“At School, It’s a Completely Different World”: African Immigrant Youth Agency and Negotiation of Their Adaptation Processes in US Urban Schools

Authors

Lydiah Kananu Kiramba, University of Nebraska–LincolnFollow
Hanihani Moundiba Traore, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Guy Trainin, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

ORCID IDs

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

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2022

Citation

Published in Urban Education, 2022

DOI: 10.1177/00420859221140407

Comments

Copyright © 2022 Kiramba, Traore, & Trainin. Published by SAGE Publications. Used by permission.

Abstract

African immigrant youth adaptation processes in US schools remain underresearched. Using qualitative case study, this article examines West African immigrant middle- and high-school youth adaptation experiences in US urban schools. Findings show that racialized experiences, English proficiency levels, and multilingualism affected social relationships (both supportive and conflicted) with families, communities, peers, and school contexts. These experiences crucially influenced African immigrant youths’ adaptation processes. Participants drew from community resources and developed resilience skills to negotiate acculturative stressors when seeking friendship, belonging, and an integrated sense of identity in their new home. Recommendations for further supporting positive adaptive strategies are discussed.