Abstract
The school failure of migrant children is often explained by their supposed cultural deficit and by mechanisms of social inequalities reproduced by the school institution. However, such hypotheses fail to account for learning trajectories that would escape from social or cultural determinism. For this, we need to turn to students’ own school experiences, about which little is known. In this chapter, we draw on a sociocultural psychological approach that considers the interdependency between sociocultural contexts and personal life trajectories to go beyond a deficit approach. More specifically, we examine how migrant children’s uses of cultural elements can support their meaning-making when confronted to settings preventing their involvement. By means of a case study, we show how a young Kosovar woman in Switzerland performed well at school, overcoming social and institutional barriers. We, moreover, show how rather than nurturing a conflictual relationship with the school institution, she could draw on different symbolic resources that favored her involvement at school. We thus argue for the necessity to study school experiences of migrant children as dynamics involving a creative dialogue between home and school through the use of cultural and symbolic resources, and discuss theoretical and practical implications of such a perspective.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
As an illustration, the Wikipedia page for “Heartbreak High” describes it as follows: The program dealt with the students of the fictional Hartley High (…) a tough high school in a multiracial area of Sydney.
- 2.
In this sense, see, for instance, the interesting discussion proposed by Hviid & Villadsen (2014).
References
Aarburg, H.-P. (2002). L’émigration albanaise du Kosovo vers la Suisse. Ethnologie française, 32(2), 271–282.
Abbey, E., & Bastos, A. C. (2014). Creating bridges to the future: The poetic dimension through family life. Culture & Psychology, 20(2), 232–243. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X14527840.
Bautier, E., & Rochex, J.-Y. (1998). L’expérience scolaire des nouveaux lycéens. Démocratisation ou massification ? Paris, France: Armand Colin.
Becker, R., Jäpel, F., & Beck. (2011). Statistische und institutionelle Diskriminierung von Migranten im Schweizer Schulsystem. Oder: Werden Migranten oder bestimmte Migrantengruppen in der Schule benachteiligt? Bern, Switzerland: Universität Bern.
Bernstein, B. (Ed.). (1973). Class, codes, and control: applied studies towards a sociology of language (Vol. 2). London, UK: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Bøttcher, L. (2014). Transition between home and school in children with severe disabilities —Parents’ possibilities for influencing their children’s learning environment. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 3(3), 195–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2014.02.011.
Boudon, R. (1979). L’inégalité des chances (Librairies Armand Colin). Paris.
Bourdieu, P. (1966). L’école conservatrice. Revue Française de Sociolgie, 7(3), 325–347.
Bourdieu, P. (1984). Questions de sociologie. Paris, France: Les éditions de minuit.
Bourdieu, P., & Passeron, J.-C. (1964). Les héritiers: les étudiants et la culture. Paris, France: Les Editions de Minuit.
Bourdieu, P., & Passeron, J.-C. (1970). La reproduction: éléments pour une théorie du système d’enseignement. Paris, France: Les Editions de Minuit.
Bruner, J. S. (1977). The process of education. Cambridge, MA & London, UK: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, J. S. (1990). Acts of meaning. Cambridge, UK: Harvard University Press.
Bruner, J. S. (1996). The culture of education. Cambridge, MA & London, UK: Harvard University Press.
Burri Sharani, B., Efionayi-Mäder, D., Hammer, S., Pecoraro, M., Soland, B., Tsaka, A., & Wyssmüller, C. (2010). La population kosovare en Suisse. Berne-Wabern, Switzerland: Office fédéral des migrations (ODM).
César, M., & Kumpulainen, K. (Eds.). (2009). Social interactions in multicultural settings. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Charlot, B. (1999). Le rapport au savoir en milieu populaire. Paris, France: Anthropos.
Charlot, B., Bautier, E., & Rochex, J.-Y. (1992). École et savoir dans les banlieues et ailleurs. Paris: Armand Colin.
