Hmong values and political leadership as perceived by the United States Hmongs
Author(s):
Moua, Tou Yer
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Ph.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : United States International University, 1994.
Pages:
132
Language:
English
Abstract:
The problem. Tradition and history indicated that HMong people migrated from China to Laos, to Thailand, and more recently to the United States and many other countries around the world. In their history, HMong people were blamed for having no legal political institutions for problem-solving. Since 1976, with HMong refugees arriving in the United States faced difficult societal adaptations. Traditional values and political leadership also became a problem among the HMong. The purpose of this research was to investigate and measure the HMongs' change of attitude toward their values and leadership during this period of U.S. adaptation. Method. This study was a descriptive correlational investigation of attitudes and beliefs about values and political leadership among HMong persons residing in the U.S. There were 120 HMong subjects who responded to a researcher generated questionnaire. Subjects responded either by an oral reading or by self-administration of the questionnaire. Results. (1) The values scale demonstrated that the older people were significantly more traditional than were the younger persons. Also, the recent immigrants were significantly more traditional than were those who had lived in the U.S. for a longer time. There were only small differences in the traditionalness of values between men and women and between leaders and non-leaders. (2) There were no significant differences in the beliefs about leadership held by men and women, by those who had been in the U.S. a shorter time versus a longer time, and by those who classified themselves as leaders versus those who did not. However, younger HMong persons tended to give more traditional responses than did the older HMongs. This difference was statistically significant, with older people being slightly more non-traditional than were younger people. With these results, this study demonstrated that younger people were more traditional in leadership and older people were more traditional in values.