The issue of transition, which means change or passage from one place or set of circumstances to another, is closely linked to international schools and impacts on the international education being delivered.
Terms such as “Global Nomad” or “Third Culture Kids” have been introduced in recent research and publications to reflect the nature of internationally mobile families.
At the International School of London in Qatar, a Transition Program will be introduced to cater for the needs of our mobile communities.
What is culture shock and cultural adjustment?
Culture shock and the concept of expatriation (U Curve) and repatriation (W Curve) were described by Gullahorn. The stages of the UW Curve are as follows:
1. We are at home, functioning at our normal levels of productivity.
2. The moment of our arrival to the host country.
3. The honeymoon phase: When we arrive in an unfamiliar cultural context, we usually look for what is familiar. We typically find a lot of similarity with our culture of origin. People are also welcoming and caring, so we tend to feel
4. Eventually, with more interaction with our host culture we start realising the differences, and we become more disoriented. We tend to judge the host culture negatively and our level of functioning drops.
5. As we continue to interact with the host culture, we begin to understand it and to behave appropriately. We begin to feel at home. Our level of functioning returns to near normal and sometimes even higher.
6. At some point, we return to our culture of origin, perhaps only for a holiday or perhaps repatriating to live there again permanently.
7. We know how things work. We can function easily without thinking about the cultural implications of all our actions.
8. Often quite quickly, we will see how much has changed. We find we question the home country values, beliefs and behaviours we once accepted without comment. Because we usually do not expect such disorientation at our home, it tends to be a deeper and harder experience than before. We tend to function at our lowest levels.
9. We begin to adjust. We start understanding our culture again. We begin to function at a steady level, typically at a much higher level of productivity than before we went abroad. We have a broader understanding of ourselves and of the world.
How can ISLQ help with Transition?
By examining and understanding the basic needs at each of the five stages in the mobile life, as developed by Pollack, we have devised a program of support and intervention in an international school setting.
Pollack’s Developmental Model of Mobility
1. At the Pre-arrival stage, there is the need:
to begin to learn about expectations, place, opportunities
to find a personal connection
to consider and fantasise
2. On arrival, there is the need:
to orient yourself with basic geographic bearings and establish a home space and set it up to be comfortable.
to find something in the new relationships and bring something of your own to them and share what you have brought and who you are with others.
to grieve for losses from previous place.
to explore new self while trying various roles and explore local cultures: place, expectations, opportunities, possibilities.
3. At the staying stage, there is the need:
to know and adapt to the place and cultures, as well as to commit and invest in the community.
to increase intimacy and establish friends and to establish an identity within the group and share yourself: your talents, ideas, experiences.
to welcome and incorporate new members and say goodbye to departing members and grieve losses of important ones.
4. On departure, there is the need:
to take leave and have closure.
to consolidate memories, celebrate what was appreciated about the place and the people and what they have appreciated about you.
to leave something of yourself.
to begin to identify and grieve what you will lose.
to begin to learn about and anticipate the new place, to share what you learn about it, and make a personal connection with it.
5. At the final stage of post-departure, there is the need:
to remember important events, places and people.
to keep track of developments with the place and the people left behind.
to share your new self and accomplishments with them.
to appreciate what you have taken and share it with others and have it appreciated and understood by them.
Who is involved in the Transition Program at ISLQ?
All members of the ISLQ community are involved in one form or another. The ISLQ administration, teachers, the Parents Teachers Association and students play an integral role in catering for the needs of students, parents and teachers throughout all stages of their transition.
A Transition Seminar will be given annually to parents in order to increase their awareness and understanding of transition issues. A database of ideas and an action plan of what should be done at the various stages of mobility were initiated by a Transition Team, who ensures the continuity and development of the program
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