Why are Asian American students struggling in American schools?

Here is what we can do to fix it.

Have you ever noticed that Asian American students tend to be quiet in class and keep to

themselves or only talk with other Asian American students? My name is Madison Jackson and I

live and teach at Irvine High School in California. Irvine is a city where many Asians,

particularly Chinese and Koreans, immigrate to begin a new life, explaining why a high number

of Asian Americans are enrolled at my school. Because they are new to the United States or do

not speak English at home or with their peers, many of these children do not speak “good” or

standardized English, leading to them feeling uncomfortable in American schools. If I were in a

new country and unfamiliar with the language and culture, I would feel scared and

uncomfortable too. I asked one of my students if she was talking to any of the non-native English

speakers in my class. She told me that she never talked to them or seen them talk to anyone else.

They sit together and speak their own language. It occurred to me that these students are on the

same track at the same school, but never engage socially or academically. As I reflected on this,

it made me sad to think that teachers, including ones like myself, have the power to try to change

this dynamic but choose to do nothing about it. That’s when I decided it was my job to put in the

extra effort to make sure that all my students were receiving the best education possible. This

could make a huge impact. My goal is to make sure these students feel comfortable, but also not

feel like they are losing their native language and cultural habits.

To understand how to make Asian American students feel comfortable in American

schools, I feel that it is important to understand what is causing them to struggle in the first place.

Yuwei Wan, who is a part of the School of Foreign Languages at Jiangxi University of Finance

and Economics in Nanchang, China decided to academically study why Asian students were

viewed as reticent, timid, and unsociable in class activities and discussions, remembering to pay
attention to extrinsic factors such as cultural shock and unfamiliarity with different curricula and

methodologies. The study found that cultural background, foreign language anxiety, classroom

norms, and gender/age are important factors in a child’s willingness to speak. Because of the

unfamiliarity with the environment of American schools, these students are afraid to speak up

because they don’t understand how they will be perceived. To help these students get more

comfortable with the American culture, Wan states that “written communication should be put in

the first place since this can give students enough preparation time and minimize students’ fear

of taking risks” (Wan 2021). If class activities are done with writing, they may not have as much

fear since it is private and not shared with others. I think using online tools where students could

share their questions and responses anonymously could also be beneficial in getting these

students to engage in class activities and discussions. I also think it is important to remember that

these could just be stereotypes and not to automatically assume that someone acts a certain way

because of how they look. What teaching tools do you think would be beneficial? Or what has

been beneficial to you?

Then I went back to the idea of trying to figure out how I could make Asian American

students feel more comfortable in the classroom. I gathered two main takeaways: to initiate

informal conversations and to involve more students in class discussions. According to Barbara

Hodne, a former college-level teacher who taught English as a second language (ESL),

“informal, one-on-one contact with faculty outside of class may be the single most important

factor in retaining Asian and Pacific American students” (Hodne 1997). I agree with this since

having these informal conversations could allow you as a teacher to get more familiar with

non-native speakers' accents without publicly misunderstanding and possibly embarrassing them.

It will also prepare you to be able to paraphrase what they are saying to the rest of the class who
would not be as familiar with the accent. I believe this idea can lead to meaningful contact with

me (the teacher), other students, and school faculty. Hodne also discusses using the technique of

beginning a discussion with open-ended questions, allowing students a few minutes to write their

responses out. Then, in small groups, ask them to share their answers and report them to the

class. Having small groups forces communication between different classmates and will help

students who do not feel confident not feel embarrassed by being forced to share in front of the

whole class. Adding a small group element before a class discussion can help students help more

prepared for what is to come and feel more confident in their answers, especially if a collective

group of students agrees. When it does come time to share, give students the option. Some might

not feel ready to share yet and that is okay. With this, hopefully, a non-threatening atmosphere

can be established which will hopefully make these students feel confident enough to share in the

future. I’m very excited to implement these ideas into my classroom, especially for my Asian

American students. I think these ideas will help make them more of a part of American school

life while not making them sacrifice their own way of speaking. I’m curious, have any of you

used similar teaching styles and/or techniques? How effective were they? Do your students enjoy

learning this way more?

