The Academic Achievement of Korean-American Adolescents in Schools in the US - Research Paper Example

Intercultural Communication Paper of Phoenix Submitted to Dr. Julie Hu For SOCI 315 March 30, Introduction The development of language as a means of communication has enhanced the growth of culture all over the world. Language facilitated the replacement and expression of behavior with concrete and concise messages. The concept of culture which incorporates language as one its critical elements has a rich theoretical background. Its definition, framework, interpretation and application differ according to perspective. Diversity in culture is eminent and is closely evaluated in terms of their impact and effect on academic success. The United States has been considered home to various migrants of diverse descent from all over the world. Most migrants have assimilated into America’s traditions and ways of life. Although conventional cultural values and beliefs have been preserved by the originating migrants, their children have completely adapted and adjusted to Western culture. It is interesting to delve into finding out the factors which contribute to the academic performance of migrants’ children, specifically Korean Americans. Adolescents from today’s generation have grown with relatively antithetical thinking and preferences compared to generations that their grandparents and parents were accustomed to. Likewise, academic performance, attitudes and behaviors of previous generations were influenced by communication, among others; as well as traditional and conventional norms. Communication is the “process of transmitting thoughts, feelings, facts, and other information” through verbal or non-verbal means. (Delaune and Ladner 2006) Verbal messages are messages communicated with the use of words and language. These messages can either be spoken or written. Non verbal communication, on the other hand, is the process of transmitting messages without words, that is, through body language. (Delaune and Ladner 2006). In this regard, the objective of this essay is to proffer a scenario which manifests the relevance of intercultural communication in the academe, affecting the performance of students from another culture, particularly from Korea. A review of literature would initially be presented delving into the effect of communication to cultural diversity. Likewise, the methodology used would be explained in determining the academic achievement of Korean-American adolescents in schools in the US where a hypothesis is developed. Finally, through the interview conducted and through secondary sources, the effect of family, communication and culture in the academic achievement of Korean-American adolescents in US schools would be determined. Literature review Description of Communication Issue A Korean-American acquaintance was asked to conduct an interview of academic performance of culturally diverse students assimilated in the US. She was made to interview several other Korean-Americans in her school and in nearby schools in the area to determine their academic success and to find out what particular factors contribute to academic performance. Specifically, there are areas on problems or concerns which majority of Korean-Americans face in their respective educational institutions. This is relevant because the kind of problems (communication, peer based, academic subjects, teachers’ personalities and/or methods of instructions, etc.) have a great impact on their study habits. If the problems are basically relationships based, this could or could not have a direct effect on academic performance depending on the quality of the problem as perceived by the adolescent. On the other hand, if the problem is academic in nature (communication, difficulty in topics discussed, complying with school requirements, instructional methods, and the like) definitely, this would directly affect the grades of the adolescents concerned. Situation Outcome Half of the respondents have an average of more than 5 years living in the United States and the other half have lived less than five years. For those living less than five years, there are still language problems which have to be accounted for and which affects their academic performance. Almost all of the respondents identified the following factors influence their study habits: school requirements, personal ambition, parents’ advice and cultural values. Their parents perceive most of them as having a good pattern for studying but for some adolescents who have been residing in the US for less than five years, the difficulty in language still is perceived as a barrier to academic performance. In this regard, parents resort to employing tutors to assist their children in coping with academic requirements. Methodology Data The research on the academic performance of Korean-American adolescents would be undertaken utilizing interview through specifically designed questionnaires. Two sets of questionnaires were designed for this research. One set was prepared and distributed to Korean-American adolescents (KAA) and the other set for their mothers. Right after consultation on the design and contents of the questionnaires, these were immediately distributed to seven students and their respective mothers of Korean-American lineage. The contents of the questionnaires were designed to determine the following: (1) the length of stay in America; (2) problems encountered in school; (3) study habits; (4) factors influencing study habits; and (5) effect of assimilation in the United States to academic performance. Under factors which influence study habits of the adolescents, the research aims to determine if culture, particularly language and communication, still has a profound effect in academic performance, in addition to personal attitudes and ambitions, teachers’ influence, school’s influence, and parents’ influence, among others. Hypothesis Based on the research, the following hypothesis is formulated: cultural diversity, particularly differences in language and communication has profound effects to the academic performance of students from another culture. Interpretation Research Findings All of the respondents acknowledged that migrating to the United States has helped these adolescents perform in school due to the following reasons: more freedom in class, open-minded educators, logical thinking, creativity, more chances for every education, and