What avenues of their lives do new African

refugees associated with the Ashton Woods

Community Center in Greensboro, NC use to
identify and maintain their sense of self?
Qualitative Research Methods in Sociology and Anthropology
May 11, 2013
By: Clarisse Abayisenga, Omolayo Ojo & Ashley Rose

Abayisenga, Ojo, Rose | 2

Part 1 - Statement of Research Aim

The aim of this research project is to explore and to describe in detail the ways in
which new African refugees in Greensboro, North Carolina identify and maintain their sense
of self through the avenues of social life, occupational undertakings, education, and cultural
and recreational activities. Through these headings and their respective subheadings we will
seek to observe, understand, analyze and apply the data gained from pertinent resources used
in our investigation.
The research will pertain particularly to new African refugees in the Greensboro, N.C.
area who are associated with the Ashton Woods Community Center. The community center is
a source of information and assistance for new North Carolinians. It is their mission to help to
facilitate the continuous education and integration of immigrant and refugee families into the
local community (Ashton Woods, n.d.).
This proposal seeks to combine the research that would be done with knowledge from
existing research on the topic of African refugees in the Greensboro area. It will be collected
and analyzed in the proper context. The methodology would include four main methods of
collecting data, snowball sampling, purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews, and
participant observation. The study would include two data analysis methods, participant
observation and semi-structured interviews. (Great points!)
Using these techniques existing programs will grant the ability to gauge the
effectiveness of their current programs and make alterations based on knowledge gained in
this research proposal. While many alterations have been made to United States laws
pertaining to immigrants and refugees including the 1965 ( Immigration Reform and
Nationality Act) , the 1980 (the United States Refugee Act), 1986 (Comprehensive
Immigration Law: the Immigration Reform and Control Act), 1990 ( The Diversity
Immigrant Visa Program) and the H-1B visa exist to ensure legal admittance and rights for
individuals and families coming to the U.S. from different parts of the world, it is still
essential to evaluate, analyze, and make changes to programs that deal with the social
integration and functionality of the refugee population (The Refugee Act, n.d.). It is these
kinds of programs that work through the avenues of social life, occupational undertakings,
education, and recreational and cultural activities to help the refugees identify and maintain
their sense of self. Sense of self is a critical contributor to the well-being of the refugees, as
they acculturate and adjust to their new surroundings, without which they may assimilate and
completely lose their cultural identity, which is an integral part of who they are and what they
have to contribute to society.
The research design, data collection and analysis would be conducted in an ethical
manner and confidentiality would be ensured. The data collected would be made available to
the public upon its completion and would be able to be used by various organizations that
cater to the target population of African refugees in Greensboro, NC associated with the
Ashton Woods Community Center for the betterment of their programs that seek to help
refugees identify and maintain their sense of self.

Part 2 - Background and Literature Review

Abayisenga, Ojo, Rose | 3

There is an estimated 9,000 people from some of the 54 countries of Africa living in
Guilford County. Some of the earliest African Immigrants were drawn to Greensboro NC by
educational interests from institutions like North Carolina A&T. Recently, there has been a
trend of African refugees relocating in North Carolina with Greensboro particularly being a
hub because of organizations like The North Carolina African and World Services Coalition,
Lutheran Family Services and The World refugee Services of NC to just name a few.
In Greensboro refugee communities have Avalon Community Center and Ashton Woods have
sprouted up as neighborhoods where refugee families live together in the same environment.
In these environments are community centers like the one at Ashton Woods that serve the
same purpose as The Refugee Act of 1980. This created The Federal Refugee Resettlement
Program to provide for the effective resettlement of refugees and to assist them to achieve
economic self-sufficiency as quickly as possible after their arrival in the United States (The
Refugee Act).The Ashton Woods refugee community center is a satellite idea of the Refugee
Act of 1980, that provides resources to new refugees to aid them in becoming self-sufficient
in their new environment.
Ashton Woods Refugee Center
The Ashton Woods refugee community center was created in relation to the Glen
Haven and Oak woods refugee community centers to lead immigrant and refugee families to
become self-sufficient. It is administered by the Center for New North Carolinians based in
the University of North Carolina Greensboro campus and staffed by AmeriCorps. Originally,
the refugee community center was located in the Avalon neighborhood the community center
before it moved to its current location at the Ashton Woods apartment complex to serve larger
population of refugees. The majority of these refugees come from various countries in Africa.
We are interested in studying how the community center at Ashton Woods has helped or
impacted the refugees in acculturating them to their new environment.
The refugee community centers serve multiple purposes. The centers provide ESOL
classes, employment, readiness sessions, American cultural education, social and cultural
orientation, and after that school tutoring at a variety of times at each center throughout the
year (Glen Haven, Ashton Woods, and Oakwood Forest). In our study we will use different
forms of literature from those who have already studied immigrant and refugee populations
(Include two example here?. These sources will help us to analyze and understand the data
that we collect in the process of conducting our research.
As a home away from home, The Ashton Woods refugee community center is a safe
haven for the refugees. Here they are able to be comfortable in the stage of learning about
their new culture and maintaining their old culture. For some of the refugees acculturating
may be easier to them than to some of the others. The children usually adapt to the new
environment faster or easier than the adults do. Due this difference in adaptation levels the
experiences of the youth and older refugees may differ.
Acculturating in the Host Society
, Educating Immigrant Youth in the United States: An Exploration of the Somali
Case, by Kapteijns and Arman (2008) layout the fundamental literature that exists in
understanding the acculturation of immigrants and refugees into U.S. society. The article does
a great job of defining important terms that are necessary for understanding the immigrants
and refugees. The terms used for the youth include second-generation these are youth who
are born to immigrant parents in the new country and Generation 1.5 are youth who were
born abroad but have been predominantly raised in the U.S. (good conceptual definitions on
various generations of immigrants)

