attainment

low percent of gifted students p. 82-83 state’s academic elite – 14% Latino compared to

half white, 28% Asian p. 84 Parental support

Reception “While first-generation immigrants may have

readily accepted these jobs as a ticket to life in America, their offspring are keenly aware of their stigmatized character” (p. 312)

“Their children, the second generation, may well outnumber immigrant Latinos in the workforce within a decade or two. But it is not at all clear what economic role they will play” (p. 86) 

“if decent jobs in the middle are not there, it could turn out to be positively ugly” (p. 86)

Family and community dynamics “they lack the web of organizations and social

practices that have allowed specific groups to utilize traditional culture to help children achieve” (p. 57)

“Although Mexican parents do stress the importance of education, immigrant family processes often militate in the opposite direction” p. 79

Future Implications for Second Generation

Influence of first generation status on the second

Expectations and stereotypes (p. 59)

HEALTHCAREAND

PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH

Attitudes and

Access

Mexican Immigrants Access to Health Care

5-year-old Sandra Navarette died of chicken pox

Her parents were undocumented immigrants from Mexico

By the time they took Sandra in for treatment it was too late

Why didn’t they seek care sooner? They did not know where to go They did not speak English They had little money

HealthcareSocioeconomic status

US Census 2006• % living in below poverty level: All races: 16.9%,

White alone: 13.6%, Hispanic: 26.6%

Language and cultural barriersHealth Access

Health Access (2005)

Insured Immigrant

Insured Non-immigrant

Uninsured Immigrant

Uninsured Non-immigrant

0 10 20 30 40

Discriminated careNo Usual Source of Care

Psychological Health and Resilience

Loss, grief, and mourning The ripple effect Each family has an “ecological niche”

(Falicov, p. 275) Transnational lifestyles Family separation, boundary ambiguity

Who is in? Who is out?

On the Individual Level A multitude of variables “Cumulative” or “tension” trauma (p.

290) Psychological stresses “Between cultures” (p. 291) The spectrum:

Preimigration ----------------- Host society

ggInternal Influences

External Influences

Psychological Health of Children

Racial, ethnic, and class discrimination “Social climate of structural exclusion

and psychological violence” (Falicov, p. 281)

Social mirroring Promoting democratic participation of

parents in education

Four Factors of the General Structure of the Behavioral Model Predisposing Factors

Need Factors

Enabling Factors

Relevant Contextual Factors

Predisposing Factors These factors influence a person’s

preferences or likelihood of seeking or not seeking health care.

These variables include: Age (and Diabetes) Gender Education Acculturation Marital Status Family Size Nativity

Need Factors Predisposing Factors also encompass

help-seeking behavior among relevant social groups.

Need factors deal with an individual’s health status.

Need factors encompass the term: Medical Need or Perceived Need

Enabling Factors These factors determine a person’s

access to care, whether a person is more likely or less likely to obtain care.

Enabling Factors include: Knowledge of the health care system Family Income Health Insurance Coverage

Effects on child access to care Language

Relevant Contextual Factors

Relevant Contextual Factors focus on determining where facilities for care may be needed the most.

Relevant Contextual Factors include: The structure/capacity of the health care safety

net The availability of health care providers The percentage of the population that is uninsured Demographic characteristics of the local

population

Social Networks Social networks are the contacts

individuals have with other people in a group to which they belong.

Social networks are especially beneficial to Mexican Immigrants when it comes to gaining access to health care.

Family Roles in Access to Health Care

Family plays a role in three main ways: 1. Financial access to health care is most often

family based. 2. Children learn certain patterns of

healthcare use by their parents. 3. Relatives are a good source of information,

family aid, and advice with which individuals will make their health care decisions upon.

Families and Social Networks

Families serve as a social bridge between the information they have about the formal medical care system and the individual family member.

Call to Action: Decreasing BarriersAre we moving towards culturally congruent care?

• Bilingual staff and cultural competency• Educational seminars in native language• Address health literacy• Strategies:

• Linguistic• Constituent-involving (self-dependence)• Sociocultural • Peripheral• Evidential (Whittmore, p. 165)

Culturally Congruent CareCulturally congruent care has been defined

as: those cognitively based assistive, supportive, facilitative, or enabling acts or decisions that are tailor made to fit with individual, group, or institutional cultural values, beliefs, and lifeways in order to provide or support meaningful,ben- eficial, and satisfying health care or well-being services. (Leininger, 1991, p. 49)

Health and School: Cultural Correlations

Awareness Sensitivity Competence Diversity

Provider Level

Client Level

Outcome

How does health affect student attitudes, behaviors, and preceptions?