cooperation. Those who were interviewed identified the following problems normally encountered in school: 23% identified peer problems, 41% identified language problems, 27% identified cultural problems and only 9% identified academic problems. Those who identified academic problems pinpointed language as the root cause of their academic problems. All of those interviewed have mothers who are employed either as a nurse, a pastor, chef at a Korean restaurant and an owner of a laundry store, except one who is a housekeeper. This is a relevant factor to consider because in a way, it influences academic performance it terms of their availability to support their children in their academic lessons. Their employment was perceived as necessary for economic reasons. However, to answer the needs of their children who were identified to have problems, specifically on language, parents resort to employing tutors to assist their children in this regard. As expected, the author has confirmed that until now, there exist some racial pressures from schools with predominant white population. Students of Asian descent still encounter peer problems and have actually had some kind of maltreatment experience due to ethnicity. In a way, this still has some influence in the academic performance of Korean American lineage because a conducive, welcome environment would have a positive influence in academic performance and vise versa. However, a significant result states that despite any cultural or racial discrimination, most of the respondents still perceived that the educational system in the United States is better than in Korea. With this significant factor, most of the adolescents were perceived by their mothers as performing above average in their respective schools. Cultural influences appear to be minimal. This just shows that they have learned to assimilate the ways of life in America. However, language was found to have a tremendous impact on their academic success and necessitates the employment of a tutor who would assist in familiarizing themselves with the English language to improve their academic performance. Solutions The results of the interview gave a glimpse on the true picture of assessing academic performance of Korean American adolescents due to time constraints and the size of the sample or respondents for the study. This research would provide more conclusive results if the sample size would be larger to be an effective representative of the Korean American adolescent population living in the US. Further, as identified in the study, the existence of communication problems should have been recognized by school administrators and could have offered language classes to Koreans and other students of Asian descent, to improve their academic performance. In addition, issues of racial discrimination and maltreatment should be assessed and evaluated more in terms of their direct contribution to academic success and performance. A further research could be conducted in terms of finding out if the school administration has identified this as a particular problem in school which has to be immediately addressed. This study should delve into finding out what ways and means do the school employ to address racial and cultural problems. This study could find out the extent of their methods on implementing instructional systems which incorporate multidiversity in culture and racial concerns. Conclusion The research was successful in achieving its objective of proffering a scenario which manifests the relevance of intercultural communication in the academe, affecting the performance of students from another culture, particularly from Korea. The review of literature presented the effect of communication in culturally diverse students studying in the US. Likewise, the methodology used explained in determining the academic achievement of Korean-American adolescents in schools in the US as a hypothesis was developed. Through the interview conducted and through secondary sources, the effect of family, communication and culture in the academic achievement of Korean-American adolescents in US schools was finally determined. In identifying problems affecting the growth and development of adolescents, specifically Korean Americans, communication, racism and addressing cultural diversity, have been identified as still affecting their academic performance. Language barriers need to be addressed in the light of both verbal and nonverbal means to communicate messages also differ according to cultural orientation. As noted by (Broom and Selznick 1977), one of education’s objectives is “transforming a heterogeneous and potentially divided community into one bound together by a common language”. However, the ways of communication using traditional verbal means are often insufficient to transcend cultural barriers. There is always this tendency to misinterpret messages due to cultural variances. Racism has been a recurring prejudicial stigma since time immemorial. In schools in the United States, racism has been a long pervading issue affecting the educational system. There are ways and means of addressing school issues pertaining to racism, cultural diversity including language barriers. Concerned administrators, parents, and even students should all join hands to prevent racial prejudice. Teachers should be more aware that language barriers due to cultural diversity need to be addressed as well. The United States have been perceived as according a better educational system with more opportunities for advancement and a better life. Researches have already identified the concepts, problems, nature, causes, and even solutions to academic performance of Korean American adolescents including racism and cultural concerns. The people who are responsible for addressing these issues have already been identified. These are the same people who would definitely benefit from the solutions enumerated herein. As Edwards and Schmidt (2006) concluded, “now we have an obligation to take action”. The time is now. References Broom L. & Selznick, P. (1977). Sociology. A Text with Adapted Readings. Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., New York. Delaune, S. & Ladner, P. (2006). Fundamentals of Nursing: Standards & Practices. Delmar Learning, Inc., Singapore. Edwards, P.A. & Schmidt, P.R. (2006) Critical Race Theory: Recognizing the elephant and taking action. Essay Review. Reading Research Quarterly Read More