ASIAN AMERICAN CULTURE

1. ASIAN AMERICAN CULTURE Jennifer Stoddard CIT 506 January 14, 2009

2. Culture Culture is all the ways of life including arts, beliefs, and institutions of a population that are passed down from generation to generation. Culture has been called the way of life for an entire society. Culture includes manners, dress, religion, and rituals for that society.

3. Asian-American Demographics • The Asian population is one of the fastest-growing racial groups in the United States. • In 1990, the U.S. Census Bureau accounted Asian-Americans for 3 percent of the nation’s population. • Asian-Americans are more likely to live in metropolitan areas than whites. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 1990, that the percentage was 24% to 3%.

4. In 1998, the Census Bureau stated that the Asian population was that of 10, 507,000 and predicted the Asian population to increase to 15,265,000 by the year 2010. • Due to the economic crisis in Asia, more Asians will move to the United States.

5. Social Interaction and Behaviors • The Asian culture focuses on interpersonal relationships. Affection is not displayed openly among each other. • Politeness is expected and it communicates consideration for the comfort of others. • The Asian culture avoids expressing their feelings and thoughts to others, especially in public. Their belief is that highly educated people should control their emotions and verbal and nonverbal expressions. • Children of the Asian culture possess obedience, silence, and non-assertiveness. The children may seem withdrawn and unwilling to express themselves openly.

6. HISTORY • There is very little that we know of the early Asian Americans who settled during the eighteenth century. • During the mid 1800’s to early 1900’s one million Asian men and women helped to develop the western states. The large majority were laborers and some became small business owners. During this time period they were faced with many issues such as racial discrimination, economic exploitation, limited political and civil rights, as well as immigration restrictions. • In the 1960’s-1970’s Asian-Americans of the college population fought for access and equity in admissions, ethnic studies programs, and the hiring of more minority faculty within colleges. • In 1975, close to one million Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians immigrated under the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, the 1980 Refugee Act, and the 1987 Amerasian Homecoming Act. Most arrived having to rebuild their lives that was torn apart by war, the dislocation of families, poverty, and trauma.

7. Education • Asian parents have high academic expectations for their children. A high academic success brings honor and pride to Asian families. • Asian immigrants view U.S. public school teachers and administrators to be essential components for a more secure future for their children. • Asian parents believe their children's success to be important because it reflects on the parents. This scholastic achievement is considered by Asian families to be the highest tribute their child could bring to the family. Failure to meet these high expectations can cause feelings of incompetence and inadequacy from both the child and the parents. • The children of Asian cultures are highly influenced by their families, homes, and communities when it comes to their education. • It is important for teachers to understand and become familiar with their cultural traits and heritage.

8. Immigration • In 1975, after the fall of Saigon, most Southeast Asians emigrated to the United States to escape persecution in the killing fields of Cambodia. • Due to changes in refugee policies in 1982, the Vietnamese were permitted to enter the United States as immigrants for family reunification purposes. • Once arriving in the United States the Asian immigrants settled in major urban cities throughout the U.S. These cities included San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, New York City, Washington D.C., Portland, and Chicago.

9. Language • Little information is known about the language development of school aged in Asian cultures. • Asian American children’s language is influenced by many languages such as Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Chamorro, and Hmong. • Asian immigrants speak with a marked accent and sometimes may lack fluency, which can cause a communication barrier. • Many Asian children are over identified for special educational services due to their phonological difficulties, traditional reliance on oral communication, and use of dialects.

10. References • Lee, G.L. & Manning, M.L. (2000, Fall). Treat Asian parents and families right. The Education Digest, 76(4), 39-45. • Mathews, R. (2000, November). Cultural patterns of South Asian and Southeast Asian Americans. Intervention in School and Clinic,36(2), 101-104. • Hune, S. (2002, Spring). Demographics and diversity of Asian American college students. New Directions for Student Services, 97, 11-20. • Palmer, B.C., Chen, C.I., & Leclere, J.T. (2006, March/April). The impact of bioculturalism on language and literacy development: Teaching Chinese English language learners. Reading Horizons 46(4), 239-265. • Sileo, T.W. & Prater, M.A. (1998, November/December). Creating classroom environments that address the linguistic and cultural backgrounds of students with disabilities: Asian pacific American perspective. Remedial and Special Education 19(6) 323-337. • U.S. Census Bureau. (2008). American Fact Finder. Retrieved January 13, 2008, from http://www.census.gov/index.html