The purpose of this chapter is to provide an informed discussion regarding the cultural values that shape the behaviors and achievement of Asian Pacific American (APA) students. bronfenbrenner1979’s bronfenbrenner1979, bronfenbrenner1986) ecological model of human development is used to explain how many APA families encourage and reinforce educational achievement. A central idea in this chapter is “cultural capital,” which refers to the attitudes, expectations, knowledge, and behaviors parents pass on to their children that assist them in succeeding in school and society. To illustrate this central premise, the chapter also employs Sue and okazaki1990’s okazaki1990) concept of relative functionalism as a key element in Asian cultural capital as it relates to both educational achievement and upward mobility. In addition, the chapter discusses the experiences and educational needs of diverse APA groups (e.g., Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Vietnamese, etc.). Though their educational needs may be similar, their social and academic experiences may differ due to various elements such as history and generational levels in the US. The chapter concludes with recommendations for educators to encourage and collaborate with Asian American students and their families.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Agbayani-Siewert, P. (1994). Families in society: Filipino-American culture and family. Journal of Contemporary Human Services, 75, 429–438.
Agbayani-Siewert, P. (2004). Assumptions of Asian American Similarity: The Case of Filipino and Chinese American Students. Social Work, 49,39–51.
Au, K & Jordan, C. (1977). Teaching reading to Hawaiian children: Finding a culturally appropriate solution. In Trueba, H. & Au, K. (eds), Culture and the Bilingual Classroom: Studies in Classroom Ethnography. Rowley, MA: Newbury House, pp. 139–152.
Benham, M. & Heck, R.H. (1998). Culture and Educational Policy in Hawai’ Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of the Family as a Context for Human Development: Experiments By Nature and Design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research perspectives. Developmental Psychology, 22, 723–742.
Cabezas, A. (1981). Early Childhood Development in Asian and Pacific American Families: Families in Transition. San Francisco: Asian Inc.
Chan, S. (1991). Asian Americans: An Interpretive History. Boston: Twayne.
Chao, R.K. (2001). Extending research on the consequences of parenting style for Chinese Americans and European Americans. Child Development, 72(6), 1832–1843.
Chang, I. (2003). The Chinese in America. New York: Penguin Books.
Committee of 100. (2005). The Committee of 100’s Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) in higher education report card, http://www.committee100.org/publications/edu/C100_Higher_Ed_Report_Card.pdf (retrieved November 29, 2005).
Cordova, F. (1983). Filipinos: The Forgotten Asian Americans. Seattle: Demonstration Project for Asian Americans.
De Vos, G. (1973). Socialization for Achievement. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
Flores, P. (1998). Filipino American students: Actively caring a sense of identity. In Pang, V.O. & Cheng, L. (eds), Struggling To Be Heard: The Unmet Needs of Asian Pacific American Children. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, pp. 27–43.
Gardner, R.W., Robey, B., & Smith, P. (1985) Asian Americans: Growth, Change, and Diversity. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau.
Goodwin, A.L. (1997). Assessment for Equity and Inclusion: Embracing All Our children. NY: Routledge-2.
Goyette, K. & Xie, Y. (1999). Educational expectations of Asian American youths: Determinants and ethnic differences. Sociology of Education, 72, 22–37.
Heras, P & Patacsil, J. (2001). Silent sacrifices: Voices of the Filipino American family: A documentary. The Companion Guide, San Diego, California: Patricia Heras Publisher.
Hirschman, C. & Wong, M.G. (1986). The extraordinary educational achievement of Asian Americans: A search for historical evidence and explanations. Social Forces, 65(1), 1–27.
Hune, S. & Chan, K.S. (1997). Asian Pacific American demographic and educational trends. In Carter, D.J. & Wilson, R. Minorities in Higher Education: 1996–1997 Fifteen Annual Status Report. Washington, DC: American Council on Education, pp. 39–67.
Kao, G. (2004). Parental influences on the educational outcomes of immigrant youth. The International Migration Review, 38, 427–450.
Kao, G. & Tienda, M. (1998). Educational aspirations of minority youth. American Journal of Education, 106, 349–384.
Kiang, P.N. (2002). K-12 education and Asian Pacific American youth development. Asian American Policy Review, 10, 31–47.
Kiang, P.N. & Lee, V.W. (1993). Exclusion or contribution? Education K-12 policy. In Aguilar-San Juan, K. (ed.), The State of Asian Pacific America: A Public Policy Report: Policy Issues to the Year 2020. Los Angeles: LEAP Asian Pacific American Public Policy Institute and UCLA Asian American Studies Center, pp. 25–48.
Kim, B.L.C. (1980). The Korean-American Child at School and At Home (Grant No. 90-C-1335 [01]) Washington, DC: US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
Kim, E. (2002). The relationship between parental involvement and children’s educational achievement in the Korean immigrant family. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 33(4), 529–541.
Kitano, H. (1976). Japanese Americans: The Evolution of a Subculture (2nd edn). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Kitano, M. & DiJiosia, M. (2002). Are Asian and Pacific Americans Overrepresented in programs for the gifted? Roeper Review, 24, 76–81.