Chronaki, A. (2009). An entry to dialogicality in the maths classroom: Encouraging hybrid learning identities. In M. César & K. Kumpulainen (Eds.), Social interactions in multicultural settings (pp. 117–143). Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense.
Cole, M. (1996). Cultural psychology. A once and future discipline. Cambridge, MA/London, UK: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Cole, M., & Bruner, J. S. (1971). Cultural differences and inferences about psychological processes. American Psychologist, 26, 867–876.
Consortium PISA.ch. (2010). PISA 2009 : Les élèves de Suisse en comparaison internationale. Premiers résultats. Berne et Neuchâtel: OFFT/CDIP et Consortium PISA.ch.
Consortium PISA.ch. (2014). PISA 2012: Études thématiques. Berne et Neuchâtel, Switzerland: SEFRI/CDIP et Consortium PISA.
Coradi Vellacott, M., & Wolter, S. (2005). Chancengerichkeit im Schweizerische Bildungswesen. Aarau: Schweizerische Koordinationsstelle für Bildungsforschung.
Crafter, S., & de Abreu, G. (2010). Constructing identities in multicultural learning contexts. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 17(2), 102–118. https://doi.org/10.1080/10749030802707895.
Dahinden, J. (2010). Are you who you know? A network perspective on ethnicity, gender and transnationalism. Albanian-speaking migrants in Switzerland and returnees in Kosovo. In C. Westin, J. Bastos, J. Dahinden, & P. Gois (Eds.), Identity processes and dynamics in multi-ethnic Europe. IMISCOE research series (pp. 127–147). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Amsterdam University Press.
de Abreu, G., & Elbers, E. (2005). The social mediation of learning in multiethnic schools: Introduction. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 20(1), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173207.
de Abreu, G., & Hale, H. (2011). Trajectories of cultural identity development of young immigrant people: The impact of family practices. Psychological Studies, 56(1), 53–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-011-0061-6.
de Haan, M., & Elbers, E. (2004). Minority status and culture: Local constructions of diversity in a classroom in the Netherlands. Intercultural Education, 15(4), 441–453. https://doi.org/10.1080/1467598042000313458.
de Haan, M., Keizer, R., & Elbers, E. (2010). Ethnicity and student identity in schools: an analysis of official and unofficial talk in multiethnic classrooms. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 25(2), 176–191.
Delcroix, C. (2009). Transmission de l’histoire familiale et de la mémoire historique face à la précarité. Migrations Société, 123–124(3), 141–158.
Duru-Bellat, M., & van Zanten, A. (2002). Sociologie de l’éducation (Armand Colin). Paris.
Duveen, G. (2001). Representations, identities, resistance. In K. Deaux & G. Philogène (Eds.), Representations of the social: Bridging theoretical traditions (pp. 257–270). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing.
Felouzis, G., & Charmillot, S. (2013). School tracking and educational inequality: A comparison of 12 education systems in Switzerland. Comparative Education, 49(2), 181–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2012.706032.
Felouzis, G., & Goastellec, G. (Eds.). (2015). Les inégalités scolaires en Suisse. Berne, Switzerland: Peter Lang.
Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). Five Misunderstandings about case-study research. Qualitative Inquiry, 12(2), 219–245.
Flyvbjerg, B. (2011). Case study. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The Sage handbook of qualitative research (4th ed., pp. 301–316). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Gillespie, A., & Zittoun, T. (2010). Using resources: Conceptualizing the mediation and reflective use of tools and signs. Culture & Psychology, 16(1), 37–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X09344888.
Gomensoro, A., & Bolzman, C. (2015). The effect of the socioeconomic status of ethnic groups on educational inequalities in Switzerland: which “hidden” mechanisms? Italian Journal of Sociology of Education, 7(2), 70–98.
Gonzalez, N., Moll, L. C., & Amanti, C. (2005). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities, and classrooms. Taylor & Francis.
