Deconstructing hyper-selectivity: Are the socioeconomic attainments of second-generation Asian Americans only due to their class background?

Chinese Journal of Sociology ◽

10.1177/2057150x20973802 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 2057150X2097380

Author(s):

Arthur Sakamoto ◽

Sharron Xuanren Wang

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

Cultural Heritage ◽

Asian Americans ◽

Asian American ◽

Second Generation ◽

Cultural Factors ◽

Family Processes ◽

American Family ◽

Class Background

Recent studies by Jennifer Lee and Min Zhou claim that “hyper-selectivity” is the primary causal factor accounting for the high average educational attainment of second-generation Asian Americans. We critically assess hyper-selectivity, which has not been carefully evaluated in prior research. We argue that hyper-selectivity is inadequately conceptualized and is not clearly supported by data on immigration or income mobility. Hyper-selectivity ignores accumulated facts about Asian American family processes relating to cultural factors and educational attainment. Rather than being a class phenomenon, Asian cultural factors have important effects for most second-generation Asian Americans regardless of the socioeconomic status of their parents. Overemphasizing hyper-selectivity inadequately acknowledges the cultural heritage of Asian Americans and ignores the agency of immigrant Asian American families.

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Distressed Asian American Neighborhoods

10.36650/nexus1.1_67-84_milleretal ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 67-84

Author(s):

Douglas Miller ◽

Douglas Houston

Keyword(s):

Community Development ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

Asian Americans ◽

Asian American ◽

Selection Criteria ◽

Demographic Characteristics ◽

Ethnic Enclave ◽

Racially Diverse ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Socioeconomic Data

There is a serious lack of demographic and socioeconomic data about Asian Americans living in distressed areas. The approach suggested to address this problem is community development with professional and academics to provide updated information on many issues such as poverty, educational attainment pertinent to these disadvantaged AA communities. The article discusses the selection criteria employed to choose the fourteen distressed communities that is analyzed. Details describing demographic characteristics, such as most AA communities are racially diverse, are supplemented with statistics to provide concrete data. Unemployment and poverty go hand-in-hand and in distressed AA communities these problems are occurring in higher frequency than other communities. The typical depiction of an AA community as a rich ethnic-enclave is debunked. The dominant problems in these communities are also representative of the problems most immigrants face today. The motivation for this analysis is to compel policy-makers to develop further research into these communities to understand their problems in order to make policies effectively addressing their needs.

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Mathematical Performance of American Youth: Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment of Asian-American Parents

Education Sciences ◽

10.3390/educsci10020032 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 32 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Shervin Assari ◽

Shanika Boyce ◽

Mohsen Bazargan ◽

Cleopatra H. Caldwell

Keyword(s):

Educational Attainment ◽

Ethnic Minorities ◽

Asian Americans ◽

Asian American ◽

Test Score ◽

Parental Education ◽

Mathematical Performance ◽

Asian American Youth ◽

Parental Educational Attainment ◽

Hispanic White

The Marginalization-related Diminished Returns (MDR) phenomenon refers to the weaker effects of parental educational attainment for marginalized groups, particularly ethnic minorities. This literature, however, is limited to Blacks and Hispanics; thus, it is not clear if the MDR phenomenon also applies to the educational performance of Asian Americans or not. To explore ethnic differences in the association between parental educational attainment and youth mathematical performance among 10th-grade American high schoolers, this cross-sectional study used baseline data from the Education Longitudinal Study, a national survey of 10th-grade American youth. The analytical sample included a total number of 10,142 youth composed of 1460 (14.4%) Asian-American and 8682 (85.6%) non-Hispanic youth. The dependent variable was youth math performance (standard test score). The independent variable was parental education. Gender, both parents living in the same household, and school characteristics (% students receiving free lunch, urban school, and public school) were the covariates. Ethnicity was the moderating variable. Linear regression was used for data analysis. Overall, parental educational attainment was positively associated with math ability (test score). We observed a statistically significant interaction between ethnicity (Asian American) and parental education attainment on the results of math test scores, indicating that the boosting effect of high parental educational attainment on youth math function is smaller for Asian-American youth than for Non-Hispanic White youth. While high parental educational attainment contributes to youth educational outcomes, this association is weaker for Asian-American youth than non-Hispanic White youth. Diminished returns (weaker effects of parental education in generating outcomes for ethnic minorities) that are previously shown for Hispanics and Blacks also apply to Asian Americans.

