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Title: Minority within a minority paradox: Asian experiences in Latino schools & communities
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2013
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Abstract: Asian (1) students in the United States are often touted as the "model minority" (Lee, 1996; Museus & Kiang, 2009; Takaki, 2008). Pitted against other minority groups and praised as those who should be emulated for academic success, Asian students may as a result find themselves isolated from other groups, unable to make sense of where they belong in the U.S social strata that is defined through race and privilege (Feagin, 2010). Asians are often described through simplified factors that depict high academic expectations and achievement and over-representation in colleges (Suzuki, 2002; Zhao & Qiu, 2009), particularly in the areas of math and science (Chen & Stevenson, 1995; National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education, 2008). Their perceived success may result in being associated with privilege while at the same time they are also experiencing racial prejudice and discrimination. This comes as a result of an oversimplification of Asian experiences that, in fact, are anything but homogeneous or simple. Rather, tremendous variability exists within this group that spans different countries, languages, cultures, and economic and political systems (Lee, 1996; Yu, 2006). Although the model minority myth remains active today as the way the mass public perceives and interacts with Asians, research has shown clearly that achievement and over-representation is not independent of these many variables (Museus, in press). Unfortunately, society continues to uphold the model minority myth of Asian students, regardless of their particular ethnicity, socioeconomic, cultural, and developmental differences. These students continue to be judged and treated accordingly, particularly in educational contexts (Brydolf, 2009). Teachers often hold expectations that may be beyond what Asian students can meet and their non-Asian peers may also pre-judge them based on a standard that in fact does not exist (Chang & Demyan, 2007; George & Aronson, 2001; Koo, 2010). Whereas research has shown the downfalls of teachers and other school personnel holding this standard of achievement (Suzuki, 2002), less is known regarding how peers interact with Asians given the various stereotypes they endure. While Asians living and attending schools in predominantly Asian communities may be buffered from the effects of peer prejudice and/or marginalization, Asians who attend schools in which they are a significant minority are likely to experience a different social climate. This social climate may be particularly problematic when they attend schools in which the predominant student population is another minority group, especially so when that other group is seen as almost a direct opposite--generally described as "underperforming" and lacking in high academic expectations (Foxen, 2010). While research shows that Latina/os in U.S. schools achieve academic success at significantly low rates, these achievement patterns often have little to do with the students' level of intellect, motivation, or expectations (Orellana, 2001). Rather, other socioeconomic and sociopolitical factors impact Latina/os in ways that perpetuate a substandard educational experience (Monzo & Rueda, 2009).
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Authors: Koo, Sarai; Nishimura, Trisha, S
Publisher: Multicultural Education
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Race and Ethnicity
Countries: United States