Stages of Acculturation

Stages: Imagine leaving your home, your friends, and familiar surroundings and coming to a new country. At first, you might be happy with the adventure. However, this would probably fade when you were surrounded by strangers speaking a language you don’t understand in a school where expectations are totally different.   You miss familiar food, sights, smells, and friends. Most ELLs experience such feelings as part of the process of adjusting to a new culture.

The stages your new students may pass through include:

  • Honeymoon Stage. The ELL may be overjoyed and excited the by the new experience. This student may be very cooperative and work hard to understand what is going on in class.
  • Culture Shock. The happiness may fade and be followed by feelings of sadness or anger or even depression. The ELL may sleep a lot or cry seemingly for no reason. The once compliant and willing student may refuse to do classwork. The student may refuse to take part in group work or other activities that they participated in before.
  • Acceptance.  Eventually, this should pass and the student will begin to accept his or her new life.

What can you do?

  • Be sensitive.
  • Let the student know you understand.
  • Do not force the student speak.
  • Do not make the student choose between his culture and American culture.