Eline Bunnik
Migration and culture in
educational relationships
Lesson 1: 31/10/2019
Focus and objective
> Problem statement
o role & meaning of culture in educational relationships
we will be looking at different forms of educational practices
Three themes:
Conceptualization of the notion of ‘culture’ within educational relationships (I)
o how to understand culture within educational relationships -> What is
culture?
> Transcultural educational practice – two more specific themes
o cultural identifications & belonging in western multi-etnic societies (II)
o international collaboration in schooling & psychosocial care (III)
Activities and evaluation
> Reader – thematic listing of academic contributions
o reflects the large structure of the course
o not all course content is in the reader – most of it will be discussed in class
> Integration of (& critical reflection on) reading material during lectures
o course content that is not represented in reader
o lectures develop an integrative reflection on reading material
o lectures imply a critical approach to reading material
> Written examination – open questions (with course material)
o 3 open questions (essay questions)
Connections between different arguments and content
we will be practicing this
Structure and scope
PART I – Conceptualization of the notion of ‘culture’ in educational relationships
What is the process of culturele and what is culture within educational relationships
PART II – Diversity in western multi-ethnic societies – Cultural identifications & belonging in
educational relationships
PART III – Transcultural educational practice in global context – international collaboration in
schooling & psychosocial care/intervention
1
,Eline Bunnik
1. PART I: Conceptualization of the notion of ‘culture’
in educational relationships
Literature: De Haene, L., & Derluyn, I. (2015). Development and parenting in cultural context: Meaning
systems, migration and social condition. In: Bosmans G., Noens I., Bijttebier P., Claes L. (Eds.), Diagnostiek
bij kinderen, jongeren en gezinnen. Deel II: Ontwikkeling in context . ACCO, 145-168.
Three subparts of part I:
1. The role of culture in (child) development: Core models
= basic and essential models about how culture impacts development
a. 1.1 – ‘social-ecological model’ & ‘developmental niche model’
Bronfenbrenner and Super & Harkness
b. 1.2 – cultural meaning systems in understanding & coping with
developmental & educational concerns
2. A gradual conceptualisation of culture
= different dimensions of the process of culture
(gradual: we will start from a basic layer and then continually ad layers eventually
we will end up with an multi-layered understading of culture)
a. 2.1 – static notion of culture: etno-specificity (specific behavioral patterns by
example which belongs to a specific group)
b. 2.2 – dynamic notion of culture: discursive perspective on culture/
creolization
= (first added layer)
c. 2.3 – locus of social inequality
= (second added layer)
How culture and social conditions are intertwined
d. 2.4 – discipline (theory/practice) as cultural institutions
= (third added layer)
3. Implications for transcultural educational practice
= how this implies specific ways of approaching educational practice
a. 3.1 – intercultural communication
b. 3.2 – diagnostic/etnographic assessment
c. 3.3 – models of transcultural psychosocial intervention
2
, Eline Bunnik
1.1. (1) The role of culture in (child) development: Core
models
Literature: (a) Harkness, C. M., & Super, S. (1986). The developmental niche: A conceptualization at the
interface of child and culture. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 9, 545-569., (b) Weisner, T.
S. (2002). Ecocultural understanding of children’s developmental pathways. Human Development, 45,
275–281.(c) Bose, R. (2014). Bangladeshi parental ethnotheories in the United Kingdom: Towards cultural
collaborations in clinical practice. Clinical Child Psychology & Psychiatry. Epub 2014, April 16.
1.1: ‘social-ecological model’ & ‘developmental niche model’
Bronfenbrenner and Super & Harkness
CASE MATERIAL: (will be important throughout the whole course)
Case 1 – Kindergarten school participation of a toddler in a Belgian-Turkish family
Intervenation from immigration families, living in Genk. The professor entered a study with a
program. In Belgium, immigrants family are not frequently participating at school or
kindergarden.
This is a composit case: prototypical situation.
Toddler age 4and a half. The teachers in school are concerned about this toddlers language
and cognitive development and that he is not frequently at school. They worry about the
linguistic and cognitive development. The teachers at the school contact a center and
explain that they worry a lot. They wander about the level of requirement of the
mothertongue. They also feel concerned about how to adress this concern with parents,
they worry about the ability to speak to the parents (because the parents are absent, no
interaction or contact with the family). The grandparents live in the same house as the
family. The father is a third generation immigrant (so born in belgium) and the mother
arrived recent in Belgium for marriagemigration.
Case 2 – Social isolation & cultural identifications in an Iraqi adolescent
Age 15 of an Iraqi adolescent. A doctor feels worried that the girl may be developing an
depressive disorder. He observes that she is withdrawing from all social interactions, she has
a lack of positive peer interaction. The family recently escaped Iraq (so they are refugees).
The doctor is mainly concerded because she is starting to wear a veil.
