Rachel Clutts

ECED 3053

Muticultural Paper

Asian Americans

People from all different cultures come to America in search for a new world. “The most influential immigration movement in the near future: the Asian Arrival.” (Belzunce & Gutierrez). People from other cultures learn to adapt to new cultures and surroundings in different ways. For some it is easier to do than others.

Asian families usually go through two to three adaptive cultural transitions: physical , material change, and cognitive, structural and affective change. During the physical change economic security, education and language are the hardest obstacles to overcome. In the structural change, the family incorporates their cultural ideas with ones of their new environment.

API refers to Asian and Pacific Islanders. API culture has two different sides: open and hidden. Open culture is the “value and norm of family, religion, formal language, social organization, and customs”(Schartz). Education is included in the open culture. API’s think much differently about the education process than Americans do. They see the teachers as the supreme ruler in their child’s education. They believe they are not to interfere. Asians have a hard time accepting learning disabilities and depression. They also see psychological distress as an indicator of organic disorder and the family sees this as shameful the them as well as the individual. Language is also another subtopic in the open culture. Language seems to be a huge barrier for Asian students because they are not exposed to any writing system. Hidden culture “regulates daily life” unconsciously. Communication would be categorized as part of their hidden cultures. Communication can be high- or low- context. Asians prefer high- context which doesn’t require a clear, exact verbal interaciotn. Most communication depends on non-verbal signals and the situation. Some suggestions for good general communication are:

· Respect API cultural beliefs.

· · Communicate in person, rather then in writing.

· · Watch for nonverbal cues.

· · When some APIs smile they very well could be confused.

· · Deal with immediate needs.

· · Reach agreement by compromising.

Communication with API children can be difficult. Communication problems may be associated to language differences and culture. Here are a few ways to keep communication open:

· Reject the stereotype that most East Asian children are gifted and that APIs are generally passive.

· · Help them handle their stress that comes from their culture conflicts.

· · Pay particular attention to signs of hearing impairment-a disability that seems highly prevalent among Southeast Asians.

· · Define the difference between behavioral or physical disorders and communication difficulties, and overcome the difficulties to identify behavioral and health problems.

Asian students can do very well in an American classroom setting with the right teacher helping them along the way. If the students is coming in after school has started, make the class aware that a new student is coming in and they are from Asia. Make the new student feel special and ask him questions about where he or she is from, but do not make him or her feel uncomfortable. The idea is to learn not to embarrass. Just because they do things differently from us doesn’t mean that they

are wrong and should not be punished because of this reason. Asian children are usually very bright. They can pick up on new ideas pretty quickly. Asians are not the only culture in America today. By looking in a single classroom in a single school one may see a difference of 25 backgrounds.

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