Lee, S. (1996). Unraveling the “Model Minority” Stereotype: Listening to Asian American Youth. New York: Teachers College Press.
Lee, S. (2001). More than “model minorities” or “delinquents”: A look at Hmong American high school students. Harvard Educational Review, 71(3), 505–529.
Long, Patrick Du Phuoc. (1996). The Dream Shattered: Vietnamese Gangs in America. Boston, MA: Northeastern University Press.
Louie, V. (2004). Compelled to Excel: Immigration, Education and Opportunity among Chinese Americans. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.
Nordoff, Jean F. (1985). Mental health and refugee youths: A model for diagnostic training. In Owan, T. (ed.), Southeast Asian Mental Health: Treatment, Prevention, Services, Training, and Research. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Ong, P. & Hee, S. (1993). The growth of the Asian Pacific American population: Twenty million in 2020. The state of Asian Pacific America: A public policy report: Policy issues to the Year 2020. Los Angeles: LEAP Asian Pacific American Public Policy Institute and UCLA Asian American Studies Center.
Pang, V.O. (1990). Asian American Students: A Diverse Population. Educational Forum, 55(1), 1–18.
Pang, V.O. (2005). Multicultural Education: A Caring-Centered, Reflective Approach (2nd edn). Boston, MA: McGrawHill.
Pang, V.O. (2006). Fighting the marginalization of Asian American students with caring schools: focusing on curricular change. Race, Ethnicity, and Education, 9, 69–85.
Pang, V., Kiang, P., & Pak, Y. (2004). Asian Pacific American students: Changing a biased educational system. In Banks, J. and Banks, C. (eds) Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education (2nd edn). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Reeves, T. & Bennett, C. (2003). The Asian and Pacific Islander Population in the United States: March 2002 Population Characteristics. {http://www.census.gov/\break prod/2003pubs/p20–540.pdf} Washington DC: U.S. Census Bureau, retrieved on June 13, 2005.
Rumbaut, R. (1997). Assimilation and its discontents: Between rhetoric and reality. The International Migration Review, 31, 923–961.
Rumbaut, R. & Ima, K. (1988). The Adaptation of Southeast Asian Refugee Youth: A Comparative Study. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Family Support Administration, Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Santos, R. (1983). The social and emotional development of Filipino American children. In Powell, G.J. (ed.), The Psychosocial Development of Minority Group Children. New York: Brunner/Mazel, pp. 131–48.
Sata, L. (1983). Mental health issues of Japanese-American children. In Powell, G.J. (ed.), The Psychosocial Development of Minority Group Children. New York: Brunner/Mazel, pp. 362–372.
Slaughter-Defoe, D., Nakagawa, K., Takanishi, R., & Johnson, D.J. (1990). Toward cultural/ecological perspectives on schooling and achievement in African- and Asian-American children. Child Development, 61, 363–383.
Sue, S. & Okazaki, S. (1990). Asian-American educational achievements: A phenomenon in search of an explanation. American Psychologist, 45, 913–920.
Sue, S. & Sue, D.W. (1973). Chinese American personality and mental health. In Sue, S. & Wagner, N. (eds), Asian-American Psychological Perspectives. Palo Alto: Science and Behavior Books.
Suzuki, B.H. (1977). Education and socialization of Asian Americans: A revisionist analysis of the “model minority” thesis. Amerasia Journal, 4(2), 23–51.
Suzuki, B. (1988, April). Asian Americans in Higher Education: Impact of Changing Demographics and Other Social Forces. Paper presented at the National Symposium on the Changing Demographics of Higher Education, Ford Foundation, New York.
Tanabe, C. & Rochon, R. (in press). Seeking educational justice for Hmong children: The journey of two professors who were given the opportunity to work in the Hmong community. In Pang, V.O (ed.), Multicultural Education: Principles and Practices. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Uba, L. (1994). Asian Americans: Personality Patterns, Identity, and Mental Health. New York: Guilford Press.
U.S. Census Bureau. (1983). 1980 Census Population: Characteristics of the Population. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
Yamamoto, J. & Iga, M. (1983). Emotional growth of Japanese-American children. In Powell, G.J. (ed.), The Psychosocial Development of Minority Group Children. New York: Brunner/Mazel, pp. 167–178.
Youngberg, F.L. (2001). Census 2000: Asian Pacific American Americans Changing the Face of America at a Rapid Pace. In 2001–2002 National Asian Pacific American political almanac. Los Angeles, California: UCLA Asian American Studies Center, pp. 42–64.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pang, V.O. (2007). Asian Pacific American Cultural Capital: Understanding Diverse Parents and Students. In: Paik, S.J., Walberg, H.J. (eds) Narrowing the Achievement Gap. Issues in Children’s and Families’ Lives. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-44611-7_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-44611-7_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-44609-7
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-44611-0
eBook Packages: Behavioral ScienceBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)