educational and cultural adjustment of ten arab muslim students in canadian university classrooms

204 Pages·2012·9.92 MB·English

EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT OF
TEN ARAB MUSLIM STUDENTS IN CANADIAN UNIVERSITY
CLASSROOMS
By
Ibrahim Abukhattala
The Department of Integrated Studies in Education
Faculty of Education
McGill University
Montreal. Canada
JULY, 2004
A Thesis submitted to McGill University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy
in Education
cg
Ibrahim Abukhattala 2004
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•• •
Canada
THIS DISSERTATION IS DEDICATED TO MY MOTHER,
AISHASWAIB
AND TO THE LOVING MEMORY OF MY FATHER,
MUKHTARABUKHATTALA
1
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1 wish to first acknowledge God for the guidance, faith and affirmation to complete this
course of life. A number of people have provided the support needed for me to complete
this pro gram of study. It is indeed pleasure to thank and acknowledge sorne of the people
who contributed to this thesis.
1 would like to express my deep appreciation and profound gratitude to Dr. Joan
Russell who served as my thesis supervisor. 1 was always impressed by the eagemess and
speed with which she read each draft. Throughout this academic endeavor, Dr. Russell
was a great mentor, whose wisdom, keen insight and expertise guided this project
through every stage. Her critical thinking allowed me to see my text and make meanings
of my words. Her support, encouragement, and patience were a great source of
inspiration to me. 1 only hope to repay what 1 have leamed from Dr. Russell by passing it
to another student someday.
Appreciation is also extended to the members of my doctoral committee: Dr.
Boyd White for his ongoing support, encouragement and constructive suggestions and
comments, and Dr. Shaheen Shariff for her critical feedback and insights. 1 sincerely
thank both ofthem.
1 would like also to cordially thank my wonderful friends Sarnia Costandi and
Neomi Kronish and all ofmy lovely colleagues, profe ssors and former students at McGill
Faculty of Education for their support and being so involved in my life.
Finally, 1 am grateful to the ten Arab students in this study for sharing their
sometimes very personal experiences with me. Without their enthusiasm, trust, input and
cooperation, 1 could not have conducted this research. They have my deepest respect.
II
ABSTRACT
Arab Canadians are a heterogeneous and frequently misunderstood group whose
educational background and cultural heritage have received little attention in the
scholarly literature. In multicultural Canada, educators, curriculum developers, textbook
authors and policy makers rely on available literature to inform their decision-making
processes. Mainstream media, as a source of information and insight, do not fill this need.
In this inquiry, l examine the cross cultural and educational experiences of ten
Arab undergraduate students in two English-language universities in Montreal.
Participants were from Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco and have been in Canada
for three to seven years.
Classic qualitative methodological tools of in-depth interviews, participant
observation and document analysis were employed to record, analyze and interpret the
experiences of the se students. In order to give voice to these students' insights and
experiences, a narrative approach is used in presenting and interpreting the data.
Seven themes identified as educational issues emerged from the analysis: Student
Teacher Relationship; Teaching Methodology; Democratic dialogue in the classroom;
Teaching and learning foreign languages; Examinations; Research and Library Facilities;
and Problems encountered in interactive classroom. Two themes, identified as cultural
issues, emerged: Canadians' perceptions of Arabs and Muslims from the perspectives of
the participants; Islamic dress (hijab) and Sex-segregated relationships.
The analysis revealed differences in culture, language, and social and educational
systems between these students' countries of origin and Canada as the major sources of
III
these students' positive and negative experiences. The study concludes that Canadian
educators can assist these students by becoming aware of their home culture, different
leaming styles, frustrations in adjusting to schoollife and in overcoming cultural shock;
and by helping them adjust to Canadian educational system and le am about the Canadian
culture.
IV
RESUMÉ
Les canadiens arabes forment un groupe hétérogène et fréquemment mal compris dont le
cadre éducatif et le patrimoine culturel ont été peu étudié dans les milieux universitaire.
