Turkish heritage students are underrepresented at university-track secondary schools in Germany, ... more Turkish heritage students are underrepresented at university-track secondary schools in Germany, yet the institutional discrimination contributing to this ongoing disparity often remains unquestioned, situated within inequitable norms of belonging. Drawing on critical race theory and a risk and resilience framework, the current study investigated the interplay between institutional and interpersonal discrimination in relation to exclusionary norms enacted in university-track schools. Using thematic analysis, interviews with eight Turkish German young adults from multiple regions of Germany were analyzed, highlighting the need for culturally responsive teaching, more teacher reflex-ivity regarding bias, a greater focus on equity, and more direct discussions of racism and its impact.
Recent discursive research has built on Michael Billig's theory of banal nationalism, arguing tha... more Recent discursive research has built on Michael Billig's theory of banal nationalism, arguing that minoritized individuals who explicitly claim adherence to a national group may be further marginalized from a perceived majority who view such acts as socially undesirable. In Germany, a master narrative of muted national pride precludes hot nationalism, while a narrative of integration calls for overt national allegiance from anyone perceived as Other. Integration is demanded not only of recent immigrants, but also of the second generation and beyond, bolstering a related narrative of unquestioned Germanness as ethnically based. We conducted narrative analysis of interviews with white and Turkish German young adults to explore these master narratives, examining national identity through the lens of banal and hot nationalism. We found it is not only hot nationalism that marginalized Turkish German participants, but also the unrealizable narrative of integration. Situated within research into exclusionary notions of German identity, we argue that the integration demand reiterates the narrative of Germany as ethnically homogenous while fostering a feedback loop of contested belonging. With the recent increase in refugees and other immigrants, this critical examination of identity and belonging in Germany offers a timely and underexamined perspective to an important discussion.
Schools are important for the academic and socio-emotional development, as well as acculturation ... more Schools are important for the academic and socio-emotional development, as well as acculturation of immigrant-and refugee-background youth. We highlight individual differences which shape their unique experiences, while considering three levels of the school context in terms of how they may affect adaptation outcomes: (1) interindividual interactions in the classroom (such as peer relations, student-teacher relations, teacher beliefs, and teaching practices), (2) characteristics of the classroom or school (such as ethnic composition and diversity climate), and (3) relevant school-and nation-level policies (such as diversity policies and school tracking). Given the complexity of the topic, there is a need for more research taking an integrated and interdisciplinary perspective to address migration related issues in the school context. Teacher beliefs and the normative climate in schools seem particularly promising points for intervention, which may be easier to change than structural aspects of the school context. More inclusive schools are also an important step toward more peaceful interethnic relations in diverse societies.
Objective: We examined whether two key emotion regulation strategies, cognitive reap- praisal and... more Objective: We examined whether two key emotion regulation strategies, cognitive reap- praisal and expressive suppression, moderated the relations between discrimination (i.e., foreigner objectification and general denigration) and adjustment. Methods: Participants were U.S. Latino/a and Asian-heritage college students (N 1⁄4 1,279, 67% female, 72% U.S. born) from the Multi-Site University Study of Identity and Culture (MUSIC). Students completed online self-report surveys in 2009. Results: Multi-group path analysis demonstrated that a fully constrained model fit well for both Latino/a and Asian-heritage student data. The results showed that with increasing levels of denigration (but not foreigner objectification), the combination of lower cognitive reappraisal and higher expressive suppression was related to greater depressive symp- toms, anxiety, and aggression. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of examining multiple emotion regulation strategies simultaneouslydconsidering what strategies are available to in- dividuals and in what combination they are useddto understand how best to deal with negative emotions resulting from experiencing discrimination.
Cultural norms influence our daily lives in many ways – from the way we interact with one another... more Cultural norms influence our daily lives in many ways – from the way we interact with one another to how we view the world around us. For teachers, norms affect not only classroom content and curricula, but also the expectations they have about their students. This article provides a brief look into the impact of cultural norms in the classroom and offers some research-based tips for teachers to reflect on their own perspectives and create supportive learning environments for students of diverse cultural backgrounds.
Turkish heritage students are underrepresented at university-track secondary schools in Germany, ... more Turkish heritage students are underrepresented at university-track secondary schools in Germany, yet the institutional discrimination contributing to this ongoing disparity often remains unquestioned, situated within inequitable norms of belonging. Drawing on critical race theory and a risk and resilience framework, the current study investigated the interplay between institutional and interpersonal discrimination in relation to exclusionary norms enacted in university-track schools. Using thematic analysis, interviews with eight Turkish German young adults from multiple regions of Germany were analyzed, highlighting the need for culturally responsive teaching, more teacher reflex-ivity regarding bias, a greater focus on equity, and more direct discussions of racism and its impact.
