4 research outputs found
Paradoxes in Physical Health
This chapter reviews the evidence from social science and medical research that sheds light on this potential immigrant paradox in health -- when, where, and for whom it holds or does not apply. In doing so, two important points need to be kept in mind. First, the existence of the paradox does not necessarily mean that immigrants are doing than everyone else. Rather, it means that they are doing better than social and economic positions suggest that they should be. Second, paradox may apply in general but not hold in specific domains of health for certain subgroups or at certain life stages. The health literature is so voluminous that it cannot be reviewed in its entirety. Instead, this chapter is more selective in its coverage. In line with the developmental and ecological spirit of this book, a particular health topic has been chosen to highlight what is occurring in major periods of the early life course and to demonstrate how physical, social, and cultural forces and contexts intersect to strengthen or weaken the immigrant paradox around this topic. Specifically, the chapter focuses on infant mortality, childhood illness and disease, and adolescent health behavior, giving additional attention to a topic that cuts across life stages: obesity
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Latino/a teachers and the school-based involvement of Latino/a parents of young students
The goal of this mixed methods study was to identify policy-relevant mechanisms to improve the educational prospects of Latino/as in the U.S., a group with traditionally lower levels of educational attainment compared with other race/ethnic groups. I focused on these processes when children were in elementary school, which is increasingly viewed as a critical window for intervention in the intergenerational transmission of inequality and, within this stage, exploring parent-teacher relations, which has generated much theoretical and policy attention. Following contextual systems theory, this dissertation examined how the educational involvement of Latino/a parents was related to their children having Latino/a teachers in the primary grades of elementary school. This examination drew on quantitative data (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class, 1998-99) to estimate path models in which measures of school-based involvement among Latina mothers in every grade were regressed on teacher ethnicity in the current and all prior grades, controlling for an array of maternal, teacher, child, and school characteristics. The qualitative data (observational and interview data from ten public schools in a large Texas school district) were analyzed with a grounded theory approach. Integrating findings across the two sets of analyses yielded four take-home messages. First, although Latino/a teachers interviewed tended to have more welcoming views of Latino/a parents’ involvement, this pattern was not consistently seen in the quantitative findings. Second, family SES appeared to be more important than Latino/a status in affecting school-based involvement, although SES might act as a proxy for other family characteristics. Third, although researchers and surveys tend to separate school-based involvement from other types of parental involvement (with educational policies often reflecting this divide), the qualitative data indicate that teachers blur these lines. Fourth, policies aimed at creating home-school partnerships Latino/a parents will require more than just creating opportunities for school-based interactions.Sociolog