Dissertation Research: Academic Decisions, Group Dynamics: The Effects of Family Life on the Educational Experiences of Chinese American Women

这一博士论文研究项目将评估家庭在造成华裔美国学生学术生涯性别差异方面的作用。家庭动态对亚裔美国人学业成就的影响已经有了很好的证明。然而，性别的作用在很大程度上被忽视了。与男性女性相比，亚裔美国女性不太可能接受高等教育，也不太可能主修数学、科学和工程。然而，与其他种族和民族的女性相比，她们更有可能选择量化的研究领域。这项研究试图通过对家庭、同龄人和学校的调查，为揭示造成这种现象的过程提供一个出发点。华裔美国人将被研究，因为在教育机会方面存在性别差距，人口按经济阶层、进入美国的日期、出生地和出生地进行分层。本研究将聚焦于第二代华裔美国本科生，并将解决以下几个问题：(1)移民父母在多大程度上影响其子女的学术专业和职业规划的选择，这种影响是否存在性别差异？(2)家庭背景和环境，特别是与移民有关的家庭背景和环境如何影响女性和男性的教育经历？(3)女性的选择在多大程度上与她们与教职员工和同龄人的互动以及家庭以外的社会压力有关？该项目将通过对纽约市两所大学的男女及其家人进行深入访谈，以及通过在学校和家中进行的参与者观察，来探讨这些问题。

This doctoral dissertation research project will assess the role of the family in creating gender differences in the academic careers of Chinese American students. The influence of family dynamics on Asian American academic achievement has been well-documented. However, the role of gender has largely been overlooked. Compared to their male counterparts, Asian American women are less likely to participate in higher education and to major in math, science and engineering. Yet, when compared to women of other racial and ethnic groups, they are more likely to choose quantitative fields of study. This research seeks to provide a point of departure for shedding light on the processes that create this phenomenon through an examination of family, peers and school. Chinese Americans will be studied because there is a gender gap in educational access, and the population is stratified by economic class, date of entry into the United States, place of origin and nativity status. This research will focus on second-generation Chinese American undergraduates, and will address several questions: (1) To what extent do immigrant parents influence their children's choice of academic major and career plans, and are there gender differences in this influence? (2) How do family background and environment, particularly in relation to migration, affect women and men's educational experiences? (3) To what extent are women's choices related to their interaction with faculty and peers, and social pressures outside the family? This project will explore these questions through in-depth interviews with men and women attending two New York City colleges and their families, as well as through participant observation conducted at school and in the home.