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- Creators: Arizona State University
- Creators: School of Life Sciences
Description
This empirical study aims to identify and analyze the accumulated literacies and multilingual repertoires of three Karenni refugee families originally from the highlands of Burma but who had lived in refugee camps in Thailand before arriving in Phoenix, Arizona. Through participant observation in the families' households and neighborhood, artifact collection, and individual and group interviews, I observe, document, and examine the everyday literacy practices of these three families in order to understand how these literacies are used to foster new understandings and social networks while maintaining transnational connections. The data analysis demonstrates that there are similarities and differences between the literacy practices and language choices of the sixteen individuals who participated and that there are significant differences across generations as well as across the three families. The findings shed light on the complicated relationship between migration and language learning, ideologies of language, literacy practices, and various modes of communication (face-to-face and digital). Building on a long tradition of ethnographic work that examines language learning and literacy in relation to educational access and opportunity, this research is relevant to educational researchers, policy makers, and teachers who are committed to rethinking what counts as literacy, for whom, in what contexts, and with what kinds of consequences. In a time of increased movement of people across borders, and increased use of information and communication technologies, this investigation has important implications for teacher preparation, theories of language learning and literacy development, and educational research.
ContributorsDuran, Chatwara Suwannamai (Author) / Warriner, Doris S (Thesis advisor) / Matsuda, Aya (Committee member) / Mccarty, Teresa L (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Through interviews and observations, this thesis provides an overview of refugee resettlement and explores the way one community is providing English language instruction to recently resettled refugees. It also describes the research process of this thesis so other researchers will be aware of the challenges such research contexts provide. In the southwestern state studied here, one of the refugee resettlement agencies holds the contract to provide English Language instruction to refugees. Other agencies provide supplemental English instruction and tutoring. The U.S. federal statute Immigration and Nationality Act, title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations part 400--Refugee Resettlement Program, and the local contract between the state and the agency were examined to understand the laws, regulations, and contracted agreement governing the provision of English language instruction for refugees being resettled in the United States. English language faculty and staff, staff at refugee resettlement agencies, and a state official were interviewed to understand their goals and the challenges they face as they address the language needs of refugees. English language instruction classes were observed to note the consistencies as well as some discrepancies between interviews and what could actually be accomplished in the classroom. As the classes are unable to provide intensive language instruction, most students struggle with becoming proficient in English. A list of recommendations is included regarding ways the local community can better address linguistic needs of refugees. Yet as Fass (1985) argues, it is unknown whether changing refugee resettlement efforts will actually produce different results. Though there are problems, the way the linguistic needs are being addressed in this community is sufficient given the numerous other expectations put on the refugees and the refugee resettlement agencies.
ContributorsKielczewski, Sarah-Anne Laster (Author) / Adams, Karen L (Thesis advisor) / Gelderen, Elly van (Committee member) / Klimek, Barbara (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010
Description
Refugee communities battle many obstacles once arriving in a new country. Many times, their access to quality dental care can be overlooked due to multiple governmental and/or cultural factors. From anti-migrant notions and decrease in funds to culturally different food practices and sensitivities, refugee communities are vulnerable in their ability to maintain consistent dental care. By forming clinics that cater to specific needs and educating communities on the importance of prevention, access to quality care can be improved. As resistance has increased towards migrant communities, the government should take care to implement policies that ensure certain populations are not overlooked. By doing this, refugees and other migrant communities will have a better chance of integrating into a new society.
ContributorsJames, Jeena Mary (Author) / Erfani, Julie Murphy (Thesis director) / Hung, Carla (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Muslim refugees and Muslim immigrants, and undocumented immigrants have been a prominent part of American culture and have been woven into the history of the United States. Both group's presence in the United States has elicited rhetoric from U.S citizens and U.S public officials. One may infer that the narrative of Muslim refugees and Muslim immigrants overlaps the narrative of undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Both Muslim refugees and immigrants as well as unauthorized immigrants, are criminalized in the United States, or are associated to crime by default of their faith and or their legal status. The association that Muslim refugees and Muslim immigrants, and undocumented immigrants have with crime, based on their rhetoric, has elicited a policy from the United States government as well. The United States government has responded to a presumed threat that both groups pose to U.S. citizens and the nation by means of aggressive legislation, both local and federal. In this research paper, past and present discourse on Muslim refugees and Muslim immigrants and undocumented immigrants was analyzed to determine each of the group's narrative; the mainstream media, newspapers and photographic images, was also considered to determine the narrative of both groups. Based on the discourse on Muslim refugees and Muslim immigrants and on undocumented immigrants, the media portrayal of both groups, and on the change of public policy one may assert that the narratives of both groups overlaps; as both Muslim refugees and immigrants and unauthorized immigrants are seen as a possible threat to the American people.
ContributorsGalvan, Brigitte Magdalena (Author) / Doty, Roxanne (Thesis director) / Magaña, Lisa (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Students Organize for Syria (SOS) is the student led initiative for Syria. With 18 registered chapters across the United States, this student organization is targeting a multidimensional cause by different means. Though it is now a national movement, it started off with one group at Arizona State University, with one student. Zana Alattar, founder and student director of SOS, tells the story of how she took an ASU organization, Save Our Syrian Freedom (SOS Freedom), to the national level as SOS. As a pre-medical student, she also combines her work in human rights with her future in healthcare. After all, health and human rights have long maintained a synergistic relationship.
