Short summary of my research
My research focuses on processes of learning and socialization in a diversity of settings with an emphasis on cultural diversity and the dynamics of processes of socialization in changing social worlds. Learning and development are seen as interrelated processes that are studied taking into account the dynamics between child development, social interaction and socio-cultural settings. A current theme that is addressed in this research is how, in cases of recent migration, informal learning and socialization patterns take on new forms in response to new cultural ‘contact zones’ and different rhythms of ‘acculturation’ between generations. Specific attention is paid to the formation of youth as shaped by migration and digital media.
Socialization patterns and the relationships involved in the families of recent migrants are described as: a) creative adaptations to new asymmetries and imbalances in (school-based) knowledge between generations, and b) a dynamic of both confronting cultural forms and finding new solutions to culturally informed dilemmas in socialization processes.
Additionally, formal (multi-ethnic) educational settings are studied in which the focus is on diversity in the construction of knowledge construction, the discursive and interactive construction of ethnicity, and diversity in forms of reasoning. A recurring theme in my research is how practices of learning and socialization change and develop over time, both in institutional and in informal settings as well as how the dynamics between institutionalized and informal practices develop over time.