Abayisenga, Ojo, Rose | 4

Kapteijins and Arman (2008) also point out the differences between assimilation and
the different types of acculturation. Assimilation is considered a one-way process in which
the immigrant group is expected to shed all ethnically identifiable characteristics and
disappear in the American melting pot (Kapteijns & Arman, 2008, p. 23). Conversely,
acculturation is defined as a developmental process towards adaptation and gaining
competence within more than one cultural setting (Kapteijns & Arman, 2008, p. 23). This
evokes the salad bowl analogy of American culture as opposed to the melting pot.
Essentially, acculturation process allows both groups, the immigrants and those within the
host society, to learn and gain from one anothers attitudes, values and norms (Excellent
point!).
Acculturation has three different levels which the authors identify as consonant,
dissonant, and selected. In the first, both generations of immigrants, the parents and their
children, acculturate at the same pace and in the same avenues. In dissonant acculturation, the
youth acculturate much faster than their parents, which many times cause psychological
discontinuities, which is a culture clash between parents and their children that makes it
difficult for individuals to understand differences and to formulate effective bicultural
repertoires (Kapteijns & Arman, 2008, p. 23). The importance of correct acculturation is
highlighted best when the Kapteijns and Arman (2008) state that:
One of the major tasks of adolescence, psychologists point out, is to develop
and become comfortable with ones identity. For immigrant and minority
youth, part of this development of identity involves an intensified
exploration of the meaning of ones ethnicity and the special task to
negotiate a balance between two value systems: that of their own group and
that of the majority. If the process is highly conflicted, due to cultural
friction with parents or discrimination by the mainstream, it can lead to a
host of problems, among them stress, low self-esteem, anger and
oppositional behavior, ethnic identity crisis, identity deficit (when
youth no longer know what to do), or marginalization (the rejection of
both domains). When young people fail to find support from either their own
ethnic or mainstream domains, it is suggested that peers may exercise such a
dangerously large influence that they may even turn to gangs as substitute
families. (p. 24)
The final acculturation method, selected acculturation, is the ideal form, in which the
children are able to maintain healthy relationships with co-ethnic peers, maintain their
parents language and culture, and are cushioned into American ways. This type of
acculturation allows the youth to become fully bicultural and bilingual. In fact,
biculturalism has become so important in the eyes of researchers that they now measure
successful acculturation in term of the high quality relationships young people develop
in both their own ethnic and the mainstream domains (Kapteijns & Arman, 2008, p.
25).
Since parents play such a huge role in how well immigrant and refugee youth
acculturate, the researchers for this proposal believe it is important to study how well the
parents themselves acculturate into the host society (great point!). This research differs
from most of the literature in the Greensboro area because much of the scholarship is
about Asian and Hispanic immigrants who constitute the largest influx of immigrants to
the U.S. from 1990 on. It is equally important for there to be appropriate research on
new African immigrants and refugees in order to create adequate programming that aids
specifically in their acculturation process to the U.S. society and culture. From the
preliminary research completed, the researchers have identified 4 avenues that play a
large role in how well refugees and immigrant and their children acculturate into their

Abayisenga, Ojo, Rose | 5

host societies. These areas of life include social and cultural activities, educational
opportunities and occupational undertakings. Other research emphasizes the importance
of religious affiliations for recreating the sense of refugees which is what lead us to the 5
categories that we emphasize throughout this proposal.
Ashton Woods Refugee Community Center is an epicenter for the new African
refugees and immigrants who live in Ashton Woods, Greensboro, NC. Educational, social and
recreational activities are the focuses of the community center. Many of the children receive
tutoring, while the adults are being helped to gain their General Education Diplomas or are
learning to speak English. While working to gain this education there can be both valleys and
peaks in the process of adjustment to the new place. Another major focus the community
center is cultural education. During this process the refugees learn about their new
environment. They learn the norms of the host culture and how to balance their culture with
the new one.
Education
Education is an important part of the acculturation into a new society and to ensure
that a newcomer can not only cope with the new culture, but also succeed later on in life.
Education aids in academic development, language acquisition, and cultural learning. It is
within the walls of the school that refugee children learn to socialize in their host society and
gain the necessary skills for future endeavors. At the beginning of the literature review,
Naidoo(2009) immediately cites Cassity and Gows assertion that placing education as a
high priority for African refugee students is important as these students often have high
expectations of education and they see it as a pathway to future employment, (1, pg. 262)
While useful, the school can also serve as a location of discomfort for the children.
But many times the school system is a complete shock and may be more detrimental than
helpful. Naidoo (2009) identifies three things that make adjusting to school very difficult for
refugee children: marginalization through lack of English fluency, feeling different from
others, as well as teachers causing stress by asking other students to be nice to refugees
cultural conflict was caused through different school systems (1, pg. 262). In addition,
Naidoo (2009) cites Bourdieus and Passerons work on educating refugees and how the
formal school system can lead to a sort of symbolic violence. In symbolic violence,
underrepresented groups, such as refugees, are essentially told they dont exist because the
material in the classroom does not discuss their history and culture. Because of these factors,
supplementary support outside formal schooling is essentialFor African refugee students,
the homework tutoring centre can be a safe place, to get the one-on-one attention they
require, be amongst people that share their experiences and ease successfully into their host
society.
Like the afterschool tutoring center that Naidoo studied in Sydney, Australia, the
Aston Woods Refugee Community Center is aided by volunteers from nearby colleges.
Students from University of North Carolina Greensboro, Guildford Community College and
Elon University, come to the center daily to mentor and tutor the refugee children that attend
the community center after school. While Naidoos research is very comprehensive, the
methodology differs significantly from that of this research proposal. Naidoo completed
focus group interviews as well as semi-structured interviews but in both cases, the
participants were tutors, rather than the refugees themselves. Our research would be
interviewing the refugees themselves in order to garner how effective THEY found the after
school program, which is the true measure of its success (Excellent and relevant
methodological approach !) .