Recent discursive research has built on Michael Billig's theory of banal nationalism, arguing tha... more Recent discursive research has built on Michael Billig's theory of banal nationalism, arguing that minoritized individuals who explicitly claim adherence to a national group may be further marginalized from a perceived majority who view such acts as socially undesirable. In Germany, a master narrative of muted national pride precludes hot nationalism, while a narrative of integration calls for overt national allegiance from anyone perceived as Other. Integration is demanded not only of recent immigrants, but also of the second generation and beyond, bolstering a related narrative of unquestioned Germanness as ethnically based. We conducted narrative analysis of interviews with white and Turkish German young adults to explore these master narratives, examining national identity through the lens of banal and hot nationalism. We found it is not only hot nationalism that marginalized Turkish German participants, but also the unrealizable narrative of integration. Situated within research into exclusionary notions of German identity, we argue that the integration demand reiterates the narrative of Germany as ethnically homogenous while fostering a feedback loop of contested belonging. With the recent increase in refugees and other immigrants, this critical examination of identity and belonging in Germany offers a timely and underexamined perspective to an important discussion.
Schools are important for the academic and socio-emotional development, as well as acculturation ... more Schools are important for the academic and socio-emotional development, as well as acculturation of immigrant-and refugee-background youth. We highlight individual differences which shape their unique experiences, while considering three levels of the school context in terms of how they may affect adaptation outcomes: (1) interindividual interactions in the classroom (such as peer relations, student-teacher relations, teacher beliefs, and teaching practices), (2) characteristics of the classroom or school (such as ethnic composition and diversity climate), and (3) relevant school-and nation-level policies (such as diversity policies and school tracking). Given the complexity of the topic, there is a need for more research taking an integrated and interdisciplinary perspective to address migration related issues in the school context. Teacher beliefs and the normative climate in schools seem particularly promising points for intervention, which may be easier to change than structural aspects of the school context. More inclusive schools are also an important step toward more peaceful interethnic relations in diverse societies.
Objective: We examined whether two key emotion regulation strategies, cognitive reap- praisal and... more Objective: We examined whether two key emotion regulation strategies, cognitive reap- praisal and expressive suppression, moderated the relations between discrimination (i.e., foreigner objectification and general denigration) and adjustment. Methods: Participants were U.S. Latino/a and Asian-heritage college students (N 1⁄4 1,279, 67% female, 72% U.S. born) from the Multi-Site University Study of Identity and Culture (MUSIC). Students completed online self-report surveys in 2009. Results: Multi-group path analysis demonstrated that a fully constrained model fit well for both Latino/a and Asian-heritage student data. The results showed that with increasing levels of denigration (but not foreigner objectification), the combination of lower cognitive reappraisal and higher expressive suppression was related to greater depressive symp- toms, anxiety, and aggression. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of examining multiple emotion regulation strategies simultaneouslydconsidering what strategies are available to in- dividuals and in what combination they are useddto understand how best to deal with negative emotions resulting from experiencing discrimination.
Cultural norms influence our daily lives in many ways – from the way we interact with one another... more Cultural norms influence our daily lives in many ways – from the way we interact with one another to how we view the world around us. For teachers, norms affect not only classroom content and curricula, but also the expectations they have about their students. This article provides a brief look into the impact of cultural norms in the classroom and offers some research-based tips for teachers to reflect on their own perspectives and create supportive learning environments for students of diverse cultural backgrounds.
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Papers by Ursula Moffitt
Methods: Participants were U.S. Latino/a and Asian-heritage college students (N 1⁄4 1,279, 67% female, 72% U.S. born) from the Multi-Site University Study of Identity and Culture (MUSIC). Students completed online self-report surveys in 2009.
Results: Multi-group path analysis demonstrated that a fully constrained model fit well for both Latino/a and Asian-heritage student data. The results showed that with increasing levels of denigration (but not foreigner objectification), the combination of lower cognitive reappraisal and higher expressive suppression was related to greater depressive symp- toms, anxiety, and aggression.
Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of examining multiple emotion regulation strategies simultaneouslydconsidering what strategies are available to in- dividuals and in what combination they are useddto understand how best to deal with negative emotions resulting from experiencing discrimination.
Teaching Documents by Ursula Moffitt
Methods: Participants were U.S. Latino/a and Asian-heritage college students (N 1⁄4 1,279, 67% female, 72% U.S. born) from the Multi-Site University Study of Identity and Culture (MUSIC). Students completed online self-report surveys in 2009.
Results: Multi-group path analysis demonstrated that a fully constrained model fit well for both Latino/a and Asian-heritage student data. The results showed that with increasing levels of denigration (but not foreigner objectification), the combination of lower cognitive reappraisal and higher expressive suppression was related to greater depressive symp- toms, anxiety, and aggression.
Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of examining multiple emotion regulation strategies simultaneouslydconsidering what strategies are available to in- dividuals and in what combination they are useddto understand how best to deal with negative emotions resulting from experiencing discrimination.