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Online Notes
Chinese
Adolescents'
Adaptation in
New York City
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This
presentation is
a preliminary
report of our
ongoing research
project on the
adaptation of
150
Chinese-American
youths to the
living
environment in
New York City.
Following Sung’s
(1987)
groundbreaking
study, we have
attempted to
address similar
issues with a
focus on the
psychological
factors that
mediate
sociocultural
and behavioral
variables. To
serve this
purpose, new
research
instruments were
developed,
including a
Background
Questionnaire
for collecting
basic
information
about the
participants, a
semi-projective
Sentence
Completion Test,
and a
semi-structured
Qualitative
Interview
composed of 41
open-ended
questions about
the
interviewees'
self-image,
their identities
as Chinese
Americans, their
family
situation, their
view of gender
roles, attitudes
toward family,
peers, friends,
school, and
teachers,
extracurricular
activities,
homework, and
dating
practices.
Participants’
responses
gathered so far
suggest that 1)
in spite of the
relatively low
socioeconomic
status and
frequent English
language
problems in
their families,
many Chinatown
youths have
fought against
all odds to
become
academically
successful; 2)
Chinatown
youths’ success
can be
attributed to a
large extent to
the core
cultural
emphasis on
education which
is deeply rooted
in Confucianism
as well as a
perennial sense
of predicament;
3) due to the
difficulty of
adjusting to the
American-dominated
system, a
considerable
number of
Chinatown youth
made different
life-course
decisions to
drop out of
school and turn
toward various
forms of
underground
business.
The participants
report that many
of their parents
are following
relatively
traditional
childrearing
practices, such
as emphasizing
children’s
obligations
toward their
family together
with sustained
efforts to
succeed
academically.
The parents
rarely employ
positive
reinforcement
vis-à-vis their
children and
typically do not
display overt
signs of
affection. Many
youths indicate
a deep sense of
indebtedness
toward their
parents who work
very long hours
and have made
numerous
sacrifices to
ensure the well
being and
positive future
of their
children.
We conclude that
Chinatown youths
are traditional
in the sense of
maintaining the
living (and
functional)
faith of their
ancestors but
that they refuse
to endorse the
more barren and
non-adaptive
forms of Chinese
traditionalism.
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