• In many cases, not students’ choice• Attitudes towards seeking care

School Outcomes: Lower attendance Apathy towards health affects

performance Cultural differences must be respected

EDUCATION

Education in Mexico 1867 Benito Juarez made primary

education nonreligious, free and obligatory

1992 government changed Constitution that required education through the 9th grade for all students

Continued Mexico struggles in educational failure

Drop out of schools after the 9th grade Drop out of school to work to help support

their families The Indigenous people have a hard time at

school because English is their second language

The dropping out of school is contributing to a higher rate of illiteracy

Curriculum in Mexico Grade on a 1-10 scale Tested 5 times a year on national

curriculum but developed locally At the end of the year, students take a

national exam and if they score less than a 6 they are retained in the same grade for the next year

Continued For grades 10-12 students must choose 1

of 4 professional areas Physical-mathematics Chemical-biological Economic-administrative Humanities

2007 Educational Attainment Percent that Graduate High School

White Black Asian Mexican

Cuban Puerto Rican

86.2 82.3 87.8 53.9 73.5 79.8

Percent that Graduate CollegeWhite Black Asian Mexica

nCuban Puerto

Rican29.1 18.5 52.1 9.0 16.4 27.2

Basic Profile of Children From Mexican Immigrant Families

Socioeconomic status below average Low Incomes

Median Earnings white= $62,712 Black=$38,385 Hispanic=$40,074

Spanish is most frequently spoken No organized educational experience

All of these factors can have negative effects on Mexicans Immigrants transition into Elementary schools.

First-Generation and Second-Generation

Success in academic schools is very important –

SYSTEMIC Mexican adult immigrants have only: few years of

schooling, limited job skills, and little or no knowledge of English.

According to Suarez-Orozco, “Schooling has become a high-stakes goal for the children of immigrants… their only ticket for a better tomorrow.”

A study was done, Math Achievement, Mental Health, and Interpersonal Functioning of Mexican Immigrants were at lower levels in American schools.

School contexts are important for the lives of children.

Poverty, group size, historical depth, and racist stereotypes create barriers for school performances.

Mexican Immigrants status and family background effects school-enrollment patterns

Attendance can be an issue School are still highly segregated Different characteristics in how Mexican

Immigrant families differ from one another

Mexican Immigrant socioeconomic status was lower than any other minority groups

Fastest growing ethnic subpopulations in the United

States.

Mexican High School Parents: 31.5 % non- high school graduates. 16 % general education diplomas 25% high school graduates 21% some college coursework 8% four year college graduates 74% no high school education

Lower achievement and higher dropout rate. Immigrants from Central and South American tend to be

better educated than Mexican Immigrants. 50% of Mexican Immigrants showed to have at least a

high school education compared to 71% of Cubans. Mexican American males have a higher negative

educational experiences

Parental involvement, student’s level of acculturation,

and student’s self-esteem. Studies show that parental involvement plays a

significant role in academic success Study showed that 77% of mothers spoke to their child

regularly about school. Few parents rarely spoke to their child about school matters. 93 % occasionally talked to their child about their educational future.

Acculturation positive relationships with Mexican American adolescents academic performance.

Multiple cultures is the healthiest form of Acculturation.

Mexican Immigrants with high self-esteem are more likely to achieve in school.

AVANCE-Dallas early childhood education institution

observes parents who have low academic backgrounds and their participation with school related task.

Parents with 1-6 years of education Parents exhibiting positive attitudes Parents who participate in their child’s learning, can

help their children overcome their low education levels. Checks and helps child’s school work Talks to child about school experiences Volunteers Knows teachers Talks about the importance of education Reads to their child Limits TV time Often motivates child

Arrival in the United States Mexican immigrant students are more likely to attend

overcrowded, limited-resource urban schools with fewer certified teachers.

Students are assumed to be native Spanish speakers, but may in fact be minimally proficient in Spanish.

Students may have had no previous exposure to English upon entry into U.S. schools.

Immigration patterns show that incoming families move into relational and geographic enclaves due to social and economic forces.

A Different School Experience

Schooling in the United States is very different for Mexican immigrant students-children of immigrants can be at a disadvantage- In 2002, 20% of the population in Mexico had no schooling compared to 0.6% of the population in the U.S.

Not all Mexican immigrants had a proper education-access to the proper knowledge needed to succeed is limited-children are disadvantaged because they do not know the school system

A Different School Experience contd.

Mexican schools tend to be in rural areas that suffer due understaffing and limited learning materials

What can teachers do to help?

Teachers must:1. Work with the school, students and parents2. Tap into the family’s cultural capital and knowledge3. Engage all involved in the educational process4. Make information accessible

Consequences of Nonproficient English

Lower standardized test scores Inability to read complex texts Inability to decipher between

conversational and academic English

Developing English Proficiency Nonacademic conversational language skills can

be learned within about 2 years, whereas academic language, which is less contextualized and more cognitively demanding, can take much longer to acquire

Children learning English as a second language need 4-7 years to develop academic language

Students need an estimated five additional years of schooling to become proficient in academic reading and writing, such as reading science or social studies textbooks, after reaching oral English proficiency.