EDUC-3008-1,Diversity in Education

hey i was able to get the case study information from a classmate 

Content Review: Case Studies on Barriers to Success

For this week's Content Review assignment, review and respond to a new scenario involving one of the individuals you read about in the case studies from Week 1. You can choose the same individual whom you wrote about in Week 2, or a different one.

1. Review the case studies presented on pages 90–91 in Chapter 3 of your text, and choose one.

2. In 2 or 3 paragraphs, respond to the questions provided for your chosen case study, citing concepts from your readings as appropriate.

3. In addition, add a final paragraph summarizing how you might apply what you learned from the case study to problems you might encounter in your own practice.

 

Chapter three Case StudiesCase Study One

Ligua is a part-time college student who was born in El Salvador. She is also a full-time employee, wife, and mother. Her desire to continue her education makes her feel like an outsider in her community. A number of neighbors have made it clear that she should reevaluate her priorities and spend more time at home. Ligua feels as though she is a dutiful wife who puts the needs of her family ahead of her own. She works because she has to work. Although her family takes priority, Ligua knows that her husband will help too if there is a crisis at home. Nevertheless, she feels guilty because she can’t “have it all,” that is, be a supermom, a superworker, and a superstudent.

At school, Ligua constantly feels like she is under a spotlight, especially when people want the “minority” point of view, or expect her to be knowledgeable about certain subjects because of her looks and name. When she interacts with certain professors and staff members, she encounters subtle stereotypes. Some people expect her to be inarticulate, submissive, and unexceptional. For example, although she is an active participant in her English literature class, her professor never seems to call on her or look her way when he asks a truly challenging question. In her history class, she feels it’s subtler than that. If Ligua answers a difficult question well, she is apt to detect an element of surprise in her teacher’s face like wow, did that come from her?

Questions:

1.

Role conflict is a constant struggle for Ligua. This conflict is exacerbated by traditional cultural expectations in her community that view motherhood as a full time responsibility. Are Ligua’s expectations unrealistic? What can she do to alleviate her sense of guilt?

2.

As a student, Ligua feels like some professors do not expect her to excel. Additionally, she feels as if she is being asked to speak for all Latinos any time one of her professors discusses topics such as affirmative action, immigration restrictions, or profiling. Even though she doesn’t want to alienate these professors, she feels that she needs to say or do something. What might Ligua do and why?

3.

Which of Ligua’s dilemmas do you see as personal barriers? Which are social barriers? Explain your reasoning.

Case Study Two

Society can be very judgmental. Mary is a White social work student who plans to go on for a MS degree and work in a clinical setting. She attends an urban university and enjoys the diversity and energy of city life, but in her free time is actively involved in social activities centered around her Scottish background. She has noticed a lot of negative responses from all sorts of different people regarding her personal expression with body modifications (tattoos and piercing). Mary says, “What people don’t realize is how much they mean to me, how much beauty I see in them. It’s a chapter in my life that I have opened to the outside world. Each one represents a certain moment in my life or defines a part of who I am, little pieces of me stained on my skin in beautiful contrast.” Unfortunately, Mary says she encounters people time and time again who prejudge her because they don’t understand.

Suspicious looks and comments, or negative “vibes,” are more common in the summertime, according to Mary. “There’s a seasonal discriminatory policy in effect,” she says jokingly. Sometimes she gets bombarded with rude questions or smirks. Occasionally, she does get a compliment because her artwork is done professionally and she puts a lot of time and money into it.

What really worries her is the impending fear instilled in her by her parents and some friends. They have told her that she will never find a decent job or gain recognition or respect with “all those tattoos.” Her mother has even gone so far as to beg her to consider tattoo removal. Despite what they say, Mary believes there is a high-paying and respectable job opportunity in her future in the field of social work. She argues that her skills and her credentials are what matter, not how many different colors are on her skin.

Questions:

1.

Do you agree with Mary’s insistence that her skills, not her extensive body modification, will determine her opportunities in the field of social work? Explain why.

2.

If you were one of Mary’s friends, what advice would you give her?

3.

Do you think Mary’s problems are due more to personal or social barriers? Explain.

Case Study Three

Michael is an African American college graduate. Also, he is the divorced father of a teenage son, Aaron, who attends a private school in the well-to-do suburb where they live. Everyday encounters with racial profiling make Michael distrustful of people. When he goes out at night, he cannot walk close to a woman without thinking what she is going to think of him. Usually, he assumes they’re negative thoughts.

Michael finds that if he dresses in business attire early in the morning or late in the day, he has virtually no trouble getting a cab. However, if after work he has on jeans and tennis shoes, that same cab driver who picked him up in the morning will leave him standing on the corner.

When Michael shares these stories with his White coworkers, they say he is making way too much out of it. To prove their point, they describe similar situations in which people ignore or avoid them for no apparent reason. For Michael, experiences like these make him extremely reluctant to share anything of a personal nature with his White coworkers, especially if it deals with race.

Questions:

1.

What do you think is the cumulative psychological impact of Michael’s daily encounters with profiling?

2.

What accounts for Michael’s response to his coworkers and his reluctance to discuss race-related issues at work?

3.

If you were one of Michael’s coworkers and he shared these stories with you, how would you react? Be specific.