For decades, Luso-Canadian youth across Canada have consistently displayed higher dropout rates and lower rates of entrance into Post-secondary education than other youth. Many in our community have tended to blame parents for this phenomenon for not promoting education, not becoming involved in their children?s schooling, as well as for putting their sons and daughters to work prematurely.
In fact, a national study, which I am presently coordinating, is placing serious doubt on this belief. This project is attempting to discover the factors that have hindered, as well as those that have helped, the educational decisions of Luso-Canadian youth. The study, which has included 21 focus groups and 26 individual interviews in 5 Canadian cities (Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Halifax and Vancouver), has found the following:
In general, school is a very difficult and tedious process for most Luso-Canadian students, (even those who are doing well). A large proportion of our youth are also facing academic difficulties.
These youth place great importance on their families, who they say are their greatest support mechanism economically, personally and with life challenges.
The youth have also overwhelmingly reported that they are under acute pressure from their parents to do well in school. This includes those who are in danger of dropping out. Many reported that their parents often argue with, or even threaten, them with physical punishment, over low marks, uncompleted homework, poor attendance and other school-related matters. Some even mentioned that their parents used the threat of putting them to work in manual-labour jobs, as an incentive to get them to improve their marks. In short, none of the youth in this study reported that their parents have dissuaded them from continuing their education.
These youth also mentioned that their parents generally didn?t know how to help them, with their school-related problems. In fact, there is indication that, some parents give up very quickly on attempts to improve their children?s schooling, when these have academic difficulties. A few youth even reported that their parents assisted their entrance into full-time employment, when the former were unable to get their children to improve their marks.
Some youth lamented how their parents did not support them in studying in their area of interest (ex. art, music, etc.) and pressured them to study in fields with more money or prestige.
Many of the youth have recounted how Guidance Counselors have actively dissuaded them from continuing to post-secondary education, or recommended that they study in lower level courses. This practice was reported by youth across the entire country. Others, mainly those in Toronto, have also accused some teachers of making them feel inferior as Portuguese-Canadians. These youth have mentioned that those teachers, who are of Portuguese background, seem to be ?more patient? with them.
Many youth face financial limitations, particularly with respect to buying ?extras,? or luxury consumer items, and in paying for their post-secondary education. This has forced many to engage in excessive hours of part-time work to pay for these luxuries, (in some cases up to 30 hours a week). A few had families that were going through severe financial hardship, either as a result of family breakdown, or of unemployment.
In the larger cities, many Portuguese-Canadian youth seem to have a more negative impression of their community and of their ethnicity, than those in the smaller communities. Those in smaller centres focused on their uniqueness and took pride in the Portuguese-Canadian cultural activities in which their families were involved.
Those youth who take an active part in Portuguese clubs and associations appear anecdotally to be doing better in school than those who do not. They also seem to have a much better impression of their community and their ethnic origins.
All of these results seem to point to the need to overturn our stereotype, which states that Portuguese-Canadian parents do not promote education. Rather, as a community, we need find better ways of helping Luso-Canadian parents to support their children. We also need to promote the further involvement of our youth in our clubs, associations and cultural activities.
Fernando Nunes, Ph.D
Department of Child and Youth Study
Mount Saint Vincent University
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Barreiras e Factores de Apoio na Escolarização de Jovens Luso-Canadianos
Há décadas, os jovens luso-canadiana através do Canadá têm consistentemente apresentado maiores taxas de abandono escolar e menores taxas de entrada para a educação pós-secundária, do que outros jovens. Muitos em nossa comunidade tendem a culpar os pais por esse fenómeno, acusando estes de não promoverem a educação, não se envolverem na escolarização dos seus filhos, e de colocarem os seus filhos e filhas para trabalhar prematuramente.
De facto, um estudo nacional, que estou presentemente a coordenar, está a colocar dúvidas sérias sobre esta impressão. Este projecto está a tentar descobrir aqueles factores que têm dificultado, assim como aqueles que têm ajudado, as decisões educacionais dos jovens luso-canadianos. O estudo, que inclui 21 reuniões e 26 entrevistas individuais, em 5 cidades do Canadá (Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Halifax e Vancouver), tem encontrado o seguinte:
1. Em geral, a escolarização é um processo muito difícil e tedioso para a maioria dos estudantes luso-canadianos, (mesmo aqueles que estão a tirar boas notas). Uma grande parte da nossa juventude também está a enfrentar dificuldades académicas
2. Estes jovens dão grande importância às suas famílias, as quais eles consideram ser o maior apoio económico, pessoal e em termos dos problemas da vida.
3. Os jovens têm também relatado em massa que estão sob forte pressão dos seus pais para sucederem na escola. Isto inclui também aqueles jovens que estão em risco de abandono escolar. Muitos relataram que seus pais argumentam com eles, ou mesmo ameaçam bater-lhes, por causa de notas baixas, de trabalhos de casa não terminados, de faltarem à escola, e por outros assuntos relacionados. Alguns até mencionaram que os seus pais usaram a ameaça de colocá-los a trabalhar em postos de trabalho braçal, como incentivo para estes melhorarem as notas. Em resumo, nenhum dos jovens deste estudo relatou que os seus pais os dissuadiram de continuarem a educação.
