European American

Culture
(Chapter Question 5)
Francesco R. DiCocco, Roster #5, 4/27/20
 Due to the history and geography of Europe,
there are many different countries present
in the one continent; this means that there
are also many different cultures, all of which
are unique. We shall be going over multiple
of them, as to better understand the
INTRO cultures so we can better educate students
who come from these cultures.
As a member of an Italian-American family
and as part of the culture, I hope that the
information presented can be educational
and useful for everyone in the future.
Challenges Faced by
European American
Students in
Multicultural Learning
◦ Some European American
students may find trouble in
appreciating the environment of a
multicultural classroom. As
educators, we must find ways to
learn and identify when/how a
student is struggling with this
concept and figure out how to
help them adjust.
Language Difficulties
◦ It is often assumed that European Americans are fluent in English, however this is not always
the case. The grasp of English varies on a case by case basis. If a student’s family does not speak
English at home, they are less likely to be fluent in English, and may have difficulty
understanding and performing in the classroom. According to the U.S. Census, German
Americans often have little difficulty learning and adapting to English, whereas Italian
Americans struggle a lot more in the language shift.
◦ This can get especially complicated for students whose family comes from a transcontinental
country, one that is in both Europe and Asia. These include Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan,
Georgia, and Turkey. The languages present in these countries is far different from anything
present in the English language, and some even use an entirely different alphabet.
Religion
◦ Another aspect of multicultural environments that may be difficult for
European American students is the wide variety of religions present around
them. For example, Italian Americans are predominantly Catholic. A survey
showed that 90 percent of Italian Americans surveyed were raised Catholic, and
80 percent of them remained Catholic in their adulthood.

◦ The 3 largest representative religions in Europe are Christianity, being

unaffiliated, and Islam. Christianity is the most popular religion in Europe
because of the establishment of the Roman Catholic Church.

◦ “Overall in Europe 47 percent of Christians are Roman Catholic, 18 percent are

Protestants, and 35 percent are Orthodox”
General Cultural
Differences
◦ There are many other minor and major cultural
differences that a European American student can
encounter in a multicultural environment.
◦ For some cultures, gender roles will be different from others, and
can lead to misunderstandings. Although there are no major
gender role differences among the European cultures, they can
clash wildly with the gender roles found in an Asian or Arabic
culture.
◦ Similarly, family traditions do not vary widely among European
cultures, but they reflect a generally “western” approach to
family. They may conflict with more “eastern” approaches and
this may cause confusion in some.
SOURCES
◦ “Religions in Europe.” ESRI, ESRI,
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=c82b53d543794fc281fadf2dccef812a. Accessed 26 Apr. 2020.

◦ Manning, M. Lee, et al. Multicultural Education of Children and Adolescents. Sixth edition, Routledge, Taylor & Francis
Group, 2017.