Shaping the Future: How Do Middle- and Working-Class Chinese Immigrant Parents' Experiences Shape Their Parental Strategies for Their Children's Education?

• In Event: 16.056 - Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: 16.056-2 - Betwixt and Between: Identity Formation of Transnational Youth Across Political and Social Contexts

Abstract

This ethnographic research investigates how the immigration experiences of middle- and working-class Chinese parents shape their parental strategies for their children in a Midwestern town in the United States. The researcher found that the class position of Chinese immigrant parents shaped their views and approaches when adjusting to the emigrated country. Based on their immigration experiences of surviving in the emigrated country and their interpretation of mainstream society, both middle- and working-class Chinese parents developed approaches about how to educate and socialize their children in the mainstream educational setting and community. This study highlights the significance of socioeconomic class and seeks to demonstrate to educators how the class position of Chinese immigrant parents informs their understanding of the school system.

Author

• Yu-Ling Hsiao, Oklahoma State University-Stillwater