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Sandra L. Soto-Santiago CALPIU 2012

“ Over here I feel really Puerto Rican, over there I feel like a white boy”: Consequences of transnationalism for Puerto Rican youth. Sandra L. Soto-Santiago CALPIU 2012. Outline. Theoretical underpinnings Puerto Rican transnationalism A case s tudy Discussion Concluding remarks.

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Sandra L. Soto-Santiago CALPIU 2012

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  1. “Over here I feel really Puerto Rican,over there I feel like a white boy”: Consequences of transnationalism forPuerto Rican youth Sandra L. Soto-Santiago CALPIU 2012

  2. Outline • Theoretical underpinnings • Puerto Rican transnationalism • A case study • Discussion • Concluding remarks

  3. Transnationalism • Transnationalism as a research lens • Vertovec (2009) • Glick Shiller (1995) • Levitt (2009) • Transnationalism in Puerto Rico • Duany (2002) • Aranda (2007) • Puerto Rican transnational youth • Reyes (2000)

  4. Discourse Analysis • Discourse Analysis- (Gee, 2011) “Critical approaches… treat social practices, not just in terms of social relationships, but, also, in terms of their implications for things like status, solidarity, the distribution of social goods, and power.” (p. 68) • Power Dynamics– (Mills, 2004) “Power is more a form of action or relation between the people which is negotiated in each interaction and is never fixed and stable.… Power operates around and throughout the networks which are generated around the institutions of the State.” (p. 34)

  5. Puerto Rico and the U.S.

  6. A Case Study • Jesús Rivera • 14 years old • Moved to the U.S. as a newborn • Two migration circuits • Returned to Puerto Rico at ages 3 and 9 • Had never studied in schools in P.R. • Moved to a rural town in P.R. • Lived in P.R. for a year and returned to N.J.

  7. Research Questions 1. What is the adaptation process of Puerto Rican migrant students upon returning to Puerto Rico? 1.a How was the arrival and school enrollment process for these students? 1.b How have these experiences influenced their academic and personal outcomes? 2. What opinions and perceptions do parents and students themselves, hold regarding their school life and academic performance? 3. What policies, if any, does the Department of Education in Puerto Rico have regarding enrollment and placement of this population of students? 3.a How well do these policies meet the needs of this population of students?

  8. Main Findings • Academic and social struggles • Peer rejection • Lack of comprehension from teachers • Language as a determinant factor • Pivotal in academic and social matters • Disagreements between mother and school staff • Group misplacement • Changes in educational outcomes • Significant changes in behavior

  9. Social Experiences “Some of the kids made me mad because they wouldn’t let me play basketball with the kids that were there. Cause I was an Americanito they would call me. It got me pretty mad. Actually over here [New Jersey]I feel really Puerto Rican, over there [Puerto Rico] I feel like a white boy…. If you weren’t one of those in a group like playing basketball in the court or going to hang out with the kids then you had to go to lunch after everybody else did. I don’t know it felt like a group thing were people went together and if you weren’t part of the group you couldn’t go.”

  10. Academic Experiences “There was this teacher that didn’t really understand anything that was happening. She would always tell me ‘why didn’t you finish?’ I could not finish as fast as everybody else and she would yell at me, take my paper away, rip it or something. If she would have like at least helped me with something I would have probably done a lot better.This was social studies.”

  11. Mother’s Perspective “ I opposed to them putting him in that group. They didn’t consider my opinion, it was worth nothing to them. I know my child has the ability to read and write in Spanish and they did not listen to me.... He got used to being with the troublemakers and when they moved him to the other group he was not interested anymore. Placing my child in that group only harmed him. He had already lost interest and he would skip class and go to the river. Now, he supposedly has a learning disability and problems focusing.”

  12. Mother’s Perspective “If it had not been for the school issues I would still be in Puerto Rico. When I came back [New Jersey] it was because there was nothing else I could do with him. I realized that if I did not return to the U.S. I was going to lose my children.I think I actually hurt them by moving to Puerto Rico.”

  13. Analysis: Power Dynamics • Jesús: Peers and Teacher • Transnationalism • Isolation • Lack of comprehension • Frustration • Mother: School Staff • Transnationalism • Helplessness • Disappointment

  14. Jesús Some of the kids got me mad AmericanitoIt got me pretty mad Over there I feel Over here I feel Had to go to lunch after everybody else If you weren’t part of the group Didn’t really understand anything She would yell at me

  15. Mother I opposed They did not consider my opinionIt was worth nothing That group only harmed him There was nothing else I could do I was going to lose my childrenI actually hurt them

  16. Conclusions • Emotional aspect is essential in adaptation • Mix of factors • social, linguistic, etc. • Experiences in schools are a determinant factor • Decisions made by school influence educational outcomes • Peer relationships are a powerful component • Could lead to negotiation of identities and behaviors

  17. Conclusions • Lack of preparation in the school system • School staff • Teacher training • Regulation of proficiency • Group placement • Creating support system • Educating peers • Creating awareness of this student population • Developing integration techniques

  18. Future Research • Documenting transnational students’ experiences • Social and academic experiences • School adaptation • Peer relations • Language negotiation • Bilingualism • Translanguaging • Include other members of students’ networks • Students • Peers • Teachers • Parents

  19. References Aranda, E. M. (2007). Struggles of incorporation among the Puerto Rican middle class. The Sociological Quarterly48, 199–228 Duany, J. (2002). The Puerto Rican nation on the move: Identities on the Island and in the United States. Chapell Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press. Gee, J. P. (2011). An introduction to discourse analysis. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. Glick Schiller, N., Basch, L., & Szanton Blanc, C. (1995). From immigrant to transmigrant: Theorizing transnational migration. Anthropological Quarterly, 68(1), 48-63. Levitt, P. (2009). Roots and routes: Understanding the lives of the second generation transnationally. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 35 (7), 1225-1242. Mills, S. (2004) Discourse. (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. Reyes, X. A. (2000). Yankee Go Home? In Nieto, S. (Ed.), Puerto Rican students in US schools (pp. 39-67). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Vertovec, S. (2009). Trasnationalism. Routledge, New York: NY.

  20. Reminder Panel continues after coffee break: Presentation by Lisa Ortiz

  21. Sandra L. Soto-Santiago, Doctoral Candidate The University of Arizona Department of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies ssoto1@email.arizona.edu sandra.soto@upr.edu

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