ASIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER YOUTH

ASIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER YOUTH
Asian American youth are similar to Hispanics in that
they are exposed to issues of immigration and accul-
turation; however, their experiences are also very dif-
ferent. Asians as a group tend to be more diverse,
coming from at least 15 countries of origin/descent
and speaking as many if not more languages.
Additionally, some groups of Asians have been in the
United States for generations, whereas others have
recently immigrated, often as refugees to escape
political oppression. Asian youth also typically out-
perform all other ethnic and racial groups’ educa-
tional attainment and eventual income levels, leading
to a model minority myth that characterizes Asians as
fitting into the mainstream and has been used as a
false standard to live up to for members of minority
groups.
196———Ethnic Minority YouthStudies have shown that the success of Asian adoles-
cents can be attributed to effort and use of time with
regard to school activities, as well as to parental involve-
ment and commitment to education. Asian family sys-
tems have also been shown to be the most “traditional”
of all ethnic groups in the United States, with more than
80% of all Asian American children living with both
biological parents. Although Asian students outperform
other groups, this is likely because of a significant
investment in education by both youth and their fami-
lies, and does not buffer other experiences such as
racism, acculturative stress, and language barriers