Abayisenga, Ojo, Rose | 6

Another aspect of our research project that hasnt really been addressed by previous
scholarship is the role of Newcomers school and the role it plays in the acculturation of
refugee school. The Newcomers School, while it is a formal education structure, it is meant
specifically for students who have newly arrived in Guilford County. It started in 2007 as a
way to teach English to immigrant children before they transitioned into the regular public
school system. No matter what time they join, the students at newcomers school can only
stay there for 6 months. Not much has been done about the benefits and detriments of this
schooling system ( This would be a good case study). Naidoo points to a lack of cultural
knowledge, inability to understand refugee experiences, and insufficient resources as reasons
why teachers in traditional public schools find it hard to meet the needs of refugee children.
Perhaps the training that teachers at the Newcomers School get helps to combat this
dilemma.
Occupational Undertakings
The literature that exists on occupational undertakings for refugees of all origins in
North Carolina is mostly from the websites of non-profit and religious organizations and
others of that deal with aid and specializes in service. The literature that was found
specifically the occupational undertakings of African refugees was not particularly
comprehensible; however, all the literature that was found referred to the level of difficulty
that refugees face finding a job upon their arrived.
The research described in the article titled Untapped resources: Refugee employment
experiences in Central North Carolina (Sienkiewicza et al. 2011) sought to explore and
understand the pre-migration expectations and realities of African refugees who have
resettled in Central North Carolina. The participants included 10 African refugees who have
resided in the area for less than three years. The phenomenological method was used to
acquire participants for this research. The article expressed that the participants did not expect
the level of difficulty the experienced when it came to finding employment in their new
environment.
The research revealed that increased focus on the English-language resulted in a
positive effect on their employability. Occupational undertakings are major a way in which
persons identify and maintain their sense of self. This research is relevant to the research
question of What avenues of their lives do African refugees associated with the Ashton
Woods Refugee Community Center located in Greensboro, NC use to identify and maintain
their sense of self? because it will uncover areas in which the target population faces
challenges in accomplishing those tasks.
The website refugees.org is the official website for the organization USCRI (U.S.
Committee for Refugees and Immigrants) whose purpose is to protect the rights and address
the needs of persons in forced or voluntary migration worldwide by advancing fair and
humane public policy, facilitating and providing direct professional services, and promoting
the full participation of migrants in community life (Information for Employers Hiring
Refugees, n.d.) On the website of the branch that is focused in North Carolina there is a
section entitled Information for Employers Hiring Refugees. This page provides insight
into an employers perspective. It opens the door to questions or concerns U.S. employers
may have when considering hiring a refugee. This information will be pertinent to the
research question of this proposal because it may provide insight into if and how some
refugees may alter their sense of self in order to fit the criteria for what a U.S. employer is
looking for in an employee and if so how that may be changed if necessary(Good point!).