ContributorsAlattar, Zana (Author) / Graff, Sarah (Thesis director) / McClurg, Sharolyn (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
This dissertation explores how Sub-Saharan African women now resettled in the United States learn about sex. Prior to the colonization of Sub-Saharan Africa, extended family members such as paternal aunts and grandmothers were responsible for sexuality education for both men and women. Sexuality education often began at puberty and continued across the life span. This sexuality education covered menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, child spacing and sexual pleasure. However, during colonization sexuality education was moved out of the hands of family members and community members and was now offered in schools. This school-based sexuality education was further disrupted by migration from Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States. Using a qualitative thematic analysis, I explore how sexuality education changed first with colonialism, through migration, and to resettlement in the United States. I then explore how, beginning with puberty, Sub-Saharan African refugee and immigrant women learn about menstruation and sex, and the role of social media in their sex lives. I highlight the role of consistent and comprehensive sexuality education of women in understanding and experiencing their menstruation. Additionally, I discuss how Sub-Saharan African women learn about sex and pleasure from both male and female peers. And finally, I illustrate how Sub-Saharan African women create culturally relevant and religiously specific online counterpublics to discuss and learn about sex. Understanding how Sub-Saharan African immigrant women learn about sex has implications for sexuality education policy in the United States and the role of pleasure in sexual and reproductive health.
ContributorsRoss, Janet Nalubega (Author) / Estrada, Emir (Thesis advisor) / Gaughan, Monica (Thesis advisor) / Villegas-Gold, Michelle (Committee member) / Walker, Shawn (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
AIR, being short for the Arts Initiative for Refugees, is a new, self-founded organization that provides refugee youth with sessions, programs, and opportunities to help them achieve artistic and personal success through teaching and mentorship. AIR strives to offer individualized and group mentoring programs to its students designed for their unique interests in the arts fields of their choice. The immediate objective of this organization, which my thesis was founded upon, was to introduce refugee youth at a newcomer school, Valencia Newcomer School, to various new art forms utilizing direct application, to play and have fun, to create a sense of community and support, to create a safe, inclusive environment, to help the students learn more about each other's cultures and backgrounds, and to allow the students to create art work that is genuine to them and their backgrounds. The ultimate goal of AIR is to branch out to become a small-scale, national/international non-profit organization.
ContributorsCallesen, Sophia (Author) / Karimi, Robert Farid (Thesis director) / Ortiz-Barnett, Crestcencia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Music, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
Navigating different systems in the United States can be challenging, especially for those who migrate here and have to start their lives from scratch. This thesis project attempts to alleviate the challenges faced by refugees who arrive in the Arizona. A mobile app containing resources for government, healthcare, and well-being assistance was built to provide refugees with access to resources in these three areas. Through the use of a simple, user-friendly platform, the app is built to offer easy navigation to a wide range of resources that can be especially used for recently arrived refugees.
ContributorsBcharah, George (Author) / Elsabbagh, Zaid (Co-author) / Sellner, Erin (Thesis director) / Jakubczak, Laura (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Arts, Media and Engineering Sch T (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
The Refugee Education and Clinic Team (REACT) is a local organization led by students at Arizona State University and the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine with the purpose of improving the health of refugees and asylees. One way in which REACT aims to improve the health of refugees and asylees is through health education workshops, which inform refugees about health conditions and management options. The purpose of this project was to analyze how REACT’s health education workshop about obesity impacted refugees’ understanding of healthy living. This project implemented a pre- and post-presentation survey at REACT’s obesity workshop to measure refugees’ understanding of healthy living. Overall, a pre-existing understanding of the importance of healthy eating and daily exercise was measured and an improvement in their understanding of the symptoms associated with obesity was recorded.
ContributorsPatel, Reeti (Author) / DiVito, Brittany (Thesis director) / Kenny, Katherine (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
Immigrants and their U.S.-born children account for 26% of the American population as of 2020. Despite this large proportion, 14% of immigrants live below the federal poverty line compared to 12% of U.S.-born citizens. The immigrant population is vulnerable to food and housing insecurity and limited access to social services and medical care, on top of navigating the increasingly convoluted immigration system. Migrant women and children are especially at risk for systemic, poverty-related adversities. Periods of pregnancy and postpartum are particularly financially straining due to employment disruptions and additional expenses. Migrant mothers experience adverse health outcomes due to chronic stress, unstable living situations, integration barriers, and an unfavorable occupational environment during pregnancy. In addition to the postpartum needs of a new mother and her baby, these challenges may be barriers to maintaining breastfeeding. The unanticipated COVID-19 pandemic exasperated many existing systemic inequities and brought additional hardship. This study aims to investigate breastfeeding rates among immigrant mothers compared to U.S.-born mothers and other social disparities that affect health. While this study did not find a statistical difference between breastfeeding adherence and immigrant status during the COVID-19 pandemic, other risk factors relating to maternal-child health were identified. Immigrant families were more likely to experience job or income loss and a higher frequency of food insecurity compared to families with U.S.-born parents. The risks of being impoverished greatly reduce the incidence of breastfeeding, which can offer tremendous health benefits both to mother and baby. Most immigrants migrating to the U.S. are ethnic minorities who face additional societal disparities in culture, employment, economic stability, safety, and healthcare. The burden of social determinants of health that impact this population is not unique to adults. The moment a child is born into an immigrant family, particularly if they are also an ethnic minority, they inherit risk factors that can impact their entire lifespan. Ultimately, the risks associated with pregnancy and infant feeding are issues of social justice and health equity.
ContributorsFahmy, Gabriella (Author) / Whisner, Corrie (Thesis advisor) / Schuster, Roseanne (Thesis advisor) / Mayol-Kreiser, Sandra (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023