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Psychological Effect of Anti-Asian Attitudes by COVID-19 on Asian Americans in Coastal Alabama

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3519 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 988-988

Author(s):

Hosik Min ◽

Roma Hanks ◽

Denise Lewis

Keyword(s):

Educational Attainment ◽

Asian Americans ◽

Asian American ◽

Online Surveys ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Related Information ◽

Age Cohort ◽

Multiple Media ◽

Middle Aged Adults ◽

The U.S

Abstract This study aimed to understand how the anti-Asian attitude due to the COVID-19 affected Asian American communities in Alabama. We asked whether Asian Americans were worried about going out due to the anti-Asian attitude due to COVID-19. This study conducted online surveys to Cambodians or Laotians, who were 18 years and older, were living in Coastal Alabama, in May 2020. To avoid in-person contact, respondents answered questions online. A total of 353 respondents participated in the survey. In the Cambodian community, more younger adults participated in the survey, while more middle-aged adults participated from the Laotian community. Laotians had longer educational attainment and watched multiple media to obtain COVID-19 related information. Cambodians (72%) were afraid of COVID-19 infection more than Laotians (53%). More Cambodians (73%) were afraid to go out because of the anti-Asian attitude than Laotians (52%). The logistic regression analysis presented that people worried more about the COVID-19 infection were less likely to go out due to anti-Asian attitudes. Educational attainment did not have a protective effect. Watching multiple media sources decreased the worry about the anti-Asian attitude for Laotians. The age cohort showed both a protective and exacerbate the effect. Cambodians, who were in their thirties, were worried about going out. However, Laotian fifties and over did not worry about going out. This difference might be related to the length of the stay in the U.S. Hanks et al. found that Cambodians, compared to Laotians, had more new immigrants who recently came to the community to marry.

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Happiness of Asian Americans

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.2003.93.3f.1032 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 93 (3_suppl) ◽

pp. 1032-1034 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Charles N. Weaver

Keyword(s):

Job Satisfaction ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

African Americans ◽

Asian Americans ◽

Asian American ◽

Positive Relation ◽

Asian American Women ◽

American Women ◽

Mean Differences

Past surveys found a positive relation between job satisfaction and socioeconomic status, with Asian Americans scoring low and African Americans and Euro-Americans scoring higher. As job satisfaction is a component of happiness, the question arises whether this relationship holds for happiness in general. Responses of a sample of 499 Asian Americans, 24,432 Euro-Americans, and 2,828 African Americans were analyzed. For both sexes, Asian Americans rated happiness significantly higher than African Americans. The rated happiness of Asian American and Euro-American men was not significantly different, but Asian-American women rated happiness significantly lower than Euro-American women. Mean differences were less than one point.

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Blurring Racial and Ethnic Boundaries in Asian American Families: Asian American Family Patterns, 1980-2005

Journal of Family Issues ◽

10.1177/0192513x09350870 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 280-300 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Danielle Antoinette Hidalgo ◽

Carl L. Bankston

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Data Analysis ◽

Asian Americans ◽

Asian American ◽

The United States ◽

American Family ◽

Ethnic Boundaries ◽

Family Patterns ◽

The U.S ◽

Mixed Families

In this work, the authors use statistics from the U.S. Census to examine trends in intermarriage, racial and ethnic combinations, and categorizations among Asian Americans. Specifically, the authors want to consider the extent to which family patterns may contribute to Asian Americans and their descendants’ continuing as distinct, becoming members of some new category or categories, or simply becoming White. Based on the data analysis and discussion, it seems most likely that Whiteness will increasingly depend on the situation: Where there are Asians,Whites, and Blacks, Asians will tend to become White.Where there are only Whites, Asians, including even those of multiracial background, may well continue to be distinguished. Yet people in mixed families will be continually crossing all racial and ethnic lines in the United States, and their numbers will steadily increase.