Abayisenga, Ojo, Rose | 7

Part 3 Methodology ( your methodology section is very thoughtful and strong

!)
This is a phemenological study in which the researchers will be studying the
phenomenon of African refugees moving to a new society, acculturating and recreating a
sense of self. As any good phenomenological ethnography we will be utilizing research
methods that will allow us to fully describe the experiences of the refugees that participate in
our study. Participant observation, purposive and snowball sampling, and semi-structured
interviews are the best methodological avenues for us to enter the community and collect
accurate stories of their lives (Great and relevant research methodologies!) .
Participant Observation
Participant observation is the art of ethnography. It provides the most advantageous
method of fieldwork in which the researchers will participate as well as observe. In
traditional participant observation, the researchers live within a culture for an extended period
of time and engage with the people and activities within that culture. It allows the researcher
to build rapport with the participants of his/her research. The
extended period of time usually a year allows the researcher to observe various aspects of
that communitys culture, rather than just a snippet that was based solely on the week or two
that the researcher was there.
The researchers of this paper will be observing the refugees that go to the Ashton
Woods Refugee Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. The researchers have volunteered at
this location before; therefore, it is easy for us to participate and observe simultaneously. We
are not necessarily receiving the services of the center, but we are a part of the process and
the people there already know us and weve built a rapport with them. We will be working in
the capacity of volunteers as many Elon students do at the center. From this role, we are able
to track the progress of various children, see how their behaviors change as they get more
comfortable with certain volunteers, their school work and each other (Excellent
ethnographic approach!) .
The center will be particularly useful for seeing how education formal and informal
helps play a role in the acculturation of refugee children in the Ashton Woods neighborhood
of Greensboro. As Naidoo (2009) discovered in her article, the after-school programs really
enhance the language and educational acquisition, and thus the acculturation, of the students
involved in the program. While observing the kids, and some of their parents, we will be
looking at how often they talk, who they choose to talk to and what we can make of their
general mood. At all times, at least one of us will be taking field notes. When we sit down
individually with different kids, we will also keep a journal of how well they are doing in
their homework and acquiring various skills needed for succeeding in school. These skills
could be things such as figuring out the directions on an assignment, critical thinking,
analyzing and solving problems, describing their thoughts.
In order to ensure that all proper protocol is taken, the researchers will ensure that all
participants at the center sign a release form. This form will inform them that we wont use
their real names in our reports and no inappropriate questions, or questions that do not add
value to the study will be asked. Since the majority of the people we will be observing at the
center will be children, we will have them get their parents to sign this form. If there are
students whose parents refuse to sign the form, then we will make sure we dont write down
the interactions of their children.

Abayisenga, Ojo, Rose | 8

As we get to know the children and the parents who attend the center, we will be able
to ask more in-depth questions that pertain specifically to them. In Bernards textbook (2011)
on research methods, he echoes these sentiments as one of the many advantages of participant
observation (p. 265-266). Building a strong relationship through going to the center at least
once a week, will also ensure that the people at the center are comfortable with us and will
therefore open up more about various issues affecting them in their transition to the U.S.
what is working and what is not.
Many of the students there speak English so language training will be more or less
unnecessary. For those that dont speak it well, we can still monitor their acquisition level
without necessarily asking them in-depth questions. For the few questions we need to ask
someone who doesnt speak English well, there are older students at the center who are able
to translate when volunteers are trying to give a younger student directions. These
participants will prove very useful to researchers as they show the most acculturations and
able to give us access to the thoughts of others in their community.
Purposive and Snowball Sampling
In purposive sampling, we sample with a purpose in mind. Our purpose is to find out
and explore the ways in which African refugees in Greensboro, North Carolina identify and
maintain their sense of self through the avenues of social life, occupational undertakings,
education, and recreational and cultural activities. As researchers we identified one specific
predefined group that we are seeking, the African refugees. We are going to the Ashton
Woods community center because we know that the African refugee population is there. One
of the first things we will do is verify that the participants do in fact meet our criteria for
being in the sample. The criteria would be first that they are refugees from Africa. Secondly
that they are utilizing the Ashton Woods Community Center to help them acculturate into
their new environment. Purposive sampling can be very useful for this situation and other
situations where we need to reach a targeted sample quickly and where sampling for
proportionality is not the primary concern. Since the refugee population is not easily
accessible using purposive sampling is an appropriate method. With a purposive sample, we
are most likely to get the opinions of our target population, but we are also more likely to
overweight subgroups in our population that are more readily accessible.
In snowball sampling, we will begin by identifying persons who meet the criteria for
inclusion in your our study. We will then ask them to recommend others who they may know
who also meet the criteria. Since the refugee population is not a large one nor is it readily
accessible, Snowball sampling is especially useful and appropriate when trying to reach these
hard to find populations. This sampling method is also good for attaining information rich
informants. We know that the people we are going to interview can answer our questions and
will helpful in our study. One downfall to using Snowball sampling is that as researchers we
may come across bias. This bias can happen because people are directing us to people who
may share the same ideas and ideals as they do, having the potential to make our research
results less diverse. To increase our snowball sampling we would go into the Avalon
Community. The Avalon Community is an apartment complex, so we would being by going
door to door searching for people willing to participate in the study would guide us to others
who may be willing to also participate.

