Discretionary Supporters and Cultural Guides: How Social Class Shapes Asian American Sibling Educational Support

• In Event: Asia and Asian American Section Roundtables Session
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 5: Asia and Asian America Section Roundtable - Family

Abstract

Studies document how differences in parental resources contribute to educational disparities with a growing body of research identifying siblings as important educational resources, particularly in first-generation college student families. Despite the documented relevance of siblings, we know comparatively less about how differences in sibling educational resources contribute to social mobility patterns. To understand the role of siblings in social mobility trajectories I ask, how does social class shape Asian American sibling educational support? Drawing on 22 interviews with Asian American first-generation college students, 20 Asian American continuing-generation college students, and 13 of their siblings, I find Asian American continuing-generation siblings serve as “discretionary supporters” that defer to parents as primary contributors of educational support and occasionally step-in to provide academic support. By contrast, Asian American first-generation siblings serve as “cultural guides” that leverage their increased familiarity with U.S. education system to provide critical college information. These findings are in accordance with cultural mobility frameworks that suggest that first-generation college students benefit most from siblings acquired familiarity with higher education. These findings have important implications for understanding how the family is a mechanism of intragenerational mobility.

Author

• Estéfani Marín, Lawrence University