Skip to main content
Log in

Addressing the Challenges and Needs of English-Speaking Caribbean Immigrant Students: Guidelines for School Counselors

  • ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  • Published:
International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Caribbean students are among the distinct immigrant groups in U.S. public schools with particular needs to be addressed by school counselors. This article discusses the challenges Caribbean immigrant students face that create obstacles to their academic and personal/social success. Guidelines for school counselors are outlined, which can be used to meet the needs of Caribbean immigrant students and promote their healthy adjustment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baptiste, D. A., Hardy, K. V., & Lewis, L. (1997a). Clinical practice with Caribbean immigrant families in the United States: The intersection of emigration, immigration, culture, and race. In J. L. Roopnarine & J. Brown (Eds.), Caribbean families: Diversity among ethnic groups (pp. 275–303). Greenwich: Ablex.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baptiste, D., Hardy, K., & Lewis, L. (1997b). Family therapy with English Caribbean immigrant families in the United States: Issues of emigration, immigration, culture, and race. Contemporary Family Therapy, 19, 3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brent, J. E., & Callwood, G. B. (1993). Culturally relevant psychiatric care: The West Indian as a client. Journal of Black Psychology, 19, 290–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryce-Laporte, R. S. (1994). New York City and the new Caribbean migration: A contextual statement. In C. R. Sutton & E. M. Chaney (Eds.), Caribbean life in New York City: Sociocultural dimensions (pp. 51–69). New York: Center for Migration Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Day-Vines, N. L., Booker, B., Smith, K., Barna, J., Maiden, J., Zegley, L., & Felder, M. (2009). African American English (AAE): Implications for school counseling professionals. Journal of Negro Education, 78, 70–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, A. G., & Dworkin, R. J. (1999). The minority report: an introduction to racial, ethnic, and gender relations (3 rd ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fine, M., Bloom, J., Burns, A., Chajet, L., Guishard, M., & Perkins Munn, T. (2004). Echoes of Brown: The faultlines of racial justice and public education. Retrieved September 2010, from http://www.gc.cuny.edu/studies/_Faultlines.pdf

  • Foner, N. (1998). West Indian identity in the Diaspora: Comparative and historical perspectives. Latin American Perspectives, 25, 173–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forde, S. C. (2008). West Indian parents’, guardians’, and caregivers’ perceptions, understandings, and role beliefs about K-12 public schooling in the United States. University of South Florida: Doctoral dissertation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster, P. (1992). Teacher attitudes and Afro-Caribbean educational attainment. Oxford Review of Education, 18, 269–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glasgow, G., & Gouse-Sheese, J. (1995). Themes of rejection and abandonment in group work with Caribbean adolescents. Social Work with Groups, 17, 3–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez-Ramos, G., & Sanchez-Nester, M. (2001). Responding to immigrant children’s mental health needs in the schools: Project Mi Tierra/ My Country. Children and Schools, 23, 49–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gopaul-McNichol, S. (1993). Working with West Indian families. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gopaul-McNicol, S. (1999). Ethnocultural perspectives on childrearing practices in the Caribbean. International Social Work, 42, 79–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez, D. J. (2012). Young children in Black immigrant families from Africa and the Caribbean. In R. Capps & M. Fix (Eds.), Young children of Black immigrants in America: Changing flows, changing faces (pp. 75–117). Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ho, C. (1991). Salt-water Trinnies: Afro-Trinidadian immigrant networks and non-assimilation in Los Angeles. New York: AMS Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krauter, J. F., & Davis, M. (1978). Minority Canadians: Ethnic groups. Toronto: Methuen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, A. M. (2002). Newly arrived West Indian adolescents: A call for a cohesive social welfare response to their adjustment needs. Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Services, 1, 33–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, L., & Mahoney, A. (2005). Facilitating a smooth transitional process for immigrant Caribbean children: The role of teachers, social workers, and related professional staff. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 14, 69–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKinnon, J. D., & Bennett, C. E. (2005). We the people: Blacks in the United States. Retrieved March 16, 2006, from http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/censr-25.pdf

