Cultural and linguistic experiences of immigrant youth: Voices of African immigrant youth in United States urban schools

Authors

Lydiah Kananu Kiramba, University of Nebraska–LincolnFollow
Alex Kumi-Yeboah, University at Albany, State University of New YorkFollow
Patriann Smith, University of South FloridaFollow
Anthony Mawuli Sallard, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA)

ORCID IDs

Lydiah Kananu Kiramba http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0231-4711

Patriann Smith http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7741-0006

Date of this Version

2021

Citation

Lydiah Kananu Kiramba, Alex Kumi-Yeboah, Patriann Smith & Anthony Mawuli Sallar (2021): Cultural and linguistic experiences of immigrant youth: voices of African immigrant youth in United States Urban Schools, Multicultural Education Review, DOI: 10.1080/2005615X.2021.1890312

Comments

Copyright © 2021 Korean Association for Multicultural Education; published by Routledge/Taylor & Francis. Used by permission.

Abstract

This study explores experiences of 50 culturally and linguistically diverse African immigrant students attending public urban middle and high schools in the US. Drawing on in-depth interviews, and through constant comparison analysis, emerging findings highlight pedagogical, linguistic, and curricular variation struggles in the classroom; transitional contextual challenges; cultural mismatch; miscommunication, and stereotypes. In light of these experiences, African immigrant urban youth draw on familial, navigational and aspirational capital to resist stereotypical assumptions and to develop resilient skills necessary to navigate the inherent challenges. Findings underscore the importance of appreciating ways of knowing that deviate from the host country knowledges as instrumental to meeting the instructional needs of African immigrant students in United States schools.