Asian Americans and Assimilation in Higher Education: An Interpretative Account

• In Event: Roundtable Session 104
  In Roundtable Session: Research on the Education of Asian and Pacific Americans: Roundtable Session on Higher Education

Abstract

This research is a comparative pilot study that looks at how ethnic subgroups groups within the Asian American population utilize cultural and social capital in navigating their transition to and persistence in higher education in the United States. Using a phenomenological interviewing approach, this comparative study illuminates the various forms of cultural and social capital Chinese American and Hmong university students in a medium-sized midwestern city utilized to reach their current status in higher education. For both participating ethnic groups, their context will drive which forms of cultural and social capital were more influential. Comparisons, however, are not parallel as given indicators operate differently among ethnic groups.

Author

• Jennifer R. Crandall, University of Pittsburgh