Life in Transition: Newcomer Boy Zhi Gao

Abstract

Zhi Gao, a newcomer boy from Guangdong, China, was the last potential participant to be considered for the study due to his behavior difficulties and thus the concern that he might be unwilling to participate. Zhi Gao’s behavior issues reflected the language barriers and cultural dissonance experienced by the boy in his transition between two countries and two educational systems as well as between childhood and adolescence. The frustration and helplessness experienced by the parents and the boy himself reveal the needs for identifying the visible and invisible boundaries in a school system with well-intended programs and rich resources, and a need for Parents’ Aid for despairing parents like Zhi Gao’s mom, whose dreams of a better life and education for their children in a new country are shattered.