4. Estes jovens também mencionaram que os pais geralmente não sabem como ajudá-los, com problemas relacionados com a escola. Na verdade, há indicação neste estudo de que, alguns pais desistem rapidamente de tentarem melhorar a escolarização dos seus filhos, quando estes têm dificuldades académicas Alguns jovens até relataram que os seus pais facilitaram a sua entrada no mercado de trabalho, quando estes não foram capazes de ajudar os filhos a melhorarem as notas.
5. Alguns jovens lamentaram que os pais não os apoiaram na decisão de estudar na área de interesse deles (ex. arte, música, etc.), e os pressionaram para estudar em áreas que apresentavam mais dinheiro ou prestígio
6. Muitos dos jovens relataram como os Conselheiros Educacionais da escola (Guidance Counsellors) activamente dissuadiram-lhos de continuarem a educação pós-secundária, ou recomendaram a estes que estudassem em cursos de nível inferior. Exemplos desta prática foram relatados por jovens de todo o país. Outros jovens, principalmente aqueles em Toronto, também acusaram alguns professores de fazê-los sentirem-se inferiores por serem Luso-Canadianos. Estes jovens mencionaram que os professores de origem Portuguesa parecem ter "mais paciência" com eles.
7. Muitos jovens enfrentam dificuldades financeiras, especialmente no que diz respeito à compra de "extras", ou produtos de consumo de luxo, e no sustento do custo da educação pós-secundária. Isso tem obrigado muitos a fazerem horas excessivas de trabalho, part-time, para pagar esses luxos, (em alguns casos até 30 horas por semana). Alguns também pertenciam a famílias que estavam a passar por graves dificuldades financeiras, como resultado de divórcio, separação, ou desemprego.
8. Nas cidades maiores, muitos jovens luso-canadianos aparentam ter uma impressão mais negativa da sua comunidade, e da sua etnia, do que os que vivem nas comunidades menores. Os jovens nos centros menores orgulham-se em serem poucos e únicos, e nas actividades culturais luso-canadianas, em quais as suas famílias estão envolvidas.
9. Aqueles jovens que participam activamente nos clubes e associações parecem estar a progredir melhor na escola do que aqueles que não estão. Estes também parecem ter impressões muito melhores da comunidade e das suas origens étnicas.
Todos estes resultados parecem apontar para a necessidade de derrubarmos o nosso estereótipo, que diz que os pais luso-canadianos não promovem a educação. Ao contrário, como comunidade, precisamos de encontrar melhores maneiras de ajudar os pais luso-canadianos a apoiarem os seus filhos. Precisamos também de promover o maior envolvimento dos nossos jovens nos nossos clubes, associações e actividades culturais.
NOTICE:
For the English printed version of this article, gently written for IMF/ESF by Prof. Fernando Nunes, the Managing Editor of IMF/ESF decided to choose for title "Teachers Making Portuguese Canadians feel Inferior? " - STUDY - instead of "Barriers and Supports in the Education of Luso-Canadian Youth."
The idea, which comes across in this study, does not convey, as Prof. Fernando Nunes writes, the message he wanted to bring across.
As such, we publish here Prof. Nunes opinion about this title.
However, we want to stress that there was no intention to change the message. Simply to bring one aspect of the article we think is relevant and hopefully will bring healthy and interesting discussion.
Humberta Araujo
Managing Editor
IMF/ESF
Dear Humberta, I appreciate your publication of my article, "Barriers and Supports in the Education of Luso-Canadian Youth." As you know, the academic underachievement of Luso-Canadian youth is a matter of extreme importance to our community.
Unfortunately, I was very surprised and even shocked when I noticed that you had arbitrarily changed the title of my article, and without consulting me, to "'Teachers Making Portuguese-Canadians Feel Inferior': Study." This title is completely inappropriate for the article and does not reflect in any way, the main point that I tried to communicate, which is the idea that we should stop blaming the parents of our community for this problem.
The new title puts all the attention inappropriately, and without context, upon the teachers, which is something I never intended and do not want to do. Through the five cities in Canada, young people of Portuguese have complained in this study of their Guidance Counselors advising them to study at lower levels. This point, yes, was quite widespread. That's why I say that it was mentioned from coast to coast. But this also is not the main cause of the underachievement problem. Also at the meetings in Toronto some youth mentioned that SOME of their teachers made them feel inferior. Here I used the word '... SOME teachers Accused of Making Them feel inferior. " The young people who said this did not represent the majority of those who spoke in Toronto, nor did they say that most of their teachers took similar actions.
I repeat once again, it was only some of these young people who said this about some of their teachers. This does not mean that this issue was not mentioned by these youth. It only says that this information must be contextualized and put into the perspective of other points that were mentioned. I would say that the attitude of some teachers is certainly not the main cause of this issue, but simply one factor. Moreover, this issue has been identified, for many years and by several other researchers, as one of the contributors to this problem (see, for example, the work of Peter MacLaren: School as a Ritual Performance - 1986). But again, this does not mean that this is the main aspect of the problem.
To arbitrarily attach this title to my article, gave it a focus with what I do not agree, in any way. Finally, I would like to request that you publish this letter in the next edition of your paper, and online on your blog. I think it's extremely important to clarify that this was not the original title of my article, and that I was not consulted before this was changed to something that I consider inappropriate. I congratulate and commend you on the publication of this important newspaper.
Regards,
Fernando Nunes
Assistant Professor Department of Child & Youth Study Mount Saint Vincent University
Tel (902) 457-6424 (902) 457-6424
Fernando.nunes@msvu.ca
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