To children starting their schooling process, the insertion into another
cultural context can often be a critical period in academic development. Based on
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework and biopsychosocial approach, and using the
“Day in the Life” approach, this chapter presents the experience of Vitória, a six/sevenyear-
old girl born in Rio Grande do Sul, a state in the south of Brazil, now living with
her mother in the city of São Paulo. The constant trips mother and daughter make to
their home state allow contact with grandparents and cousins, along with the family’s
original culture, favouring the maintenance of the southern influence in her day-to-day
life. This can be observed in her vocabulary, in some of her activities, and social
interactions. Vitória displayed successful integration, preserving elements from her
original culture while demonstrating excellent adaptation to the new routines in São
Paulo. The interconnections – among family, teachers, and school – greatly contributed
to the child’s flourishing transition, enabling a secure intercultural identity, combining
values of both cultural contexts effectively. In order to live inside and in-between two
cultural contexts, assimilating traditional values and beliefs inherited from the family is
necessary, while also assimilating new cultural values and beliefs of the society and
specifically the newly encountered school system. The intercultural success of this
child is observable in how she integrates two cultures with confidence and admiration
from her parents and teachers, dealing with the values of both social groups in a
symbiotic and non-competitive way.
Keywords: Adaptation, Biopsychosocial Approach, Cultural Integration, Cultural
Transition, Family System, Interaction, Intercultural Identity, School, Schooling.
