Living in a Culture of Change: an Inquiry Into the Learning Experiences of New Sudanese Students in Calgary Schools
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LIVING IN A CULTURE OF CHANGE: AN INQUIRY INTO THE LEARNING EXPERIENCES OF NEW SUDANESE STUDENTS IN CALGARY SCHOOLS FAVOUR SIMOONGWE Dip. Ed., University of Zambia, 1997 B.Ed., University of Alberta, 2003 A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of the University of Lethbridge in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF EDUCATION FACULTY OF EDUCATION LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA July, 2010 Dedication To my family: Fiona, for your unconditional love and support Shayne, Matiala, Reyna: my children, you give me reason to carry on Kuliswe (Mum): Thank you for a solid foundation and for your sacrifice Ba Taata (Dad): Your teaching, example and spirit live on And to all participants in this living story Ndalumba kapati: Thank you iii Abstract Low achievement, low attendance, and high dropout levels characterize immigrant student populations in cosmopolitan Canadian schools. This thesis identifies the lack of understanding in the community in urban multicultural Alberta as the prime cause of the struggle encountered by new immigrant students in school. The thesis incorporates the experiences of six new immigrant students to promote an authentic curriculum of learning and teaching to meet the needs of these learners. It posits that an authentic curriculum is unlikely without input from learners. The method used Hans-Georg Gadamer’s approach to hermeneutics and phenomenology, with the researcher asking the six African participants to share their stories in the African storytelling fashion in which no one dominates the discussion. The conversations were analyzed and interpreted to provide insight into the life-worlds of the participants. Ted Aoki’s multilayered curriculum of curriculum-as-planned, curriculum-as-lived experience and the “zone of between” are seen as a beneficial practice inclusive of all students. iv Acknowledgements As I conclude this thesis, I am eternally thankful to the Lord Almighty for abundant blessings, salvation and for guiding me through this journey. In addition, I am deeply indebted to the contributions of all the people who have touched my academic, professional and personal life up to the point of this thesis. I thank my parents Miles and Mary Simoongwe for instilling the love of learning in me, for strong family values and for a firm foundation in how to live with others in society. I also thank my beloved wife Fiona, and my three children Shayne, Matiala and Reyna, for understanding, love and support. I acknowledge the support of my extended families in Zambia and Canada for their continued questions and care throughout this thesis. I heartily thank my supervisor, Dr. Erika Hasebe-Ludt, whose encouragement, guidance and support from the initial to the final level enabled me to persevere with my research, despite a myriad of setbacks including a car accident in the preliminary stages of the thesis study. My sincere thanks go to the members of my committee, Dr. Brian Titley and Dr. Cynthia Chambers, for their mentorship, patience and suggestions. Finally, I would like to thank all the participants and readers of this thesis. Catakamana cakayoosya: All things that have a beginning have an ending v Table of Contents Dedication .................................................................................................................................................. iii Abstract ....................................................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ v Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. vi Chapter 1: Beginning from Home ...................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 The Thesis Story ..................................................................................................... 11 The Research Question ........................................................................................... 13 The Significance of the Study.................................................................................. 14 Conceptualizing Change.......................................................................................... 14 Chapter 2: The Research Story—Methodology ...………...…….......…………………...17 Being Found by the Topic .......................................................................................17 Resisting the Call .................................................................................................... 19 Insight from “Truth and Method”............................................................................ 23 A Theoretical View ................................................................................................. 25 Research Methodology ............................................................................................ 27 The Data of the Study .............................................................................................. 30 The Research Interviews .......................................................................................... 31 Chapter 3: The Participants—The Lost Boys and Girls of the Sudan .............................. 34 A Long Journey Home ............................................................................................ 34 The “Seven” Participants ........................................................................................ 38 A Brief Account of Each Participant ....................................................................... 40 vi Chapter 4: Immigration and Cultural Experiences.............................................................43 Background ............................................................................................................. 43 Leaving the Sudan ................................................................................................... 48 Arriving in Canada .................................................................................................. 51 Chapter 5: The Early African Canadian Story .................................................................. 54 Before the Lost Boys and Girls ............................................................................... 54 The First Black Immigrant ...................................................................................... 57 Early African Canadian Immigrants ....................................................................... 58 Early Refugee Immigrants ...................................................................................... 61 Chapter 6: Experiences of Resettlement .......................................................................... 70 Transculturation ...................................................................................................... 70 Syana’s First Day of School ................................................................................... 75 Chapter 7: Linguistic and Cultural Experiences ...............................................................86 Communication ...................................................................................................... 86 Learning a Language upon Immigrating ................................................................ 87 English-as-a-Second or Additional Language ........................................................ 92 Immigrant Parents’ School Involvement ................................................................ 93 Students’ Experiences of ESL ................................................................................ 94 My TOEFL Experience .......................................................................................... 96 Chapter 8: School Experiences Outside the Classroom ................................................... 98 Manyana-Manyana—Stereotyping and Racism...................................................... 98 A Black Student’s Picture-Day Experience ...........................................................101 vii “Hairday”.............................................................................................................. 103 Dressing Experience: Sandhi ............................................................................... 106 Chapter 9: Interpretation—Seeking Understanding ...................................................... 109 Interpretation ........................................................................................................ 109 Conversation .........................................................................................................112 Context ..................................................................................................................114 Questioning .......................................................................................................... 116 Listening ............................................................................................................... 117 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 120 Chapter 10: Discussion and Conclusion ........................................................................ 122 Dialogue...............................................................................................................