1. The college attendance of Asian Americans.
- Author
-
Goyette, Kimberly Ann
- Subjects
- Asian-americans, College Attendance
- Abstract
This research focuses on the high college attendance rates of Asian Americans. In this research, I treat college attendance as a process consisting of three main components. First, students form an expectation to go to college. Next, they gather information about application procedures and apply to school. Finally, they decide to enroll in a particular school. To explain the high college attendance rates of Asian Americans compared to those of whites, I focus on differences in demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, tested proficiency, social capital, attitudes and values, and blocked opportunities. Further, I consider the relevance of each of these approaches across Asian American ethnic groups. Primarily using the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) 1988--1994, I find that both similarities and diversity among Asian American ethnic groups account for their high likelihood of attending college compared to whites. The high educational expectations of Asian Americans of all ethnic groups underlie their high college attendance rates, but the reasons for these high expectations differ by Asian American ethnic group. For groups with high levels of financial and human capital, like South Asians, Filipinos, Koreans, and Japanese, socioeconomic and other favorable background characteristics explain high expectations. For Chinese, tested proficiency explains some portion of high educational expectations, while parents' expectations account for much of Southeast Asians' educational expectations. This research shows that there are many paths to success among members of this minority group. The factors that underlie Asian Americans' success differ based on their values and experiences, and the interaction of those values and experiences with U.S. society.
- Published
- 1999