CASE STUDY OF A CARIBBEAN FAMILY'S PERCEPTIONS OF CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE ...

142 Pages·2007·1.32 MB·English

ABSTRACT
TitleofDocument: CASESTUDYOFACARIBBEAN FAMILY’S
PERCEPTIONS OFCULTURALLY
APPROPRIATE FAMILY-CENTERED
SERVICEPROVISION.
LenisaJoseph
MasterofArts 2006
Directed By: Dr.DavidCooper
Department ofSpecial Education
This casestudyexplores aCaribbean family’s perceptions ofthecultural
appropriateness andthefamily-centeredness ofservices theyreceived from theirearly
interventionserviceproviders. Families’ cultural beliefs andthemandates ofearly
interventionservices underthe Individuals withDisabilities Education Improvement Act
aresometimes verydifferent. Thesedifferences sometimes result inconflict.
Researchers havedone well tohighlight beliefs of importancetomanycultural
groups; however,thereis norecord relatedtoCaribbeanfamilies’. This qualitativestudy
collecteddataover atwo-monthperiodthroughinterviews,observations anddocument
analysis. Theconstant comparativemethodwas usedtoanalyzethedata, resultinginthe
themes usedtodescribethephenomenon.
Thenumberof years this familylivedintheUS seems tohaveresultedin
acculturationtothepoint wheretheirexperiences weresimilartothat of an American
family. Theyperceivedtheservices theyreceived tobefamilycentered.
CASESTUDYOFACARIBBEAN FAMILY’S PERCEPTIONS OF
CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE FAMILY-CENTEREDSERVICEPROVISION.
By
LenisaJoseph
Thesis submittedtotheFacultyoftheGraduateSchool ofthe
UniversityofMaryland, CollegePark,inpartial fulfillment
oftherequirements forthedegreeof
MasterofArts
2006
AdvisoryCommittee:
AssociateProfessorDr. DavidCooper,Chair
ProfessorPaula Beckman
Assistant ProfessorBrendaHussey-Gardner
©Copyright by
[LenisaJoseph]
[2006]
Preface
Nabel String
Theblankstarefromtheunknown
next door neighbor,kills somethinginside
andthesoundthat pulls
is of theheartbeat,of thedrumvoice.
is River Sallee,is adrummer
soaring,is Victoria,is Belmont,
thoseplaces that you,I, weleft
left tosearch,as always,for abetter life.
MerleCollins
ProfessorofEnglish
UniversityofMaryland
CollegePark
iii
Table of Contents
Preface.................................................................................................................................ii
TableofContents...............................................................................................................iii
List ofTables......................................................................................................................v
List of Figures....................................................................................................................vi
Chapter1: Introduction.......................................................................................................1
TheCaribbean.................................................................................................................1
TheUnitedStates............................................................................................................4
Personal Perspective.......................................................................................................7
Theoretical Understandings............................................................................................8
PurposeAndSignificanceOfTheStudy......................................................................10
TheResearchQuestions................................................................................................10
Chapter2: LiteratureReview............................................................................................12
FamilyStructure InThe Caribbean...............................................................................12
ChildRearingPractices InTheCaribbean....................................................................14
Legislation ForChildren WithSpecial Needs InTheUS.............................................17
Theories.........................................................................................................................18
Professional Perspectives OfFamily-CenteredServices..............................................20
FamilyAndProfessional Perspectives Of FamilyCenteredServices..........................26
Professional Perceptions OfCulturallyAppropriatePractices.....................................28
Non-Mainstream FamilyPerceptions Of Family-CenteredEarlyInterventionServices
.......................................................................................................................................33
Research Questions.......................................................................................................43
Summary.......................................................................................................................44
Chapter3: Methodology...................................................................................................45
TheResearchQuestions................................................................................................45
QualitativeMethodology..............................................................................................46
CaseStudies..............................................................................................................47
Ethnography..............................................................................................................48
Setting...........................................................................................................................49
Recruitment...................................................................................................................49
Participants................................................................................................................53
DataCollection.............................................................................................................55
Interviews..................................................................................................................55
Observation...............................................................................................................60
Document Analysis...................................................................................................62
FieldNotes................................................................................................................63
DataAnalysis Procedures.............................................................................................64
ReliabilityAnd Trustworthiness...................................................................................65
Triangulation.............................................................................................................65
MemberChecks........................................................................................................66
PeerReview..............................................................................................................66
Researcher Bias.............................................................................................................67
Ethical Issues................................................................................................................68
Chapter4: Findings...........................................................................................................69
iv
TheJames Family.........................................................................................................70
ThePregnancy..........................................................................................................72
Research Question1:HowDidThis Caribbean FamilyAccess EarlyIntervention