Question: Where do we recognize the work of culture in these cases:
Case 1:
o They refuse to adapt their language - they keep speeking their mother tongue
o The grandparents are living with the family (in Belgium this is not very
common)
o In Belgium everyone goes to school, but the people in this case are not
adjusting value to going to school or participating in school
o Differential school system in Belgium and Turkey
3
Migration and culture in
educational relationships
Lesson 1: 31/10/2019
Focus and objective
> Problem statement
o role & meaning of culture in educational relationships
we will be looking at different forms of educational practices
Three themes:
Conceptualization of the notion of ‘culture’ within educational relationships (I)
o how to understand culture within educational relationships -> What is
culture?
> Transcultural educational practice – two more specific themes
o cultural identifications & belonging in western multi-etnic societies (II)
o international collaboration in schooling & psychosocial care (III)
Activities and evaluation
> Reader – thematic listing of academic contributions
o reflects the large structure of the course
o not all course content is in the reader – most of it will be discussed in class
> Integration of (& critical reflection on) reading material during lectures
o course content that is not represented in reader
o lectures develop an integrative reflection on reading material
o lectures imply a critical approach to reading material
> Written examination – open questions (with course material)
o 3 open questions (essay questions)
Connections between different arguments and content
we will be practicing this
Structure and scope
PART I – Conceptualization of the notion of ‘culture’ in educational relationships
What is the process of culturele and what is culture within educational relationships
PART II – Diversity in western multi-ethnic societies – Cultural identifications & belonging in
educational relationships
PART III – Transcultural educational practice in global context – international collaboration in
schooling & psychosocial care/intervention
1
,Eline Bunnik
1. PART I: Conceptualization of the notion of ‘culture’
in educational relationships
Literature: De Haene, L., & Derluyn, I. (2015). Development and parenting in cultural context: Meaning
systems, migration and social condition. In: Bosmans G., Noens I., Bijttebier P., Claes L. (Eds.), Diagnostiek
bij kinderen, jongeren en gezinnen. Deel II: Ontwikkeling in context . ACCO, 145-168.
Three subparts of part I:
1. The role of culture in (child) development: Core models
= basic and essential models about how culture impacts development
a. 1.1 – ‘social-ecological model’ & ‘developmental niche model’
Bronfenbrenner and Super & Harkness
b. 1.2 – cultural meaning systems in understanding & coping with
developmental & educational concerns
2. A gradual conceptualisation of culture
= different dimensions of the process of culture
(gradual: we will start from a basic layer and then continually ad layers eventually
we will end up with an multi-layered understading of culture)
a. 2.1 – static notion of culture: etno-specificity (specific behavioral patterns by
example which belongs to a specific group)
b. 2.2 – dynamic notion of culture: discursive perspective on culture/
creolization
= (first added layer)
c. 2.3 – locus of social inequality
= (second added layer)
How culture and social conditions are intertwined
d. 2.4 – discipline (theory/practice) as cultural institutions
= (third added layer)
3. Implications for transcultural educational practice
= how this implies specific ways of approaching educational practice
a. 3.1 – intercultural communication
b. 3.2 – diagnostic/etnographic assessment
c. 3.3 – models of transcultural psychosocial intervention
2
, Eline Bunnik
1.1. (1) The role of culture in (child) development: Core
models
Literature: (a) Harkness, C. M., & Super, S. (1986). The developmental niche: A conceptualization at the
interface of child and culture. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 9, 545-569., (b) Weisner, T.
S. (2002). Ecocultural understanding of children’s developmental pathways. Human Development, 45,
275–281.(c) Bose, R. (2014). Bangladeshi parental ethnotheories in the United Kingdom: Towards cultural
collaborations in clinical practice. Clinical Child Psychology & Psychiatry. Epub 2014, April 16.
1.1: ‘social-ecological model’ & ‘developmental niche model’
Bronfenbrenner and Super & Harkness
CASE MATERIAL: (will be important throughout the whole course)
Case 1 – Kindergarten school participation of a toddler in a Belgian-Turkish family
Intervenation from immigration families, living in Genk. The professor entered a study with a
program. In Belgium, immigrants family are not frequently participating at school or
kindergarden.
This is a composit case: prototypical situation.
Toddler age 4and a half. The teachers in school are concerned about this toddlers language
and cognitive development and that he is not frequently at school. They worry about the
linguistic and cognitive development. The teachers at the school contact a center and
explain that they worry a lot. They wander about the level of requirement of the
mothertongue. They also feel concerned about how to adress this concern with parents,
they worry about the ability to speak to the parents (because the parents are absent, no
interaction or contact with the family). The grandparents live in the same house as the
family. The father is a third generation immigrant (so born in belgium) and the mother
arrived recent in Belgium for marriagemigration.
Case 2 – Social isolation & cultural identifications in an Iraqi adolescent
Age 15 of an Iraqi adolescent. A doctor feels worried that the girl may be developing an
depressive disorder. He observes that she is withdrawing from all social interactions, she has
a lack of positive peer interaction. The family recently escaped Iraq (so they are refugees).
The doctor is mainly concerded because she is starting to wear a veil.
Question: Where do we recognize the work of culture in these cases:
Case 1:
o They refuse to adapt their language - they keep speeking their mother tongue
o The grandparents are living with the family (in Belgium this is not very
common)
o In Belgium everyone goes to school, but the people in this case are not
adjusting value to going to school or participating in school
o Differential school system in Belgium and Turkey
3
