Recognition, identity construction, and second-generation Hmong American students in an urban high school
Author(s):
Kwon, Sylvia E.
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Ph.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : University of Michigan, 2006.
Pages:
246
Language:
English
Abstract:
Based on an ethnographic study at an urban high school in southeastern Michigan, this dissertation examines how second-generation Hmong American students sought to create meaningful and visible identities in response to institutional and relational experiences. On a daily basis, these students encountered school-based practices and interactions with teachers, administrators, and other students that frequently stigmatized them or rendered them invisible. In response, these students constructed and asserted identities in search of recognition by others in the school. The primary goals of this dissertation are: (1) to study how second-generation Hmong American students constructed and asserted their individual and collective identities, (2) to examine how policies and relationships at the school-level misconstrued and misrepresented them: and (3) to investigate how the Hmong youth's identities reflected and emphasized their need for equal acknowledgement and participation in the predominantly African American school. Data collection for this dissertation included four qualitative methods of inquiry: (1) semi-structured individual and focus group interviews with 16 Hmong students; (2) school-day observations; (3) interviews with three teachers and two counselors; and (4) analyses of student records. Findings indicate that previous educational research, which argues that identity construction is a binary of defiance or acceptance of the dominant culture, does not solely prompt nor capture fully identity development processes of students. This project contends that second-generation Hmong youth are actively engaged in the creation and articulation of their social identities. Influenced by the dialectical relationship between ascription and assertion, these identities reflect their need to be valued and appreciated as not only distinct and singular but also unexceptional and familiar. As the U.S. student population continues to incorporate diverse racial and ethnic populations, findings suggest that school personnel, including teachers and counselors, must understand their role in young people's identity work and the importance of recognition in supporting all students.