Date of Award
5-1993
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Degree Name
English: Teaching English as a Second Language: M.A.
Department
English
College
College of Liberal Arts
First Advisor
James H. Robinson
Second Advisor
Leslie W. Crawford
Third Advisor
David A. Heine
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
Southeast Asian student, integration, assimilation, education, cultural factors, ethnography, invisibility, immigrant population
Abstract
It is a mistake to presume that Southeast Asian (SEA) students will be fully assimilated within the first few years of immigrating. The qualities and habits that SEA students bring to their US classrooms are influenced more by ethnicity than by their years as American residents. Culturally, SEA students from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam are influenced by elements of Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, which encourage harmonious relationships. SEA students work to maintain harmony, but by this harmoniousness also become invisible and thus reduce their options in US schools.
This ethnographic thesis will consider the aspect of invisibility and will sample contexts in which SEA students at Adventure School become or stay invisible. Taking into account the cultural aspects of naming, it will examine the Americanized names SEA students use and how this affects their invisibility. It will look at social relationships of SEA students, both inter-ethnic and cross ethnic friendships, as seen during their lunch and recess periods. It will describe the different levels of participation of SEA students in academic classes and will show invisibility as a common cultural response in each of these contexts. The thesis will conclude with implications and perspectives for educators who assist the immigrant Southeast Asian populations.
Recommended Citation
Rajala, Nicolyn L., "The Invisible Southeast Asian Student: Integration Controlled by Cultural Values" (1993). Culminating Projects in TESL. 70.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/tesl_etds/70
