臺北市新住民專區網站英文版

Chao-Hsien Tsai, Counseling Director at Jiu Zhuang Elementary School

    The learning experience of immigrant children in school is not fundamentally different from that of other students. It primarily depends on the effectiveness of their family support, which is not exclusive to immigrant families. However, I have observed common learning issues among immigrant children, such as low self-confidence, a higher rate of learning difficulties, and slightly weaker social skills. Perhaps these issues are closely related to the family’s educational support. 

    Today, I will focus on social skills. In my observation, the lack of self-confidence, higher rate of learning difficulties, and weaker social skills among some immigrant children are interconnected. Consider this: when self-confidence is lacking, it affects a child’s learning and social skill. Children from Southeast Asian backgrounds often come from culturally disadvantaged families, where their position within the family is relatively vulnerable. This directly impacts their personal growth because, traditionally, the responsibility for raising children in these families falls on the mother. Furthermore, if the mother is not proficient in the local language of faces communication barriers, she is unable to assist the child with their academic guidance. Especially when children face academic difficulties during their initial school year and are unable to resolve them in a timely manner, the experience of failure becomes hard to reverse. Prolonged underachievement in learning further weakens self-confidence and even leads to problem with social skill. 

    In the field of special education, social skills refer to interpersonal interactions. However, children with poor social skills lack learning partners, which isolates them and restricts their exposure to new knowledge. Since they don’t have the companionship of peers, their learning situation at school is unlikely to be favorable. Children with poor social skills exhibit two extremes: some remain silent and rarely use language, while others constantly seek attention, resulting in frequent mistakes that distance them from their classmates. These children, if ignored by teachers, will only experience worsening learning conditions. Therefore, teachers must pay attention to these students, provide them with support, and help them catch up.

    Based on my counseling experience, I offer some suggestions for parents and teachers regarding family support. School counselors and social workers can intervene and provide guidance at the right time to enhance family educational support, identify the root causes of problems, and assist in improving the situation. This approach allows for targeted assistance in promoting positive growth for the child. For timid and less confident children, it is recommended to provide them with opportunities to perform on stage while offering prior assistance and enhanced guidance in practice and homework. This enables the child to shine in front of their peers, and confidence accumulates gradually. Interaction with classmates also improves over time. As for children who constantly seek attention and make frequent mistakes, the first step is to highlight their strengths. These children generally possess redeeming qualities, so it’s important to make other children aware of their advantages. Initially, efforts should focus on facilitating acceptance from peers who are willing to embrace these children. Subsequently, guidance should be provided to help improve their social skills and rectify undesirable behavior, gradually fostering peer recognition and eliminating their sense of loneliness.