Semi-Structured Interviews

Abayisenga, Ojo, Rose | 9

The semi-structured interview is an essential part of the research being done, as the
main goal of our research is to evaluate how the circumstances of the target population of
African refugees living in Greensboro, NC affect sense of self. This form of interview would
be most pertinent and most useful for the investigation of this topic due to the fairly freeflowing nature of the interview. The attributes of a semi-structured interview include fairly
free-flowing conversation, which may be extremely useful as veering off topic may produce
more accurate responses. Despite its more amorphous nature, the interview is based on a
guide, which will aid in focusing and keeping on track. One challenge researchers may face is
a language barrier. In order to reduce that limitation, interviewers who are able to speak the
language of the interviewee would be trained to conduct interviews in an effective and ethical
manner.
This type of interview is best suited for this research topic as semi-structured
interviews are mostly used to evaluate lived experiences. The aim of this research is to
explore the ways in which African refugees in Greensboro, NC identify and maintain their
sense of self. These ways fall under the category of lived experiences and as a result would be
best evaluated using a semi-structured interview. The questions would pertain to experiences
had in the avenues of social life, occupational undertakings, education, and recreational and
cultural experiences. They would serve as guidelines for the conversation in an attempt to
keep the discussion on track and to ensure that all the information that needs to be acquired is
gained.
Semi-structured interviews are appropriate in a situation where there may not be more
than one opportunity to interview someone. While our target population is specific in the
sense that it is limited to the area surrounding the Ashton Woods Community, knowing the
address of the interviewee does not ensure a subsequent interview and as a result all
interviews must be conducted in the most efficient manner possible. Semi-structured
interviewing is also appropriate because of its non-intrusive nature. The somewhat casual
atmosphere of conversation aids in the relaxation and comfort level of the interviewee and
allows them to open up more about the pursued topic.
One limitation of the semi-structured interview includes not being able to guarantee
the honestly of the participants, this would hopefully be combated by the rapport developed
by the participant observation. Other limitations include the fact that open-ended questions
are more difficult to analyze than closed ended questions and the data collected among
participants would be difficult to compare (Semi-Structured Interview, n.d.). The
advantages of the semi-structured interview method far outshine the disadvantages and as a
result the method has been deemed as the most appropriate method of data collection.
Listed below are examples of sample questions that would be asked in one of the
interviews.
1. How long have you been here?
2. What has been your biggest challenge since moving here?
3. So far, how has your experience been in the Ashton Woods community center?
4. What is your relationship with other people at Ashton Woods? The other refugee, the
non-refugees?

A b a y i s e n g a , O j o , R o s e | 10

5. What is your relationship with people outside of the neighborhood?

6. Do you participate in any community activities not associated with the Aston Woods
community center
7. Do you feel comfortable being around people that do not come from the same
environment you come from? Why or why not?
8. Do you feel like you fit in at school, church, work, community?
9. What is your favorite thing about these places?
10. How does your church and religious affiliation help you in your new environment?
11. Is learning English a priority for you? Why or why not?
12. What activities do you do to stay connected to your homeland?
13. What do you feel the United States has to offer you and what do you feel you have to
offer to the United States?
14. So far how has your experience been in the Ashton Woods community center?
15. Do you have a job?
16. Do you think having a job is important?
17. What does your job say about you?
18. Is it the job you want? If not, what job do you want and what is keeping you from
getting it?
19. Did the Ashton Woods community center play a role in your employment? If so how?
20. Do you enjoy going to school?
21. Do you have a lot of friends at school that are not from your country?
22. How do you feel about New Comers school?
23. Were you a part of any clubs or did you play sports in your home country?
24. Are you a part of any clubs or do you play sports now? Why or why not?
25. How do you feel about the clubs and sports in America?
26. If you are a part of these organizations, how do they make you feel about yourself?
27. Would you identify yourself as American now?

A b a y i s e n g a , O j o , R o s e | 11

28. Do you still participate in cultural practices from your homeland? If so which ones?
29. Are these practices less, more or equally as important to you now?
30. Do you think Ashton Woods could do something to help you identify and maintain
your cultural identity?

Part 4 - Data Analysis Plan

We will have two main bodies of data to analyze: our field notes from participant
observation and our interview notes from the semi-structured interviews. During and after
collecting our data, we will be taking note of themes that emerge that give us insight into the
various aspects of their lives that refugees use to acculturate into American society. Well first
analyze the field notes, then the interview notes and then finally we look at everything
overall. With our themes laid out, we will look critically at each avenue to see which ones
and how the African refugees in Ashton Woods recreate and maintain a sense of self.
Participant Observation
The field notes we collect while volunteering at the Ashton Woods refugee center will
play a vital role in the being able discern what effect the center has on the lives of the people
who utilize the centers resources. With the notes we take about various students, we will be
able to track the progress of students socially and educationally. Some of these conclusions
and observations can be garnered simply from personal interactions and getting to know
students. But since this research will be done over a period of a semester, looking back at the
field notes and seeing where students used to be will be useful in making concrete
conclusions about various aspects of our research.
Semi-structured Interviews
Most of our conclusion will come from the information we gather in semi-structured
interviews. Whether taped or written, analyzing their own answers to these questions will be
essential to understanding how the refugees at Ashton Woods acculturate into American
society, if at all.
Essentially, the questions we pose to our participants will elicit stories of Coming to
America; therefore, the researchers will rely heavily on narrative analysis in order to find
common threads in the acculturation methods of the African refugees in Ashton Woods. As
defined by Barnard (2011), narrative analysis is the search for regularities in how people,
within and across cultures, tell stories (p.416). It is important to remain true to the stories
themselves and then attempt to deduce themes that are evoked in each story. Do they speak of
their homeland often when we pose questions? Do their questions have similar answers?

