Ruminations on Researching Filipinx Identity Through College Student Experiences

• In Event: Transformative Education for Asian Pacific America: Bridging Filipinx American Studies and Educational Research

Abstract

Objectives & Research Questions
Building on a foundation of historical and contemporary decolonial scholars such as Renato Constantino (1977), Virgilio Enriquez (1984), this paper challenges existing racial and ethnic identity theory, and higher education research, to advocate for challenging existing notions of Filipinx identity through the experiences of college students. As one of the fastest growing populations on college campuses in the United States, the need for more accessible research on Filipinx college students will be critical as higher education practitioners and researchers will need additional resources to understand the needs of this dynamic population. Moreover, as the boundaries of academic fields continue to blur and disciplines continue to integrate, the bridge between Filipinx Studies and Education fields will need to evolve. To address this gap in knowledge, while acknowledging the complex and generative experience of post-secondary schooling, especially those that happen outside of the classroom, the author argues that colleges serve as an underutilized backdrop for disaggregating Filipinx experiences, examining and critiquing identity formation, and the significance of studying those in Filipinx student organizations. Utilizing a critical examination of related literature in Filipinx Studies, Racial/Ethnic identity development, and College Student Development fields. This paper this paper asks the following research questions:
1) What existing literature exists regarding the connection to Filipinx identity, and college student development and extracurricular experiences?
2) In what ways, if at all, does existing research on Filipinx identity and college students accurately capture the breadth of experiences that this population?
The findings of this paper yield several important findings. First, although limited, the existing research on Filipinx students and the construction of their identities reveal several significant gaps in understanding, especially in capturing and analyzing the formative experiences towards their development. Second, there is a critical need for more research combining the collective knowledges between Filipinx Studies and Education, especially within the post-secondary space. In doing so, pursuing future research with these fields will aid in resisting essentialist notions of Filipinx identity and student experience, especially regarding models on racial and ethnic identity development and student development. Finally, as this body of research continues to expand, the utility of Filipinx American college students will increase as critical space, especially within Filipinx-centric extracurricular activities such as student organizations, cultural productions, and the long tradition of student activism on campus. Utilizing the narratives and students involved in these activities and the legacies that they are born out of provide a unique viewpoint for challenging university structures while also serving as a rich data source for understanding spaces for transformative change.

Author

• Reuben Deleon, University of California - Los Angeles