  • Mitchell, N. (2005). Academic achievement among Caribbean immigrant adolescents: The impact of generational status on academic self-concept. Professional School Counseling, 8, 209–218.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, N., & Bryan, J. (2007). School-family-community partnerships: Strategies for school counselors working with Caribbean immigrant families. Professional School Counseling, 10, 399–409.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neito, S. (2000). Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education (3rd ed.). New York: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nero, S. (2006). Language, identity, and education of Caribbean English speakers. World Englishes, 25, 501–511.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park-Taylor, J., Walsh, M. E., & Ventura, A. B. (2007). Creating healthy acculturation pathways: Integrating theory and research to inform counselors’ work with immigrant children. Professional School Counseling, 11, 25–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peyton, J. K. (1993). Dialogue journals: interactive writing to develop language and literacy, National Center for EFL Literacy Education (NCLE). Retrieved from http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/peyton01.html

  • Pottinger, A., Williams-Brown, S. (2006). Understanding the impact of parental migration on children: Implications for counseling families from the Caribbean. Retrieved from http://counselingoutfitters.com/pottinger.htm

  • Pottinger, A. M., Gordon-Stair, A., & Williams-Brown, S. (2008). A counseling framework for Caribbean children and families who have experience migratory separation and reunion. International Journal of Counselling, 30, 15–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roopnarine, J., Bynoe, P. F., & Singh, R. (2004). Factors tied to the schooling of children of English-speaking Caribbean immigrants in the United States. In J. L. Roopnarine (Ed.), Childhood and adolescence: Cross-cultural perspectives and applications (pp. 319–349). Santa Barbara: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz, P., Latortue, R., & Rosefort, N. (2011). Resource guide for the education of the students in New York state from Caribbean countries where English is the medium of instruction. New York: NYS Haitian Language BETAC, Brooklyn College.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seaton, E. K., Caldwell, C. H., Sellers, R. M., & Jackson, J. S. (2010). An intersectional approach for understanding perceived discrimination and psychological well-being among African American and Caribbean Black youth. Developmental Psychology, 46, 1372.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Seaton, E. K., Caldwell, C. H., Sellers, R. M., & Jackson, J. S. (2008). The prevalence of perceived discrimination among African American and Caribbean Black youth. Developmental Psychology, 44, 1288–1297. doi:10.1037/a0012747.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Shields, M. K., & Behrman, R. E. (2004). Children of immigrant families: Analysis and recommendations. Children of Immigrant Families, 14, 4–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, J. (2008). Pidgin in the classroom. Educational Perspectives, 41, 55–65. Retrieved from https://coe.hawaii.edu/sites/default/files/field/attachments/publications/Vol41-1-2.pdf#page=56

  • Smith, A., Richard, L., & Johnson, S. (2004). Serial migration and its implications for the parent–child relationship: A retrospective analysis of the experiences of the children of Caribbean immigrants, cultural diversity and ethnic minority. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 10, 107–122.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A. R. (2000). English speaking Caribbean adolescents: The psychosocial and psychological effects of migration on adolescents and their impact on adjustment to New York. Doctoral dissertation. UMI Dissertation Services. (UMI No. 9975188).

  • Suárez-Orozco, C., Onaga, M., & Lardemelle, C. D. (2010). Promoting academic engagement among immigrant adolescents through school-family-community collaboration. Professional School Counseling, 14, 15–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, K. J. A. (2012). Contemporary Black Caribbean immigrants in the United States. In R. Capps & M. Fix (Eds.), Young children of Black Immigrants in America: Changing flows, changing faces (pp. 21–44). Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, O. N., Caldwell, C. H., Faison, N., & Jackson, J. S. (2009). Promoting academic achievement: The role of racial identity in buffering perceptions of teacher discrimination on academic achievement among African American and Caribbean Black adolescents. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101, 420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas-Hope, E. M. (1992). Explanation in Caribbean migration: Perception and the image. Jamaica: Macmillan Caribbean.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker, J. M. T., Shenker, S. S., & Hoover-Dempsey, K. V. (2010). Why do parents become involved in their children’s education? Implications for school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 14, 27–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waters, M. (1999). Black identities: West Indian immigrants’ dreams and American realities. MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, F., & Butler, K. (2003). Concerns of newly arrived immigrant students: Implications for school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 7, 9–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winer, L. (2006). Teaching English to Caribbean English Creole-speaking students in the Caribbean and North America. In S. J. Nero (Ed.), Dialects, Englishes, creoles, and education (pp. 105–118). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephaney Morrison.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Morrison, S., Bryan, J. Addressing the Challenges and Needs of English-Speaking Caribbean Immigrant Students: Guidelines for School Counselors. Int J Adv Counselling 36, 440–449 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-014-9218-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-014-9218-z

Keywords

Navigation