A b a y i s e n g a , O j o , R o s e | 12

In addition, the researchers will be utilizing grounded theory in order to openly code
the answers of the participants. Since these are the experiences of the African Refugees in
Ashton Woods, and there has not been concrete research of this type that would suggest what
to look for, it is better if we allow the themes to emerge themselves. Grounded theory is
based off the idea that human experiences are unique but still follow a pattern. While all
forms of grounded theory will most likely manifest themselves in the analysis of our data, the
researchers are particular interested in using Kathy Charmazs constructivist grounded theory.
In this brand of grounded theory, the informants and researchers create data together,
interactively, during an interview (p.435). This is the most effective way that to ensure that
we are really representing what our participants are saying.
Grounded theory is a three step process and we will be continually engaging in all
three processes as our research emerges so as to stay true to the ethnographic method of
theoretical sampling. Grounded theory requires that we code our participants answers for
themes, link the themes into theoretical models and then display and validate these models.
As our models emerge, we search for participants that would add to this and also look for
negative cases. This is especially important in validating your themes. The audience needs to
know that you have thoroughly done your research and didnt simply pick people who fit
what you were already looking for. Negative cases also allow for new themes to emerge and
people like that could be reached by asking our informant questions such as do you know
someone who didnt have that experience?
Within these semi-structured interviews, the researchers are also looking specifically
at HOW the participants are talking about the various aspects of their lives. Below are the
kinds of things we might be able to deduce from the answers they give us.
Social Life
In social life, we are looking at how the immigrants have adjusted to the United States
overall. Socializing is an innate part of human life. Have the refugees that live in Ashton
Woods been able to create a sense of community. What types of friends do they surround
themselves with? Just Americans? Just people from their culture? It is a healthy mix of both
types of friends that will show to the researcher, that Yes, the refugees are using their social
life as a form of acculturation. If they only have friends that are from their country, then they
socially excluding themselves (or being excluded) from broader American society, which can
be detrimental to the immigrant. But to only have American friends would risk the other
extreme of assimilation.
The community centers serve as a place of comfort for the refugees. Going through
day to day life in a new environment they have to constantly learn to adapt to their
surroundings to survive and make way. When they reenter the center they are with people
who are going through the same thing that they are so this makes the process a little easier
and more comfortable. As a result, they are able to maintain their culture, traditions and way
of life.
In order to foster community involvement between the refugee residents and the
outside community different organizations and projects have been put together. The first type
of unifying organization that is put together for refugee communities are usually MMAs
(Mutual Assistance associations).The office of refugee resettlement encourages refugee
populations to establish MMAS (Shandy 2007).These organizations help ease the transition
from one culture to another these organizations provide programs, including English classes,
job training, mental health support, civic education, and others, that refugee community
members need to succeed in their new lives in the United States.

A b a y i s e n g a , O j o , R o s e | 13

The Ashton Wood Community refugee community center was creative in

implementing community uniting events and groups such as forming a community Garden
and encouraging the refugees to participate in events like the Greensboro Mosaic Festival.
The community garden allows for the refugees to learn gardening skills also interact with
each other inside of the community. The Greensboro Mosaic festival takes the refugees out
into the larger community and they are able to share cultures and traditions with the city of
Greensboro. In having a healthy social life the refugees need to be able to understand that
they are not only beneficiaries of their new environment but they themselves have something
to give (Great point!).

Religious Affiliations
Religion is many times the central building block of how people create community. If
religion is a big part of your life, and youve just moved, you might try and join the nearest
church of your denomination in order to start feeling a part of the broader community. In the
same way, the researchers will discern if this avenue of their life is one that the African
refugees in Ashton Woods are utilizing. If they are not at all religious, than most likely, this
portion of the semi-structured interview will be irrelevant to them and it wont be used to
how they are acculturating in American society. But for the participants that are religious, it
will be important to see if they have been able to find a community of believers to become a
part of. In addition, if they believers practice in a similar way and are welcoming to them, has
that eased their acculturation?
Church and religious organizations are also instrumental in fostering a positive and
vibrant social life for the refugees. Church Organizations help to adjust the refugees by
providing them with religious, spiritual guidance and social guidance. They also help by
volunteering their time to do random tasks like take them to the doctor, government offices,
grocery shopping etc. Among Sudanese refugees in the U.S. Christian Identity serves as a
vehicle for reconstruction and renegotiation From the moment refugees are met at the
airport by their sponsoring agency, religious institutions manage their integration into the host
society (Shandy 206). Coming into already established social groups that are willing to
guide the refugees make their acculturation process a lot easier than it would be if they had to
search for a place to belong.
Recreational and Cultural Activities
What people choose to do with their free time and who they choose to do it with can
speak well to whether or not they feel comfortable in their new environment. For many of
these refugees, particularly the men and boys, football played a huge part in their recreational
activities in their homeland. Is that something they are able to continue now that they are in
the states? Do they feel comfortable enough to go out and join the local teams? Have they
found people, Americans or fellow refugees, that they can play short pick-up games with?
The cultural activities that refugees are able to participate in will say a lot about if
they are acculturating or on the road to assimilation. Being able to function and participate
within the host society while still maintaining one's cultural identity are the true signs of
acculturation. Have they found enough refugees with similar enough cultures to recreate
celebrations and traditions from their homeland? Have they carefully selected the parts of
American culture they want to adopt in their household? More importantly, have the various
generations in the household been able to acculturate a similar level, or at least one that does

