INTERCULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS AND ADJUSTAMENT IN MIGRANT STUDENTS Università degli Studi di Palermo A. M. Di Vita, P. Miano, A. Ciulla

1. teoretical framework QUALITY OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS PERSONAL WELL BEING good mental functioning capacity to find protective factors in the environmental

2. teoretical framework WELL BEING Health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life; where they learn, work, play and love. Health is created by caring for oneself and others, by being able to take decisions and have control over ones life circumstances, and by ensuring that the society one lives in creates conditions that allow the attainment of health by all its members. Caring, holism and ecology are essential in developing strategies for health promotion. (Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, 1986)

3. Teoretical framework to live in a new places to be in the intercultural relationships SELF CONSTRUCTION … a new place with a new goals between adolescence and adulthood (1° critical event) … a multicultural place where students live, study and – those who come from other country - find their place in a new city (2° critical event) UNIVERSITY IS …

4. Methodology a) To asses in migrant students the level of satisfaction and perceived well being about interpersonal relationships with colleagues b) To evaluate emotional bonds to place c) To analyse the self-representations and emotional reactions AIMS OF RESEARCH

15 migrant students (12 female, 3male), aged between (M = 29, SD = 9.13) they came from: Africa (10), Mauritius (2), Europe (2) South America (1), they study: Literature and philosophy (8), Education (3), engineering (2), Politics (1) and Economy (1) they live: in university accomodation (6), with their family (5), in an apartment with other students (2), in a religious institution (2) 5. Methodology PARTICIPANTS

MEASURES a sociodemographic questionnaire a semi-structured interview to analyse what does interculture mean to students (Halualani, 2008) a questionnaire to asses emotional dimensions (adapted from Giani Gallino, 2007) a semantic differential to evaluete self image in the new place (adapted from Di Nuovo, 1990) 6. Methodology

FIVE DIMENSIONS 1. Motivation 2. Difficulties 3. Emotional reaction in new places 4. Intercultural relationships 5. Feelings and self-representations 7. Findings and discussion

8. Findings and discussion MOTIVATION Family reunion (N = 7) I came because my parents work here, I wanted to be close to my parents while I was studying: this is the reason I came here. Before leaving I lived with my grandmother and grandfather and they took care of me (20 years, Tunisia) My parents were here … and I was there! My mother felt so tired … She said: no, my family cant live separeted! (19 years, Mautitius)

rapporto 10 madre 22 famiglia 32 studiare 21 voglio 5 padre 20 palermo 4 facolta Cluster Family – to study 9. Findings and discussion

DIFFICULTIES AND EMOTIONAL REACTIONS 10. Findings and discussion Languages and communication – fear and disorientation First period was very hard. Before leaving I never spoken italian … I was fearful. I thought they will never understand me. I was nervous too, because I was always looking for something to do! (29 years, Perù) Well, how does Ive to walk in this university? I still dont know how Ive to walk … how to do an examination, and lessons. There are a lot of new things! And I know this change I did from my native country to Italy, its a 100% trasformation … Im always late and Ive dizziness. I arrive to university and I look around becouse I dont understand well enough and if I find a written communication Ive to understand it or I do something blindly (23 years, Marocco)

cluster help ersu 3 mensa 31 AIUTA 26 COT 25 sola 11 segreteria 9 professore 11. Findings and discussion To overcome their difficulties, students appreciate …

respect reciprocity identification knowledge shared resources plurality availability cultural decentration Interculture is described with Intercultural relationships means … to share the way of life amoung all differnt cultures (32 years, Togo) …it means to have got to do with an other person who came from different culture…and to make decentration (49 years, Mauritius) 12. Findings and discussion INTERCULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS

PROFESSORS, COLLEAGUES AND FAMILY: SOME VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE 13. Findings and discussion At university my professors were very patient and very available … they helped me a lot. If I had a problem it was sufficient to go to their offices and they explain me everything. My professors taught me a lot and my colleagues helped me and we became friends. They tried to keep pace with me… they were very close to me and helped me a lot. (32 years, Kenya) My family, my mother and my father made my way (25 years, Tunisia)

importante 4 condividere 18 intercultura 23 relazione 5 interazione cluster interculture - relation 14. Findings and discussion

FEELINGS AND SELF-REPRESENTATIONS 15. Findings and discussion Positive feelings (N = 9)Negative feelings (N = 6) Anxiety Homesickness Students show a good image of themselves, such as: MSDM M M FORTE 7,671,80 MATURO 8,00 1,6 5 VELOCE 7,472,61 ORDINATO 7,132,64 INDIPENDEN TE 6,272,90 DISTESO 6,53 2,3 6 TOLLERANT E 8,072,43 EFFICIENTE 8,201,08 RIFESSIVO 7,731,49 IMPORTAN TE 8,601,12 VIVACE 7,402,16 DECISO 6,672,72 DESIDERABIL E 7,872,07 ATTIVO 8,131,51 TRANQUILL O 5,873,58 SINCERO 8,531,25 ESPANSIVO 6,733,01 STABILE 7,00 2,8 0 COERENTE 7,861,96 SODDISFATT O 7,731,91 OTTIMISTA 8,201,78 SEMPLICE 7,73 2,8 1 ALTRUISTA 7,672,41 CALMO 6,473,02 FIDUCIOSO 7,33 2,6 1 CAPACE 8,201,26 Surprise Satisfaction Joy Enthusiasm

CONCLUSIONS Migrant students we met seems to be able to recognize risk factors in themselves or in the context but they maintain a good self- representation. They define intercultural contact as something that could be recognized through interactions with other people and that could result in new possibilities.

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