Asian values and perceptions of intergenerational family conflict among Asian American students

This investigation explores the perceptions of intergenerational family conflict among 93 Asian American college students from immigrant families in relation to reported discrepancies in Asian values with their parents, behavioral acculturation, gender, and ethnicity (Chinese and Korean). The study is unique in its examination of parent gender and specific dimensions of Asian values as predictors of perceived parent-child conflict. The findings indicated that as discrepancies in Asian values with either parent increased, reports of parent-child conflict also increased. Values discrepancies, but not behavioral acculturation, were significantly associated with perceived family conflicts. Independent hierarchical regression models revealed a significant association between conflict ratings and values discrepancies with mothers on the dimension of Conforming to Family Norms, and with fathers on the dimension of Education/Career Issues. However, interaction effects within a combined model to test beta coefficients differences between parents were not significant. Results also suggest that intergenerational conflict may be associated with discrepancy on Respecting Elders. Implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.     

Grit and academic performance among first-year university students: A brief report

This study examined grit and academic performance among a sample of South African university students (n = 121, mean age = 19.55, SD = 1.77, female = 57.85%). Data were collected using the Grit Scale and academic performance was assessed over one academic semester. Simple regression analysis was computed to predict students’ academic achievement from components of their self-reported grit. The grit component of consistency of interest accounted for 3% of the variance in the student’s academic achievement scores. Similarly, the grit component of perseverance of effort explained 9% of the variance in scores. Students who scored high on the Grit Scale also obtained higher academic marks compared to participants who scored low on the same instrument. The findings suggest that grit is an important personal resource for higher education students.     

Explaining the Asian American Youth Paradox: Universal Factors versus Asian American Family Process Among Filipino and Korean American Youth

This study used longitudinal survey data of Filipino American and Korean American youth to examine ways in which universal factors (e.g., peer antisocial behaviors and parent–child conflict) and Asian American (AA) family process variables (e.g., gendered norms) independently and collectively predict grade point average (GPA), externalizing, and internalizing problems. We aimed to explain the “Asian American youth paradox” in which low externalizing problems and high GPA coexist with high internalizing problems. We found that universal factors were extensively predictive of youth problems and remained robust when AA family process was accounted for. AA family process also independently explained youth development and, in part, the AA youth paradox. For example, gendered norms increased mental distress. Academic controls did the opposite of what it is intended, that is, had a negative impact on GPA as well as other developmental domains. Family obligation, assessed by family-centered activities and helping out, was beneficial to both externalizing and internalizing youth outcomes. Parental implicit affection, one of the distinct traits of AA parenting, was beneficial, particularly for GPA. This study provided important empirical evidence that can guide cross-cultural parenting and meaningfully inform intervention programs for AA youth.     

A Comparative Study of Family Characteristics of Anglo American and Asian American High Achievers

The purpose of this study is to examine the similarities and differences in family characteristics of Asian American and Anglo American high achievers. Sixty matched parents were interviewed concerning 4 areas. The findings suggest that the family life of Anglo American students tend to be less structured and provide less formal educational experience for children after school and on weekends. Similarities between these 2 groups include high parental expectation, concerned parents, stable family environment, and close-knit family relationships.     

Differences between African American and European American first-year college students in the relationship between self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and academic achievement

First-year African American and European American college students were surveyed to examine ethnic differences in how their social cognitive beliefs (self-efficacy and outcome expectations) influenced their academic achievement. It was hypothesized that outcome expectations may better explain academic achievement for African Americans due to the fact that they may perceive that external factors such as discrimination may influence their academic outcomes. Because European Americans are less likely to anticipate discrimination, they are more likely to believe that their outcomes would be the result of their own behavior. Higher levels of self-efficacy were related to better academic achievement for both ethnic groups. However, African Americans with negative outcome expectations (e.g. my education will not lead to a well paying job) had better achievement than those with more positive outcome expectations. This pattern was not found for European Americans. Potential explanations for the relationship between outcome expectations and academic achievement for African Americans such as racial socialization for preparation for bias are discussed and implications for interventions are addressed.     

General health, psychiatric vulnerability and withdrawal from university in first-year undergraduates

Goldberg's 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Student Vulnerability Inventory (SVI) were administered to 1,279 first-year undergraduates at the time of registration. The relationship between three sets of data was examined: GHQ scores, vulnerability factors, and withdrawal from university. Positive associations were found between high GHQ scores and an unsatisfactory relationship with parents, previous psychological investigation or help, and a family history of psychiatric disorder. Withdrawal from university was found to be related to high GHQ scores, an unsatisfactory relationship with parents, and previous psychological investigation or help. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Family conflict tendency and ADHD

A lack of perseverance, poor attention, and poorly modulated behaviour are important criteria of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Instructions often have to be repeated, sometimes even by different family members before a child with ADHD attends and complies. We hypothesised that a child with ADHD might cause less disagreement in families with almost no conflicts. Responses to the Mannheim Parents Interview and teacher's form of the Conners scale completed by families of 15 boys (ages 6 to 12 years), diagnosed with ADHD were compared with those of a matched, healthy control group of 15 boys. Parents completed a form assessing the family's cooperation and child-rearing practices. Having few family conflicts, i.e., almost no Verbal Disagreement may reduce Physical Punishment and Anger and Disregard and augment the Openness to another's needs and, for that reason, have protective effects on children's behaviour modulation.     