Services?.......................................................................................................................73
SubQuestionA: Is There AnyRelationship Between LeavingTheCaribbeanAnd
ComingToTheUS WithTheNeed ForService?....................................................74
SubQuestionB: HowDidTheyMakeTheirWayIntoReceivingServices?..........76
Research Question2: How Is TheCultural Context OfTheFamilyReflectedThrough
TheServices TheyReceive?.........................................................................................85
SubQuestionA: What AreThe Family’s Goals ForTheChild?.............................85
SubQuestionB: HowDoes TheFamilyDefineTheirChild’s Need?.....................89
SubQuestionC: HowHas TheChild’s DisabilityImpactedThe Family?..............91
SubQuestionD: What Is ATypical DayLikeFor TheFamily?.............................94
Research Question3: What TypeOfRelationship Does The FamilyHave WithThe
ServiceProviders?........................................................................................................99
SubQuestionA: WhoSees TheChildMost?.........................................................101
SubQuestionB: Who Is TheMost ValuableToTheFamily?...............................101
Research Question4: What Assumptions OrAssertions CanBeMadeAbout The
Services Received InTheUS As ComparedTo What MayHave Been Or Was
Received InTheCaribbean?.......................................................................................104
SubQuestionA: What Recommendations WouldYouMakeToTheEarly
InterventionSystem?..............................................................................................104
Chapter5: Discussion.....................................................................................................105
TheCultural Context OfTheFamilyStructure..........................................................105
Cultural Identity......................................................................................................105
FamilyStructure......................................................................................................106
ChildRearing..........................................................................................................106
DefinitionOfDelante’s Need.................................................................................108
Faith........................................................................................................................109
FamilyServiceOrientation.........................................................................................110
Perceptions OfServices..............................................................................................110
Cultural Appropriateness OfTheServices Received.................................................111
Links ToTheory.........................................................................................................112
Limitations..................................................................................................................115
Implications ForFuture Research...............................................................................116
Appendix A: EligibilityCriteria.....................................................................................117
Appendix B: Contact card...............................................................................................118
Appendix C: LettertoParents.........................................................................................119
Appendix D: Glossaryof Terms.....................................................................................120
Appendix E: Questionnairefor familyinterview............................................................122
Appendix F: Questionnaireforserviceproviders interview...........................................123
Figure1: MapoftheCaribbean......................................................................................124
References.......................................................................................................................125
v
List of Tables
1. Participants’DemographicData 58
2. Research Question1: Codes,Themes and DataSources 74
3. Research Question2(A &B): Codes,Themes andDataSources 85
4. Research Question2(C &D): Codes,Themes andDataSources 91
5. Research Question3: Codes,Themes and DataSources 99
vi
List of Figures
1. MapoftheCaribbean 2
1
Chapter 1: Introduction
Providingearlyinterventionservices inawaythat shows respect foreachfamily
anddifferences inculture has beenan areaof concernat least sincethere-authorization
ofPart C ofthefederal legislation,The Individuals withDisabilities EducationAct 1997
(IDEA),PL105-17. The current law, Individuals withDisabilities Education
Improvement Act 2004(IDEIA),PL180-446,demonstrates thecommitment ofthe
federal legislaturetofamilies andtorespectingdifferences of culture. Researchers
(Chamberlin,2005;DeGangi &Wietlisbach,1994; Harry,2002; Lynch& Hanson,2004;
Sontag&Schacht,1993) havesought toexploretheways IDEA1997affects families of
various cultures. Whilefamilies ofseveral cultures representedintheUnitedStates (US)
havebeeninvestigated,theexperienceoftheCaribbeanfamilyreceivingearly
interventionservices is not representedintheprofessional literature. This studyexplores
theperceptions ofaCaribbeanfamilyreceivingearlyinterventionservices fortheirchild.
Inmakingthe caseforthestudy,anattempt is madetoidentifytheCaribbean
regionandreport statistics ontheCaribbeanproportionoftheUS population. A
discussiononcultureand cultural dominancethen follows. This sectionalsocontains the
researcher’s perspective as well as thepurposeof thestudyand the researchquestions.
TheCaribbean
TheCommonwealthCaribbeanis theterm applied totheEnglish-speaking
islands intheCaribbean andthemainlandnations ofBelizeand Guyanathat once
constitutedtheCaribbean portionoftheBritishEmpire(Meditz &Hanratty, 1987). The
Caribbeanas definedfor thepurposes ofthis studyincludes all theislands that extendin
2
thenorthfrom thetipoftheFloridapeninsulaproceedingsouthwardtothe Northwest of
Venezuela. Theislands that makeuptheCommonwealthCaribbeanareJamaica,
TrinidadandTobago,the Windward Islands (Dominica,St. Lucia,St.Vincent andthe
Grenadines, andGrenada),Barbados,the Leeward Islands (Antiguaand Barbuda,St.
Kitts andNevis, theBritishVirgin Islands, Anguilla,andMontserrat),the Bahamas,the
Cayman Islands,andthe Turks andCaicos Islands. Theterm West Indies is oftenalso
usedtoidentifythis region. Theislands that make uptheCaribbeanform a longnarrow
chain,whichis almost 2,500miles longand spans about 160miles at thewidest point.
Thearchipelago,as canbeseenin Figure1,forms asort ofbridgebetween Northand
SouthAmericaanddivides theCaribbeanSeafrom theAtlanticOcean(Rogozinski,
1999).
Therewas frequent migrationbytheindigenous peoples betweentheAmerican
mainlandandCaribbean before colonization. Themigratorypractices oftheindigenous
Indians whoinhabitedtheCaribbean regioncame toanendfollowingcolonization.
Migrationbetweenthetworegions redeveloped duringthe earlytwentiethcentury. The
UnitedFruit Companymadethis development possiblethroughthebanana industry. The
bananaboats that operatedbetweentheCaribbean and Atlanticports inthe US
encouragedpassengertravel (Palmer,1995). The UnitedStates,however,imposed
restrictiveimmigrationpolicies,whichlasteduptothemid-twentiethcentury. Thelaw
that governedthepolicies,theMcCarran-Walter Act,restrictedCaribbean migrants tothe
UnitedStates to100per year. In1965 amendments totheAct openedopportunities for
greaternumbers ofmigrants per year. Whilereliabledataontheflowofpopulationfrom
theCaribbeantotheUS intheearlyyears arescarce,theWorldBankestimates that