Interview Analysis

Interview Analysis

Background Information and Previous Schooling
We did our final case study on a nine-year-old girl from Iran. She is currently in the third grade at Lawton Chiles Elementary School and arrived in the United States only three months ago on December 2007. For confidentiality purposes, we will call her Sally. Sally came to the United States by plane and said that the trip took two days. Our interviewee was very excited to come to the U.S. and looks forward to making new friends and taking art and ballet classes. Unfortunately, she was disappointed that she had to leave large toys at home like her scooter, bicycle, and some clothing. Sally was born and raised in Tehran, Iran with her family. She is an only child and now lives with her parents at a new home in Tampa. Originally, upon arriving in the states, the family stayed with an aunt and uncle temporarily until they moved into their own house. The one thing she misses most in Iran is her family; especially her grandmother who she says will be joining them in the U.S. in a couple years.
At home in Iran, she lived in the city of Tehran, where she resided in an apartment close to all of her family. She spoke Farsi (her parents Persian native language) while she was in Iran. Now that she lives in the U.S., her parents speak a little English but usually Farsi is used in the home. Plus, outside of regular schooling, Sally had taken English classes before coming to the states through a private school. Both Sally and her parents feel school is extremely important and seem very encouraging for her growth. In Iran, Sally said that in her school she went to recess twice a day and school would let out at noon on most days. Her mother did not hesitate to place her in school here.
She has made one friend here so far, a girl in her classroom from Puerto Rico. Also, Sally seems to possibly be computer literate for she tells us that her parents have a laptop in the home. Her favorite thing seems to be art. She loves art class and painting and mentions them several times throughout the interview. However, when asked what her favorite subject is, Sally responded that she wants to be a doctor or veterinarian. For family recreation, Sally loves to go to the park with her parents and their friends. Regarding chores, Sally does not really have any regular chores, but does help her mother with dusting and sweeping occasionally.
In addition, Sally knows and can speak English. She seems to be in the intermediate fluency stage of her English language learning, but is still on her way to becoming a fully proficient language speaker. She is confident in her speaking and can hold a full conversation using short but complete sentences. She can understand the questions being asked although she does hesitate at moments.

Questions / Problem
Sally seems to be adjusting well to her new culture although our concern is that as time passes will she continue to do so without the regular contact with her grandmother?
As a resolution it might be helpful to bring this to the mother’s attention. In school, she has mentioned her grandmother on various accounts through her writing sample and interview. To us, it seems like a cry for help. Some suggestions that we would have for the mother would include: making the grandmother a pen pal, regularly being able speak with her, or to keep a journal.

What would you recommend for this child based on what you know?
First, relationships are important to her, so we would like to see her develop more friendships in the class. Some examples would include switching up group members and buddy pairs, an art club or other extracurricular activities, and a Farsi pen pal. These ideas would be an avenue to for her to make new friends.
Second, it would be helpful if her teacher were to incorporate her culture in school activities through books, videos on Iran, and holidays etc. Although Sally is here, she still misses life in Iran. If she were to share stories and traditions from Iran, it would help her make the transition to this culture. In addition, all students would benefit from learning about each other’s home culture.
Finally, Sally should have lots of opportunities to practice English through her reading, writing, and conversations. Because she shows an interest in art and classical music, we would like to see this woven into the content areas. For instance, encourage a writing assignment on Van Gogh and his paintings.

Who will do what in our plan for the child?
We want to embrace the resources at school, home, and the community. The teacher may want to introduce her to the school guidance counselor slowly so that she will have another outlet to discuss her fears and concerns while building new relationships. The teacher will plan field trips such as museums, concerts, and libraries. The mother will volunteer some time at the school or in the classroom. Hopefully, this will encourage her to learn English while helping us learn their culture.