Educational Expectation of Immigrant High School Students

• In Event: 207 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 06. Immigration and Education

Abstract

Children of immigrants go through their high school years with various levels of educational expectation. Many expect to pursue post-secondary education, but a sizeable proportion of these students are doubtful that they will earn a degree beyond the high school diploma. Some, given particular life factors, question whether they will even earn a high school diploma. Since educational expectation has been linked to actual education achievement and overall motivation in school, the present paper examines factors affecting high school immigrants’ educational expectation. Using the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS) data (1992 and 1995), the effects of within student social psychological, family characteristics, racial/ethnic identity, early achievement, and student employment factors and within school factors on educational expectation are examined using multilevel modeling. Model diagnostics suggest that the relationship between educational expectation and GPA vary considerably by school. Multilevel models, however, reveal that individual level variables have emerged as stronger predictors of educational expectation compared to the school context. Still, the school’s aspirational culture has a weak effect on educational expectation, diminishing the benefits of high GPA. This work in progress is a segment in the broader discussion on the integration of children of immigrants.

Author

• Vandeen Campbell, City University of New York-Graduate Center