Keywords
Higher education, immigrants, human capital, social capital, cultural capital, college degree
Abstract
Developed countries have promoted immigration of educated people as a strategy to satisfy the demand for educated labor. Highly educated immigrants' poor language skills, absence of cultural networks, and lack of credentials and recognized professional experience gained in the country of origin are barriers to their social and economic integration (Ferrer & Riddell, 2008; Mattoo, Neagu, & ?zden, 2008; Miranda & Umhoefer, 1998; Zikic, Bonache, & Cerdin, 2010). The purpose of this study was to explore how college experiences in an American college or university facilitate or hinder the transfer and gain of different forms of capital among highly educated Colombia immigrants. All of the participants in this study completed at least a bachelor's degree before moving to the United States and came to this country under any visa category except that of student. Two in-depth interviews were conducted with six Colombian immigrants living in the state of Florida. The results of the study revealed five common themes shared by the participants: (1) exposure and exchange of different forms of thinking and cultural expressions; (2) performing in ways that meet requirements of American institutions; (3) achieving credentials recognized by professionals in the United States' job market and social structure; (4) capacity to assess their own abilities and take control of their future; and (5) connections that provide social, emotional, and intellectual support as well as information.
Notes
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Graduation Date
2015
Semester
Fall
Advisor
Cintron Delgado, Rosa
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
College
College of Education and Human Performance
Department
Child, Family, and Community Sciences
Degree Program
Educational Leadership; Higher Education
Format
application/pdf
Identifier
CFE0005923
URL
http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0005923
Language
English
Release Date
December 2015
Length of Campus-only Access
None
Access Status
Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)
Subjects
Dissertations, Academic -- Education and Human Performance; Education and Human Performance -- Dissertations, Academic
STARS Citation
Bedoya Arturo, Olga, "The Education Pathway Through Social and Economic Integration of Highly Educated Immigrants: The Case of Colombians in the United States of America" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1353.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/1353