Abstract:
Migrating to a new home often carries some degree of cultural, emotional, and mental plights for immigrants of all ages. Nonetheless, acculturation studies commonly overlook the experiences of immigrant and refugee youth. In addition, prevalent acculturation frameworks fail to acknowledge the presence and role of individuality in this populations acculturation process. This work aims to highlight key findings from the first authors dissertation research employing a mixed-methods approach to arts-informed research to examine the acculturation approaches of 15 immigrant and refugee youth. Through the integration of participant developed drawings, think-aloud responses, and the Acculturation, Habits, and Interests Multicultural Scale for Adolescents (AHIMSA) instrument, those findings highlighted a multidimensional approach to youth acculturation that prioritizes expressions of individuality over overt allegiances to any one cultural paradigm. Additionally, this paper highlights the implications of employing arts-informed approaches to examine complex issues in social sciences |
