Acculturation and Assimilation: A Qualitative Inquiry of Teacher Expectations for Somali Bantu Refugee Students

Abstract

This article explored the range in teacher expectations held for Somali Bantu refugees using content analysis of one-on-one interviews with teachers who taught Somali Bantu students at an elementary school in Chicago. Analyses revealed the emergence of five categories of expectations: (a) general acculturative expectations around language and knowledge (b) behaviors, (c) internal attributes, (d) classroom behaviors, and (e) family/home. These findings raise questions about the potential danger of teacher’s expectations that might suggest assimilation to oppressive racial statuses. Implications for teachers and future research are discussed. Limitations and generalizability are also discussed.