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‘FRESH OFF THE BOAT’ AND THE MODEL MINORITY STEREOTYPE: A FOUCAULDIAN DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

VNU Journal of Foreign Studies ◽

10.25073/2525-2445/vnufs.4304 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Truong Minh Hang ◽

Phung Ha Thanh

Keyword(s):

Discourse Analysis ◽

Asian Americans ◽

Asian American ◽

Model Minority ◽

Social Perceptions ◽

American Family ◽

Power Networks ◽

American Experience ◽

Model Minority Stereotype ◽

Minority Discourse

This project studies how the American sitcom Fresh Off the Boat performs the model minority discourse. The performance, in line with the Foucauldian tradition of discourse analysis, is understood based on the networks of events and meanings that have rendered the model minority stereotype intelligible. The study informs that the model minority stereotype entered the discourse on Asian Americans through mainstream media’s rationalization of Asian Americans’ economic success in 1960s, marking a significant change in social perceptions of Asian Americans. It demonstrates that the discursive status of the stereotype has been conditioned by three power networks namely the black-white paradigm, the Asian American family, and the stereotype-based humor in American sitcoms. Fresh Off the Boat, the authors argue, participates effectively in shaping contemporary model minority discourse as it employs the three power networks in an approach more realistic and humane than mere oversimplification of Asian American experience.

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Asian American Education and Income Attainment in the Era of Post-Racial America

Teachers College Record ◽

10.1177/016146811411600602 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 116 (6) ◽

pp. 1-38 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alejandro Covarrubias ◽

Daniel D. Liou

Keyword(s):

Civil Rights ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

Asian Americans ◽

Asian American ◽

Low Income ◽

Model Minority ◽

Policy Framework ◽

Coalition Building ◽

Asian Populations ◽

Earning Power

Background Prevailing perceptions of Asian Americans as model minorities have long situated this population within postracial discourse, an assumption that highlights their educational success as evidence of the declining significance of race and racism, placing them as models of success for other people of color. Despite evidence to repudiate the model minority thesis, the visibility of Asian Americans in higher education continues to reinforce essentialist paradigms about their presumed success while rendering invisible the educational experiences and diminished educational earning power of low-income, women, and noncitizen Asian populations. Purpose The purpose of this article is to situate the most recent data on the mobility of Asian American students within the K–Ph.D. educational system in the new so-called colorblind postracial America. This article presents the most recent national educational outcomes for Asian Americans by looking at differences in attainment across race, class, gender, citizenship, and educational earning power. Research Design Drawing from the March Supplement of the Census’ 2010 Current Population Survey (CPS), we carried out multiple cross-tabulations that allowed us to disaggregate the educational attainment and earning power for Asian Americans across various social categories. The March Supplement of the CPS, referred to as the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC), is given once a year over 3 months—the 2010 ASEC was given to 77,000 households, with a response rate of over 91.5%. This quantitative analysis of the intersectional effect of race, class, gender, and citizenship provides a more nuanced examination of their interactional impact on educational attainment. Findings/Results Our intersectional analysis of educational attainment and earning power reveals the multiplicity of experiences and heterogeneity among Asian Americans. There is a clear positive relationship between class and educational attainment, but the intersectional impact of gender with class, and gender with citizenship points to a nonlinear relationship between these constructs and educational attainment when they are examined together. The data also make evident important gaps in earning power for Asian Americans compared with White Americans, and an especially disproportionate burden of diminished earnings for Asian American women. Conclusions/Recommendations This study sounds the alarm as postracial discourse has created several new challenges on issues related to Asian Americans, affirmative action policies, and the vitality of ethnic studies in the K–Ph.D. system. As a result of this study, the authors warn that the model minority thesis inaccurately depicts Asian Americans in policy discussions on education, race relations, poverty, and civil rights. This article makes important recommendations for coalition building, research approaches, and a new educational policy framework that can mediate current policy failures to include Asian Americans in discussions of equity.

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The Socioeconomic Status of Asian American Women in the Labor Force

Sociological Perspectives ◽

10.2307/1389150 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 307-338 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Deborah Woo

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Labor Force ◽

Asian Americans ◽

Asian American ◽

Ethnic Relations ◽

Asian American Women ◽

Educational Levels ◽

Racial And Ethnic Relations ◽

The Relationship

In the literature on United States racial and ethnic relations, a prevalent assertion is that Asian Americans exceed other ethnic groups, and often even whites, in income, occupational, and educational levels. Implicit in this view is the essential fairness argument about hard work: If Asian Americans can make it, why can't other minorities? Data presented here from the 1970 and 1980 censuses suggest that the relationship between effort and achievement is pivotal to this discussion and needs to be addressed in conceptually meaningful ways.

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