Because teaching standardized English is heavily prevalent in American schools, I was

curious to see how these teachings impacted Asian American students. In this article, Patricia

Bizzell, a professor emerita of English at the College of Holy Cross with a Ph.D., analyzed a

study about how standardized English affected immigrant students at Harvard, a very prestigious

college. Bizzell found that these “basic writers [referring to non-native English speakers] may

feel that they are being asked to abandon their less prestigious, less socially powerful world

views in favor of the academic” (Bizzell 1986). Many of these immigrant students feel like they
have to make a choice: continue their academics in their native ways and not be successful or

abandon their native language in favor of standard English for a chance at success. I feel that

these students should not have to make this choice. They should be able to be successful without

feeling estranged from their home and culture. This study cements my belief in choosing

teaching techniques that encourage Asian students to speak English and be active in class, but

not forcing them to follow standardized English. Putting in a little extra effort to understand their

English can help them feel confident in their English abilities, even if they are not like typical

English speakers. I believe we could further study how standardized English affects Asian

American students by conducting a series of interviews. This would allow us to see how they are

balancing their American education with their native culture. Also hearing their perspective may

help us see what must be done to keep that healthy balance. I intend to learn more about my

Asian immigrant students and try to understand their situation so I can help them find that

balance. Does anyone have any experience with this? I would love some advice!

As it became apparent and important to me to make sure that Asian American students

could successfully learn standardized English without erasing the teaching of their native

language, I decided to research the barriers that prevent students from accomplishing this balance

and how to overcome them. Lew, Chang, and Wang studied Asian American students at

community colleges in California, finding that many lacked culturally-sensitive staff and

orientation programs, such as ESL (English Second Language) programs. They also emphasized

the importance of educating the family members since many immigrant parents do not

understand what their child is going through. Jonathan W. Lew, CEO and secretary to the board

for the Claremont University Consortium and a doctoral student in the School of Educational

Studies at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California, June C. Chang, a research

analyst for the Higher Education Research Institute and a doctoral student in the Graduate School

of Education and Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Winnie

W. Wang, an associate director of Research and Institutes at Claremont McKenna College in

Claremont, California believe that “educating immigrant students and their family members

about the U.S. higher education system will increase the likelihood that these students will

receive support and informed guidance from their families” (Lew, Chang, Wang 2005). With the

help of cultural and educational programs, students will be able to improve their English fluency,

develop skills useful for jobs, save money, and build their self-confidence and identity. The

support and understanding of their family will help them navigate any challenges and also be

their connection to their native culture. Schools hiring staff to run these programs could

immensely help Asian American students, especially immigrant students, get on the right foot

and find that balance where they can learn standardized English while still retaining their cultural

lingual practices. I’m still not super familiar with these programs and how they work so I would

love to hear from anyone who has experiences with them.

To conclude, my goal as a teacher who teaches a larger group of Asian American

students, of whom many come from immigrant backgrounds, is to make sure they feel more

confident in the classroom. I think this can be accomplished by giving these students proper tools

that will help them become more fluent in standardized English but also make sure that they still

feel they can use the teaching from their own culture. I, as a teacher, feel passionate to help my

students and I hope that others will join me in getting Asian American students on the right path.

I look forward to hearing your opinions, ideas, and experiences since as a community, I believe

that we can make a huge difference in their lives and education.

Sources:

Hodne, B. D. (1997). Please Speak Up: Asian Immigrant Students in American College

Classrooms. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 1997(70), 85–92.

https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.7010

Bizzell, P. (1986). What Happens When Basic Writers Come to College? College Composition

and Communication, 37(3), 294. https://doi.org/10.2307/358046

Lew, J. W., Chang, J., & Wang, W. (2005). UCLA Community College Review: The Overlooked

Minority: Asian Pacific American Students at Community Colleges. Community College

Review, 33(2), 64–84. https://doi.org/10.1177/009155210503300204

Yuwei, W. (2021). Why Are They So Quiet? Exploring Reticent and Passive East Asian ESL

Students in the U.S. Classrooms. Open Journal of Modern Linguistics, 11(06), 942–954.

https://doi.org/10.4236/ojml.2021.116073