Cross-cultural perspectives of migrant Jamaican teachers in New York City

This study examines how the racial and cultural backgrounds of one group of Jamaican teacher recruits to New York City shape their experiences as New York City teachers and their responses to American racial structures. Three research questions guide the study: (1) How does the Afro-Caribbean background of these teachers influence their perceptions of racial dynamics in America? (2) To what extent do these teachers feel culturally connected to their students of Caribbean descent? (3) What are these teachers' comparative views regarding school structures and student performance in New York City and Jamaica? A questionnaire with scaled quantitative as well as open-ended items was used as the primary means of data gathering. Two small group interviews generated additional data. The analytical framework used in this study assists in providing a rich contextual understanding of the socio-cultural and historical forces that have shaped these teachers' personal and professional lives.; Findings reveal that these teachers have a complex reading of racial dynamics in the United States which is attributable to traditional conceptions of race in the Caribbean. In addition, although most of these teachers stated that they feel culturally connected to their students of Caribbean descent in New York City, their qualifying statements revealed significant gaps in their feelings of cultural connection with them. This is due in large part to vast differences in the cultural milieu in which these teachers grew up and that of their present students. Further, the overwhelming majority of teachers in this study were of the opinion that their Jamaican students performed better academically and were more motivated to succeed than their current New York City students.; Findings in this study help to bring further attention to the dynamic interplay between culture and pedagogy. They also help to underscore the need for education researchers and policy makers to pay closer attention to the deeper forms of cultural diversity within the Black community.