"At School, It's a Completely Different World": African Immigrant Youth Agency and Negotiation of Their Adaptation Processes in US Urban Schools.

This article examines the adaptation experiences of West African immigrant middle- and high-school youth in urban U.S. schools, focusing on how racialized experiences, English proficiency, and multilingualism shape their social relationships and acculturation processes. Using qualitative case studies of six multilingual youth from Cameroon and Burkina Faso, the study highlights challenges such as racial discrimination, language hierarchies, and cultural tensions, alongside the resilience and agency these students develop through family, community, and school supports. The findings emphasize the importance of fostering inclusive school environments that recognize immigrant students’ linguistic and cultural assets to promote integration and belonging. Recommendations include enhancing teacher training, revising curricula to counter stereotypes, and creating supportive social spaces to mitigate acculturative stress and support positive adaptation.