Gorgorio, N., & de Abreu, G. (2009). Social representations as mediators of practice in mathematics classrooms with immigrant students. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 72(1), 61–76.
Grossen, M., Zittoun, T., & Ros, J. (2012). Boundary crossing events and potential appropriation space in philosophy, literature and general knowledge. In E. Hjörne, G. van der Aalsvoort, & G. de Abreu (Eds.), Learning, social interaction and diversity—exploring school practices (pp. 15–33). Rotterdam/Boston/Taipei, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Haug, W. (2006). Les migrants et leurs descendants sur le marché du travail: vue d’ensemble. Neuchâtel: OFS.
Hviid, P. (2015). Borders in education and living—a case of trench warfare. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 50(1), 44–61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-015-9319-1.
Hviid, P., & Villadsen, J. W. (2014). Cultural identities and their relevance to school practice. Culture & Psychology, 20(1), 59–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X13515938.
Jovchelovitch, S., & Priego-Hernandez, J. (2013). Underground sociabilities: Identity, culture and resistance in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. Paris, France: Unesco.
Kronig, W. (2003). Eléments d’interprétation du faible taux de réussite scolaire des enfants immigrés dans le degré primaire. In CDIP (Ed.), Le parcours scolaire et de formation des élèves immigrés à “faibles” performances scolaires. CONVEGNO 2002: Rapport final (Conférence suisse des directeurs cantonaux de l’instruction publique (CDIP), pp. 24–33). Berne.
Kronig, W., Haeberlin, U., & Eckart, M. (2000). Immigrantenkinder und schulische Selektion. Pädagogische Visionen, theoretische Erklärungen und empirische Untersuchungen zur Wirkung integrierender und separierender Schulformen in den Grundschuljahren (Haupt). Bern & Stuttgart, Switzerland.
Kucera, M., Rochex, J.-Y., & Stech, S. (Eds.). (2001). La transmission du savoir comme problème culturel et identitaire. Prague, Czech: Universite Charles de Prague: Editions Karolinum.
Leuenberger, U., & Maillard, A. (1999). Les damnés du troisième cercle. les Kosovars en Suisse, 1965–1999. Genève, Switzerland: Livre Metropolis.
Lewin, K. (1936). Principles of topological psychology. (F. Heider & G. M. Heider, Trans.). New York/London, UK: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.
Marková, I. (2016). The dialogical mind: common sense and ethics. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press.
Mehmeti, T. (2013). Réussite scolaire de jeunes femmes kosovares: quels processus psycho-sociaux? Dossiers de Psychologie et Éducation, 70, 5–125.
Meyer, T. (2015). Inégalités dans le(s) système(s) d’éducation suisse(s): facteurs systémiques et devenir individuel. In G. Felouzis & G. Goastellec (Eds.), Les inégalités scolaire en Suisse (pp. 161–177). Berne, Switzerland: Peter Lang.
Ogbu, J. U. (1992). Understanding cultural diversity and learning. Educational Researcher, 21(8), 5–24. https://doi.org/10.2307/1176697.
Piguet, E. (2005). L’immigration en Suisse depuis 1948 - Une analyse des flux migratoires. Zurich, Switzerland: Seismo.
Prokopiou, E., Cline, T., & Abreu, G. de. (2012). Rethinking ethnic minority young people’s participation in multiple sociocultural contexts and its impact on their cultural identities. In E. Hjörne & G. Van der Aalsvoort (Eds.), Learning, social interaction and diversity—exploring identities in school practices (pp. 35–52). Rotterdam: SENSE Publishers.
Radišić, J. (2011). “What do you mean by that?” How personal meanings are developed and constructed in literature classes at upper secondary level. In A. Baucal, F. Arcidiacono, & N. Buđevac (Eds.), Studying interaction in different contexts: A qualitative view (pp. 153–186). Belgrade, Serbia: Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade.
Ratner, C. (2012). Macro cultural psychology. A political philosophy of mind. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Rochex, J.-Y. (1998). Le sens de l’expérience scolaire. Paris, France: Presses universitaires de France.