A b a y i s e n g a , O j o , R o s e | 14

not cause dissonant acculturation. Are all groups participating in a selected acculturation that
still allows them to relate to one another and find solidarity in their own cultural practices?
Many of the refugee communities have put together sports teams, where they can play
against each other and bond. Soccer is a popular sport that brings together the community.
When the refugees walk on the soccer field for that moment in time while they are playing,
their worries disappear. Not only does playing the game of soccer bring comfort but it also
unites the African refugees with refugees from other areas. Even though they may not speak
the same language they are united when playing the game of soccer. Sports have no official
language and neither does friendship or unity. While connecting with other people the
refugees also stay connected with their culture.
To maintain their culture many of the refugees still eat some their traditional foods.
They are able to keep this connection with their homeland by buying from international
markets such as the Super G International Food market that is located in Greensboro, NC.
Establishments such as the international food market allows for the refugees to stay
connected to themselves while still exploring the new environment. Having access to these
international foods allows for the refugees to have a piece of home with them instead of
feeling like they are in a completely different world.
Education
Like Naidoo pointed out in her research, education is one of the most important
factors for immigrants and refugees to succeed in their host society but it could also be one of
the most detrimental places for their acculturation into the society - by either marginalizing
them or assimilating them. It is here that dissonant acculturation can occur if the children are
picking up English and American culture much faster than their parents and it causes tensions
at home. This aspect of their lives will also be particularly interesting to analyze because we
will start in a setting that is supposed to be providing them extra and guidance as they ease
into American society. How effective is this center for the acculturation of the refugees?
In addition, Kateijins and Arman state that the best type of acculturation is selected
acculturation in which the immigrants are cushioned into the host society. Will the refugees
who attend Newcomers school find it a useful cushion? Ashton Woods also offers adult ESL
classes? Are the parents of the children who attend the center utilizing those resources and
how do they feel it benefits their overall acculturation into American society? Is it allowing
them to acculturate at the same pace as their children, if at all?
Occupational Undertakings
Jobs are often received through connections and much research has been completed
that shows that many immigrant groups find work in a certain industry and then slowly begin
to bring relatives and friends into that field as well. It will be interesting to see if the refugees
at Ashton Woods follow this similar pattern or if as refugees, this pattern is completely
different for them. Are they getting work through friends already here? The refugee office
that helped them move? American friends theyve made upon arrival? In the traditional
apply and interview method? The networks that has a person establishes says a lot about how
well they have acculturated into the host society so that will be an important avenue to
analyze.
Another important avenue to look at is the level of skills their job requires. Many
people get a sense of fulfillment from the career path that they are involved in. For many
immigrants, this does not become a reality when they move. Even if they have the highest
degrees their field in their home country, depending on the circumstances under which they
arrive in the United States - perhaps as a refugee - they may not be able to utilize that degree

A b a y i s e n g a , O j o , R o s e | 15

and are forced to work well below their skills level. That can be very detrimental to their selfesteem and self-worth and therefore their overall comfort level in their new society.
There are many factors that go into the acculturation of a refugee into their host
society, but these 5 main aspects of their lives will be important to analyze and will be great
starting points for the conclusions that the researcher will be able to make. It will also be
important to note what avenues of their lives allow the refugees to contribute to their society
and what avenues the society contributes to their own well-being. What we mean by this is,
for example, in a school setting, if the refugees feel included and grow in the classroom this
is a factor that is occurring top down. On the other hand, if in the school, they are able to
teach other students about their culture, join clubs and contribute to the school in general, this
is a bottom up factor in creating and maintaining their sense of self. While both are useful, it
will be interesting to analyze if one or the other plays a larger role in their overall
acculturation.
Part 5 - Significance
The research that is done during this project will not only be beneficial for the sole
purpose of expansion of knowledge but it will also be applicable. The results of the
qualitative exploration will aid in increasing the understanding of the African refugees of how
they can accomplish the task of identifying and maintaining their sense of self in this new and
foreign environment. Using this information they will be able to discern ways in which they
may identify, and alter if necessary activities in the avenues of their lives that affect their idea
of sense of self.
It is the intention of the project to research information that is relevant, specific and
unique to Greensboro, specifically African refugees that are associated with the Ashton
Woods Community Center in terms of social life, occupational undertakings, education, and
recreational/cultural activities.
The community centers serve as a place of comfort for the refugees. Going through
day-to-day life in a new environment they have to constantly learn to adapt to their
surroundings to survive and make way. When they reenter the center they are with people
who are going through the same thing that they are so this makes the process a little easier
and more comfortable. As a result, they are able to maintain their culture, traditions and way
of life. Organizations focused on the specific issues and concerns of African refugees are
extremely useful in providing the necessary services to the target population. DuLuca and
Rhoades (2009) stated the office of refugee resettlement encourages refugee populations to
establish MMAS (Mutual Assistance associations)These organizations help ease the
transition from one culture to another these organizations provide programs, including
English classes, job training, mental health support, civic education, and others, that refugee
community members need to succeed in their new lives in the United States (DuLuca &
Rhoades, 2009, p. 103).
Church Organizations help to adjust the refugees by providing them with religious
and spiritual guidance. They also help by volunteering their time to do random tasks like take
them to the doctor, government offices, grocery shopping etc. It is common that among
Sudanese refugees in the U.S. Christian Identity serves as a vehicle for reconstruction and
renegotiationfrom the moment refugees are met at the airport by their sponsoring agency,

