The Intersection of Academia and Identity: Hmong American Students in Higher Education

• In Event: Visual Research Methods in Education: Recent Qualitative Dissertations Designed to Promote Social Justice

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry was to examine the experiences of Hmong American college students in relation to their ethnic and racial identity attending a four-year, dual designated Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution and Hispanic Serving Institution in the Central Valley, in California. Hmong Americans arrived to the United States around 1975, and are still relatively new to many higher education institutions. With the limited literature and knowledge on Hmong Americans in higher education, the invisibility of their identities and needs continue to be displaced in the midst of institutional focus on diversity and equity concerns. Indeed, studying Hmong American identity is particularly important given the historical context of higher education as Eurocentric centered and created to serve, as well as how race continues to operate in the United States. Specifically, this study examined how institutional factors (e.g., campus climate, cross racial peer-interactions, involvement) influenced undergraduate Hmong American students’ ethnic and racial identities and their sense of belonging on campus.

The frameworks guiding this study are conceptually grounded in three theories: (a) the ecological theory on human development (Bronfenbrenner, 1977, 1994), (b) the process of race and ethnicity on identity (Markus & Moya, 2010), and (c) intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991). The conceptual framework will demonstrate how the theories work in accordance to illustrate the institutional factors on Hmong American students’ ethnic and racial identity.

The research design incorporated the conceptual frameworks throughout data collection by focusing on the student’s surrounding environments that influence their development through interactions with their systems and focused on their lived experiences. Data collection was completed through three-phases which included interviews and a visual methods activity, specifically photo generation, elicitation, and participant preliminary analysis. Visual methods were intentionally included because they may generate data that is not captured by traditional research methods (e.g., surveys, interviews), provide an alternate means to demonstrate and communicate their understanding of the phenomenon, and strengthen the relationship between the participant and researcher (Cappello, 2005; Harper, 2002).
Cappello (2005) suggests that visuals can afford participants another language to express complex phenomena such as identity. For this study, participants will be asked to generate images that were reflected of their ethnic and racial identity. These images were also used to elicit understandings and reflections during one phase of the interview process.

A total of 10 participants completed the process. Data analysis was employed through initial, focused, and axial coding and constant comparison for the interviews. For visuals, data was analyzed using Serafini's (2010) perceptual, structural, and ideological perspectives. An overview of the findings suggested the influence of culture, racialization, and college experience on Hmong American students' sense of belonging and identity. Findings from the study also suggested the value of visual methods in research on identity. Implications for practice and research are provided.

Author

• Melissa Vang, California State University - Los Angeles