System-justifying ideologies and academic outcomes among first-year Latino college students

The present study examines the relationship between system-justifying ideologies and academic outcomes among 78 first-year Latino college students (21 men, 57 women, mean age = 18.1 years) attending a moderately selective West Coast university. Endorsement of system-justifying ideologies was negatively associated with grade point average (GPA); however it was positively associated with feelings of belonging at the university. In addition, system-justifying ideologies were negatively associated with perceptions of personal discrimination. In contrast, ethnic identity centrality was unrelated to GPA, feelings of belonging, and perceptions of personal discrimination once the relationship between system-justifying ideologies and these outcomes was statistically taken into account. The results of the present study suggest that endorsement of system-justifying ideologies may be a double-edged sword for Latino college students, involving trade-offs between academic success and feelings of belonging.     

Facets of role conflict,role-specific performance,and organizational level within the academic career

The relationships among facets of role conflict and role-specific performance were investigated over three organizational levels of one occupation. The responses of a sample of 102 full-time faculty members were analyzed via the use of correlational and multiple regression techniques. The results support treating role conflict as a multifaceted construct, examining role conflict with respect to role-specific performance measures, and considering the moderating effect of organizational level on role conflict-performance relationships in future research. Implications of the results are discussed in regard to the population sampled.     

A longitudinal study: Affective wellbeing,psychological wellbeing,self-efficacy and academic performance among first-year undergraduate students

Students’ mental health have a greatest impact on wellbeing and academic performance, also is often affected adaptation to the university life. This study examines the proportion of students with a positive and negative affect balance, and the relationship between affective wellbeing and academic self-efficacy and performance. It also analyzes how psychological wellbeing and academic self-efficacy predict affective wellbeing and academic performance. In a sample of 200 undergraduate students (M = 19.07 years), it was found that positive affect decreased and negative affect increased during the second academic year. The majority had a positive affect balance (AB). Psychological wellbeing predicts positive emotions and its achievement dimension predicts academic performance. 53% of participating students maintained a positive AB, 14% maintained a negative AB and 21% went from a negative to a positive AB one. The change from a positive to a negative AB (10%) is associated with an increase in psychological wellbeing, suggesting a process of post-stress growth in relation to the challenges of university life.     

Sociodemographic factors,religiosity, academic performance,and substance use among first-year university students in South Africa

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationships among sociodemographic variables, family background, religiosity, course of study, academic performance, and substance use. The sample included 799 first-year students in the age range of 16 to 49 years (M age 20.1 yr., SD = 3.2) chosen at random from the University of the North in South Africa. A Model Core Questionnaire from the WHO on Substance use was administered. Analysis indicated that women smoked tobacco or cannabis and drank less than men, while women took more stimulants and other opiate type drugs than men. Low scores on religiosity was a predictor for past-month tobacco use alcohol use, binge drinking, cannabis use, and having a drinking or drug problem now. Being a member of a Protestant denominational church or a Roman Catholic was a predictor for past-month tobacco and alcohol use. A family history of drinking or drug problems and being a social science or humanities student were predictive for a current alcohol or drug problem. Economic status, education of parents. living arrangement. and rural-urban differences were not associated with substance use. Findings have implications for prevention programmes.     

Asian and European American cultural values and communication styles among Asian American and European American college students

The present study examined the relationships between adherence to Asian and European cultural values and communication styles among 210 Asian American and 136 European American college students. A principal components analysis revealed that, for both Asian Americans and European Americans, the contentious, dramatic, precise, and open styles loaded onto the first component suggesting low context communication, and interpersonal sensitivity and inferring meaning styles loaded onto the second component suggesting high context communication. Higher adherence to emotional self-control and lower adherence to European American values explained Asian Americans' higher use of the indirect communication, while higher emotional self-control explained why Asian Americans use a less open communication style than their European American counterparts. When differences between sex and race were controlled, adherence to humility was inversely related to contentious and dramatic communication styles but directly related to inferring meaning style, adherence to European American values was positively associated with precise communication and inferring meaning styles, and collectivism was positively related to interpersonal sensitivity style.     

