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Date of Award

5-2011

Access Type

Campus Access

Document type

dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Program

Education

First Advisor

John C. Carey

Second Advisor

Grace J. Craig

Third Advisor

Jane K. Miller

Subject Categories

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Curriculum and Instruction | Developmental Psychology | Educational Psychology | Educational Sociology

Abstract

Immigrant children who experienced mass trauma are likely to experience deep emotional and psychological issues. These issues affect their development and adjustment. It is compounded when they are relocated to another culture especially significantly dissimilar to theirs. The Somali immigrant children who experienced mass trauma bring with them complex traumatic and adaptation issues. These emotional and psychological issues will affect their total development at school, family, and community settings if not adequately addressed. Therefore the purpose of this study is to explore how indigenous Somali cultural knowledge could be used to develop a culturally sensitive school based curriculum to ameliorate the socio-emotional issues of these children. Using a qualitative research approach, immigrant adult Somalis' cultural knowledge will be investigated to learn how they conceptualize trauma or life threatening experiences and their cultural knowledge on healing and coping that could be integrated to develop a culturally sensitive curriculum.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/5680192

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