A b a y i s e n g a , O j o , R o s e | 16

religious institutions manage their integration into the host society (DuLuca & Rhoades,
2009, p. 105). It is our aim to find out if organizations like the Ashton Woods Refugee
Community Center, N.C. African Services Coalition, and the Church World Service
Greensboro are critical to the functionality of the lives of African refugees and if community
centers, refugee and religious organizations all contribute to the aspect of social life for
African refugees and are the vital in identifying and maintaining their sense of self.
Occupation is an aspect that is often used by society to characterize an individual.
These individuals are often ranked and associated with certain socio-economic categories
based on their occupation. There are many occupational challenges that come with being an
African refugee; one of the many challenges that come with being from a non-English
speaking country to the United States is the language. This along with various situational
challenges is accompanied by the stigmas that come with working in America as a foreigner.
African refugees may find trouble finding a certain caliber of job as a result of societal
assumptions. This speaks to their double consciousness and therefore affects how they
identify and maintain their sense of self, as they exist in this new environment.
Education is an important part of the acculturation into a new society and to ensure
that a newcomer can not only cope with the new culture, but also succeed later on in life. But
many times the school system is a complete shock and may be more detrimental than helpful.
It is the intention of this research to discover how the African refugees in Greensboro feel
about the various educational resources available to them at all stages. The research also
seeks to determine which methods of education methods work better; whether it be, English
as a second language classes, after-school programs, mentoring, tutoring and other one on
one programs, and occupational education.
Many of the refugee communities have put together sports teams, where they can play
against each other and bond. They also have established community groups where they plan
celebrations for each other such as birthday parties and celebrations. Other recreational
activities include participating in community wide events like The Greensboro Mosaic
Festival where they are able to display their talents to the greater community.
This research would be aid in the betterment of the lives of African refugees
associated with the Ashton Woods Refugee Community Center. It would be made applicable
through the evaluation and alteration of the avenues through which they maintain and identify
their sense of self. Based on the research that would be completed in this project, African
refugees would be able to better accomplish this task through the avenues of the social life,
occupational undertakings, education, and recreation and cultural undertakings.
Excellentpointsonsignificance!

References:
Ashton Woods Community Center (2013) About US: Mission, http://www.cnnccommunitycenters.org/av_about.html, accessed on May 14, 2013.

A b a y i s e n g a , O j o , R o s e | 17

070a semistruct. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://hwb.wales.gov.uk/cms/hwbcontent/Shared

%20Documents/vtc/ngfl/psychology/learn_train/research_methods/208E70A8-8FBD45C2-8DC2-A212F1991377/s03research_methods/070a_semistruct.htm

Bernard, H. R. (2011). Research methods in anthropology: Qualitative and quantitative

approaches. Lanham: AltaMira.

Dalla, R. L. (2009). Strengths and challenges of new immigrant families: implications for
research, education, policy, and service. Lanham: Lexington Books.

DeLuca, L., & Rhoades, L. (2009). Nuer American Passages: Globalizing Sudanese
Migration. By Dianna J. Shandy. Journal of Refugee Studies. doi:10.1093/jrs/fep018

For Employers. (n.d.). Retrieved fromhttp://www.refugees.org/resources/for-employers/

Glen Haven, Ashton Woods, and Oakwood Forest | The Center for New North Carolinians.
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://cnnc.uncg.edu/glen-haven-and-avalon-trace/

Kapteijns, L., & Arman, A. (2008). Educating Immigrant Youth in the United States: An
Exploration of the Somali Case. Journal of Somali Studes, 4, 18 - 43.

A b a y i s e n g a , O j o , R o s e | 18

Naidoo, L. (2009). Developing social inclusion through after-school homework tutoring: a

study of African refugee students in Greater Western Sydney. British Journal of
Sociology of Education, 30(3), 261-273.

The Refugee Act | Office of Refugee Resettlement | Administration for Children and Families.
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/resource/the-refugee-act

Shandy, D. J. (2007). Nuer-American passages: globalizing Sudanese migration.

Gainesville: University Press of Florida.

Sienkiewicza, H. C., Mauceria, K. G., Howell, E. C., & Bibeau, D. L. (2011). Untapped
resources: Refugee employment experiences in Central North Carolina. Department
of Public Health Education, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro,
Greensboro, NC, USA. Retrieved
fromhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23531563
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) (2011) www.refugees.org, accessed
on May 14, 2013.

Guideline for Grading your Group Research Proposal (25 points):

Content---15 points--- (for proposal parts 1-5: statement of research aim (2.5);
background and literature review (2.5); methodology (3); the data analysis plan (3);
and significance (3)
14
Organization and style--- 5 points--- (for organization of the proposal, transition
between paragraphs and parts of the proposal, clarity of writing, and references ).
3
In class presentation skills ---5 points--- (for in class oral presentation skills,
question and answer discussions).

A b a y i s e n g a , O j o , R o s e | 19

For presentation style you have the option of doing either a PowerPoint presentation
or distribute a short summary note of your proposal with the class and lead a
discussion on it.

= 14+3+5= 22/25= B+