Smoking and academic performance

Smokers and nonsmokers were compared on three aspects of academic achievement. Although exactly the same percentage of smokers and nonsmokers passed the first-year university examination, smokers obtained significantly higher marks. Similarly, smokers achieved significantly higher marks in their final year examinations in comparison with nonsmokers. Finally, a comparison of the tutorial essay marks of the smokers and nonsmokers again showed that smokers obtained significantly higher marks than nonsmokers. These data are consistent with the idea that ambitious students adopt smoking in the belief that it will help them study and sustain concentration.     

Family and ability correlates of academic achievement

Relationships were examined among family social status, family learning environments, intellectual ability, and the mathematics and word achievement of boys and girls. Data were collected from 516 (250 boys, 266 girls) 11-yr.-old Australian children and their parents. Analysis indicated that the relationships between the predictor and achievement variables varied for boys and girls and differed depending on the achievement measure being examined. Generally, the family and ability measures combined to have large associations with word scores, while intellectual ability was the only significant predictor of mathematics achievement.     

Family and personal correlates of academic achievement

Researchers and educators raise the question of whether pupils' academic performance can be improved through parental involvement in academic activities. The main objective of the following study is to verify whether parental involvement in school activities and family socioeconomic status are associated with children's academic achievement. 150 Spanish seventh grade pupils completed intelligence tests, and their teachers assessed parents' involvement in the school and estimated parents' cultural levels. To measure academic achievement the pupil's overall grade was taken from the Pupils' Final Evaluation Registers. The education and professional level of the mother and father and home size were obtained from the Pupil Personal Register; these variables define the family socioeconomic status. The data, analyzed through application of structural equations, suggest that academic achievement is directly influenced by the cultural level of the family and the child's intelligence but is indirectly influenced by parental involvement in school activities and the socioeconomic status of the child's family.     

Influences of self-beliefs, social support, and comfort in the university environment on the academic nonpersistence decisions of American Indian undergraduates

This study investigated the influence of self-beliefs, social support, and comfort in the university environment on the academic nonpersistence decisions of 83 American Indian undergraduates. The self-belief construct comprised self-esteem and 2 dimensions of college-related self-efficacy. The social support cluster consisted of 3 variables: family support, friend support, and perception of being mentored. The 3rd cluster, comfort in the university environment, was measured by perceptions of university environment, cultural congruity, and college stress. Although each of the 3 constructs significantly accounted for academic nonpersistence decisions, social support was the strongest predictor, followed by comfort in the university environment, and then self-beliefs. Students who perceived being mentored were more likely to report decreased nonpersistence decisions. Similarly, students who had more positive perceptions of the university environment were more likely to make fewer nonpersistence decisions. Finally, higher self-esteem and greater college-related self-efficacy were associated with decreased nonpersistence decisions. Research-informed practice implications for increasing the academic persistence of American Indian students include fostering mentoring relationships and providing interventions to increase social support, self-esteem, and self-efficacy.     

Multiculturalism as a dimension of school climate: the impact on the academic achievement of Asian American and Hispanic youth

Multiculturalism constitutes an important element of school climate, but the relation between perceived multiculturalism and academic achievement has not been widely studied. This study examined the influence of students' perceptions of school support for multiculturalism on academic achievement among 280 Asian American and Hispanic youth, including ethnic identity and ethnocultural empathy as potential mediators. Results of structural equation modeling revealed that perceived multiculturalism was significantly positively related to ethnocultural empathy for Asian Americans and Hispanics, and that ethnocultural empathy, in turn, was predictive of academic achievement for Hispanics only. Results of bootstrapping to test for mediation effects revealed ethnocultural empathy to be a salient mediator for Hispanic youth. Although ethnic identity did not mediate the link between multiculturalism and academic achievement, ethnic identity was significantly predictive of achievement for Hispanics. On the whole, these findings suggest that fostering a school climate supportive of multiculturalism may improve empathy toward ethnic out-groups. Furthermore, schools that promote compassion and tolerance for diverse ethnic groups may achieve better academic outcomes among Hispanic youth.     

Close Relationships Between Asian American and European American College Students

Abstract

The authors examined attitudes and behaviors regarding close relationships between European and Asian Americans, with a particular emphasis on 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Filipino Americans). Participants were 218 Asian American college students and 171 European American college students attending a culturally diverse university. The European Americans did not differentiate among the various subgroups of Asian Americans. Their attitudes regarding close relationships were less positive toward Asian Americans than toward Mexican and African Americans, a finding contrary to the prediction of social exchange theory (H. Tajfel, 1975). In contrast to the European Americans' view of homogeneity among Asian Americans, the 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans expressed a distinctive hierarchy of social preference among themselves. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for future research on interethnic relations involving Asian Americans.