Abstract:
This paper explores the effects of the encounter between the host and home cultures on Zimbabwean immigrant children’s
acculturation and academic performance in the Foundation Phase in two South African primary schools. The study was
qualitative, and made use of case study and narrative inquiry as methodology. Data were collected using interviews, field notes
and observation techniques, analysed via document and content analyses. The sample consisted of four immigrant children
from Zimbabwe, their parents and teachers. Utilising the communities of practice (Wenger, 1998) and legitimate peripheral
participation frameworks, results from the study reveal the following. First, amiable teacher-learner relationships enhanced the
adjustment of immigrant children from Zimbabwe in the Foundation Phase to the academic regimen of the schools. Second,
adjusting to the school environment can be complicated for immigrant children when they are not acquainted with the language
of communication, indigenous South African languages and the academic regimen of the school. Third, linguistically
disadvantaged immigrant devised own means of communicating with peers in their communities of practice.
