Exploring the Achievement and Language Acquisition of 1.5 Korean Americans

• In Event: Supporting Asian Americans in Higher Education: Diversity, Resilience, and Achievement

Abstract

Due to the model minority stereotype, Asian Americans are viewed as the ideal immigrant group who excel academically; as a result, limited research has been devoted to this population (Yeh, et al, 2005). Similar to other minorities, Asian American immigrants see themselves as invisible within the dominant American culture (Wing, 2007). This phenomenon is evident with Korean American immigrants who immigrated during their formative years. Acquiring English as a second language is often difficult for 1.5 generation Korean Americans because they lack the social skills needed to facilitate conversation with native English speakers (Faver, Kim, & Lee, 1995). This 1.5-generation is expected to excel academically despite having to overcome these language and cultural barriers but little is known about them. Since Korean immigrants are one of the largest Asian immigrant groups in the United States, further research is needed.

This study sought to identify the factors that contribute to the academic success of high achieving 1.5 generation Korean American college students. For the purpose of this study, 1.5 generation is defined as a bicultural person born outside of the United States who immigrated between the ages of 12 and 17 (Park, 1999) and high achieving is viewed as graduating from high school currently enrolled in college. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how the occurrences inside the home, school and community influenced their acculturation, language acquisition and achievement and to provide recommendations for practice and policy implications regarding the Korean American community.

Coleman’s (1988) social capital model helped to explain the achievement of 1.5-generation Korean high school students despite their limited English skills. Coleman defines social capital as the obligations and expectations, social norms, and information channels imbedded into schools, homes and communities, which are needed for advantageous outcomes. In order to investigate this unique population, 1.5 generation Korean American college students were interviewed using a structured protocol, which had IRB approval. The interviews were transcribed and a content analysis was performed on the data to determine the emerging themes. It was found that translating, filial piety, and church influenced their academic achievement. The data also suggested that the obligations and expectations within the Korean community and their homes heavily influenced their achievement and academic goals. Furthermore, the model minority myth influenced not only the participants but also school and community members. The implications for this exploratory study include the need for psychological support within the Korean community and cross cultural training for teachers and administrators.

Author

• Tammy L. Johnson, Claremont Graduate University