Adaptation of Southeast Asian Refugee Youth: A Comparative Study. Final Report to the Office of Resettlement.
Author(s):
Rumbaut, Ruben G.; Ima, Kenji
Format:
Report
Publisher:
Washington, D.C. : Office of Refugee Resettlement, 1988.
Language:
English
Abstract:
This study examined successes and problems of Southeast Asian refugee youth regarding their educational and occupational attainments and aspirations and evaluated their prospects for economic self-sufficiency in the U.S. The study (1) compared Southeast Asian students against other ethnic groups in the San Diego area on various indices of educational attainment, occupational aspirations, and problem areas (e.g., school dropouts and suspensions, and juvenile delinquency); (2) compared each of the five major Southeast Asian refugee groups to each other (i.e., Vietnamese, Chinese-Vietnamese, Lao, Khmer, and Hmong); (3) conducted field observations and in-depth interviews with the Vietnamese group, the Khmer group, and the Hmong group; and (4) collected additional qualitative data on the Lao and Chinese-Vietnamese youth and interviewed many Indochinese and American adult informants who had experience and expertise in various areas of refugee youth adjustment. Findings include that (1) most of the Southeast Asian refugee students live in families in San Diego with both parents at home; (2) in 1986, 10.9% of graduating seniors were Southeast Asian refugee students; (3) Vietnamese, Chinese, and Hmong cultures reflected higher levels of discipline and orientation toward education than Lao and Khmer cultures; and (4) Vietnamese, Chinese, and Hmong groups seek higher-status jobs than Lao and Khmer groups. This report is an abridged version of a larger manuscript (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)