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MA/PhD Theses Abstracts of Current Students & Alumni |
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Ngana-Mundeke, Annie. 1999. - Influences of Social Networks on the School Experiences of the Children of Haitian Immigrants in the Tampa Bay Area.
Abstract: In the United States, many theories have been advanced to explain school issues involving children of minority ethnic groups. Educational anthropologists have proposed two approaches addressing minority school issues: One, the labor market explanation or castelike theory and another, cultural difference theory. This study considers cultural difference theory used in educational anthropology to address minority schooling. Children of Haitian background in the Tampa Bay area are the subjects of this study which uses ethnography and social network analysis as tools for research. The study examines the school experiences of children of Haitian background in the Tampa Bay area by analyzing their social networks as well as the social networks of their parents or caregivers. Social network analysis has been used in various fields in social science research including medical and urban studies. The feasibility of using social network models in educational research is promising but has not been fully explored. Fourteen variables are considered in the model used here, with school achievement viewed as a dependent variable toward which thirteen others are oriented: tardiness, attendance, parental involvement, friendships, education of kin, success of network members, club memberships, parental adaptation, school mobility, centrality, school stimulation, child's adaptation, and language. The ethnographic data are drawn from both the home environment and the school environment. The findings are presented as ethnographic findings, social network findings, and then they are discussed in terms of the children's school experiences. Social network measures used include indices of closeness centrality and indices of betweenness centrality and structural equivalence. These measurements permit conclusions about degrees of dependency and autonomy. This study finds that the social networks of children and the social networks of their parents or caregivers have influence on these children's experiences. On the basis of these findings, recommendations are directed to the parents, to the children, to the teachers, and to other scholars for future research.
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