Au Canada multiculturel, les éducateurs, développeurs de programmes, auteurs
d'ouvrages éducatifs et autres créateurs de lois doivent reposer sur la documentation
disponible pour guider leurs décisions vers le courrant dominant. Ici, comme source
d'information ou d'idées, les médias ne comblent aucun besoin.
Dans cette enquête, j ai examiné l'expérience éducative et interculturelle de dix
étudiants arabes de premier cycle universitaire dans deux universités anglophones de
Montréal. Les participants à mon étude sont originaires de Libye, de Tunisie, d'Algérie
et du Maroc et ils résident au Canada depuis trois à sept ans.
L'expérience de ces étudiants a été enregistrée, analysée et interprétée en
employant des méthodes qualitatives traditionnelles d'entrevues approfondies,
d'observation de participants et d'analyse de documents. Les données sont présentées et
interprétées de manière narrative afin de donner voix à l'expérience et aux perceptions de
ces étudiants.
L'analyse a révélé sept thèmes problématiques relatifs a l'éducation: les rapports
entre élèves et professeurs; les méthodologies d'enseignement; le dialogue
démocratique dans les salles de cours; l'enseignement et l'apprentissage des langues
étrangères; les examens; les installations de recherche et les bibliothèques, et les
problèmes rencontrés dans les classes interactives. Deux thèmes relatifs a la culture ont
v
émergé: La perception des arabes et des musulmans par les canadiens depuis la
perspective des participants; l'habit islamique (le hijab) et la ségrégation des relations.
L'enquête a désigné les différences culturelles et linguistiques et de systèmes
sociaux et éducatifs entre le Canada et les pays d'origines des participants comme source
d'expériences négatives et positives pour ces derniers. L'étude conclue que les éducateurs
canadiens peuvent soutenir ces étudiants en prenant conscience de leurs cultures
d'origines, de leurs différents styles d'apprentissage, des frustrations causées par
l'adaptation a la vie universitaire et les chocs culturel, et en les aidant a s'ajuster au
système d'éducation canadien et a découvrir la culture canadienne.
VI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................ .1
ABSTRACT .......................................................................................... .11
RESUME ............................................................................................... .IV
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................ VI
LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................X
<=1I)\]J1r~Ft ()~~: ~~1rlJ~ ()}f 1r1l~ ~1rlJl)1{ ..........•.•.•.........•.•.........•.......... l
Introduction And Statement Of The Problem .................................................... .1
Authenticity Of The Study ........................................................................... 5
Significance Of The Study And Its Contribution To Knowledge .............................. 7
Assumptions Of the Study: ......................................................................... 10
Research Questions .................................................................................. 11
<=1I~P1r~Ft 1rW(): <=()~<=~P1rlJ~L }fAAM~W()RK ..................................... 12
Definitions of Culture .............................................................................. 12
Cultural Ethnocentrism .................................................................. 19
Western ethnocentrism and Islamic Cultures ........................................ 21
Western Orientalists and Muslims .................................................... 22
Ethnocentrism in Schools .............................................................. 25
VII
Cultural Relativism ....................................................................... 27
Culture Shock ..............................................................................2 9
Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society ................................................ 30
Diversity and Pluralism ............................................................................. 33
CHAPTER THREE: RELEVANT LITERAT URE ........................................3 5
Empirical Research on Arabs in North America ................................................ 35
Classification Of Ethnic Minorities in North America: Power and Number. ............... 39
Arabic minorities and their position in the majority society .................................. .40
Arabs and Muslims in the Western Media ....................................................... 41
Arabs and Muslims in the Western School Textbooks ........................................ .43
CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..................................... 46
Setting and Characteristics of the Study Population ............................................4 8
The Participants: 10 Biographical Sketches ................................................... .,50
Qualitative Interviewing ............................................................................ 55
Date Collection Procedure ......................................................................... 59
Data Analysis ........................................................................................ 62
The Issue of Trustworthiness ...................................................................... 64