Rochex, J.-Y., & Crinon, J. (Eds.). (2011). La construction des inégalités scolaires. Au cœur des pratiques et des dispositifs d’enseignement. Rennes, France: Presses universitaires de Rennes.
Rosenthal, G. (2004). Biographical research. In C. Seale, G. Gobo, J. F. Gubrium, & D. Silverman (Eds.), Qualitative research practice (pp. 48–64). London, UK: Sage. Retrieved from http://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/handle/document/5672.
Schader, B. (Ed.). (2006). Albanischsprachige Kinder und Jugendliche in der Schweiz. Hintergründe, schul- und sprachbezogene Untersuchungen (Pestalozzianum Verlag). Zürich.
Teo, T. (2015). Critical psychology: A geography of intellectual engagement and resistance. American Psychologist, 70(3), 243–254. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038727.
Valsiner, J. (1999). I create you to control me: A glimpse into basic processes of semiotic mediation. Human Development, 42(1), 26–30. https://doi.org/10.1159/000022606.
Valsiner, J. (Ed.). (2012). The Oxford handbook of culture and psychology. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Valsiner, J. (2014a). An invitation to cultural psychology. London, UK: Sage.
Valsiner, J. (2014b). Needed for cultural psychology: Methodology in a new key. Culture & Psychology, 20(1), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X13515941.
Valsiner, J., Marsico, G., Chaudhary, N., Sato, T., & Dazzani, V. (Eds.). (2016). Psychology as the science of human being: The Yokohama Manifesto. Cham, switzerlad: Springer. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21094-0.
Valsiner, J., & Rosa, A. (Eds.). (2007). The Cambridge handbook of sociocultural psychology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Zéroulou, Z. (1988). La réussite scolaire des enfants d’immigrés. L’apport d’une approche en termes de mobilisation. Revue Française de Sociologie, 447–470.
Zittoun, T. (2006). Transitions. Development through symbolic resources. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
Zittoun, T. (2014). Trusting for learning. In P. Linell & I. Marková (Eds.), Trust and language (pp. 125–151). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publisher.
Zittoun, T. (2016a). Living creatively, in and through institutions. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 12(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v12i1.1133.
Zittoun, T. (2016b). Modalities of generalization through single case studies. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-016-9367-1.
Zittoun, T. (2016c). Symbolic resources and sense making in learning and instruction. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-016-0310-0.
Zittoun, T., & Gillespie, A. (2015a). Integrating experiences: Body and mind moving between contexts. In B. Wagoner, N. Chaudhary, & P. Hviid (Eds.), Integrating experiences: Body and mind moving between contexts (pp. 3–49). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Zittoun, T., & Gillespie, A. (2015b). Transitions in the lifecourse: Learning from Alfred Schütz. In A. C. Joerchel & G. Benetka (Eds.), Biographical ruptures and their repairs: Cultural transitions in development (pp. 147–157). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publisher.
Zittoun, T., & Gillespie, A. (2016). Imagination in human and cultural development. London, UK: Routledge.
Zittoun, T., & Grossen, M. (2012). Cultural elements as means of constructing the continuity of the self across various spheres of experience. In M. César & B. Ligorio (Eds.), The interplays between dialogical learning and dialogical self (pp. 99–126). Charlotte, NC: InfoAge.
Zittoun, T., Valsiner, J., Vedeler, D., Salgado, J., Gonçalves, M., & Ferring, D. (2013). Human development in the lifecourse. Melodies of living. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mehmeti, T., Zittoun, T. (2019). Using Symbolic Resources to Overcome Institutional Barriers: A Case Study of an Albanian-Speaking Young Woman in Switzerland. In: Hviid, P., Märtsin, M. (eds) Culture in Education and Education in Culture. Cultural Psychology of Education, vol 10. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28412-1_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28412-1_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-28411-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-28412-1
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)