Exploring Filipino American Identity in Philippine Studies Courses Omega Loren Letana University of San Francisco, [email protected]
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The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Master's Theses Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects Fall 12-16-2016 Sino Ako? (Who am I?): Exploring Filipino American identity In Philippine Studies courses Omega Loren Letana University of San Francisco, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/thes Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Letana, Omega Loren, "Sino Ako? (Who am I?): Exploring Filipino American identity In Philippine Studies courses" (2016). Master's Theses. 194. https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/194 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. University of San Francisco Sino ako? (Who am I?): Exploring Filipino American identity In Philippine Studies courses A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the School of Education International and Multicultural Education Department In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in International and Multicultural Education by Omega Loren Letana December 2016 Sino ako? (Who am I?): Exploring Filipino American identity In Philippine Studies courses In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS in INTERNATIONAL AND MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION by Omega Loren Letana December 2016 UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO Under the guidance and approval of the committee, and approval by all the members, this thesis has been accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree. Approved: Dr. Rosa M. Jiménez December 2016 Instructor/Chairperson Date ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. iv Abstract ................................................................................................................................ v Chapter I – Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................ 1 Background and Need for the Study ....................................................................... 3 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................ 7 Research Questions ................................................................................................. 7 Theoretical Framework/Rationale ........................................................................... 8 Methodology .......................................................................................................... 10 Limitations of the Study ........................................................................................ 12 Significance of the Study ....................................................................................... 13 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................... 13 Chapter II – Review of Literature ..................................................................................... 16 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 16 Colonial History and Filipino American Identity .................................................. 17 Education, Filipino American Students, and the Model Minority Myth ............... 20 Decolonization and Ethnic Studies Courses .......................................................... 23 Summary ................................................................................................................ 27 Chapter III – Results .......................................................................................................... 29 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 29 Negotiating Being American and their Filipino Identity ....................................... 31 Meeting Personal, Family, and Societal Expectations .......................................... 35 Yearning for Opportunities to Learn About Yourself ........................................... 38 Summary ................................................................................................................ 41 Chapter IV – Discussion, Recommendations, and Conclusions ....................................... 43 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 44 Recommendations ................................................................................................. 46 Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 48 References ......................................................................................................................... 50 iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS As I look back over the past two years, I realize that I am a different person now than I was when I started my MA program at USF. My journey has been full of struggles and frustration, but more importantly, it has been enlightening and transformative. None of this would have been possible without the people who encouraged and inspired me. I would like to thank my brilliant classmates in the IME Department who never failed to amaze me with their passion and intelligence. To my professors, I am grateful that you all pushed me to be a more critical thinker and to grow as a person. To Dr. Jimenez, thank you for your endless support and guidance throughout this process. To the students who participated in this study, your experiences and words are powerful and have given me hope. To Ate Lily Ann Villaraza, thank you for going above and beyond to help me get the data I needed. To my friends, your encouraging words and the supplies of chocolate and snacks were much appreciated. Finally, I would like to thank my family for the never-ending patience, faith, and love. From the bottom of my heart, maraming salamat! iv ABSTRACT Filipinos make up the third largest immigrant population in the United States and are the largest Asian immigrant group in California (U.S. Census, 2010). Despite this and an American colonial past, the American education system has failed to depict Filipino and Filipino American history accurately in its textbooks and courses. In addition to this, studies have indicated that young Filipino Americans often have difficulties in defining their identities. It is imperative that we recognize how this issue of identity formation is being addressed in postsecondary institutions through Philippine Studies courses, which employ decolonizing pedagogies. This thesis paper analyzes the role that Philippine Studies courses in the San Francisco/Bay Area play in exploring identities among Filipino American students. It aims to highlight the importance of supporting these classes as students find it as one, and sometimes the only, avenue to discover their roots. Data supporting this study came from three types of sources: two class observations, two interviews, and 16 surveys. The qualitative data provided by the sources were analyzed and organized into themes. The students’ responses indicated that most often have to negotiate being American with their Filipino identity. They also show that students struggle with fulfilling personal, family, and societal expectations especially regarding their educational and career paths. Most importantly, the participants voiced a strong desire to learn about their Filipino heritage and culture, which was the reason why most of them are in their respective Philippine Studies courses. Defining Filipino American identity is an arduous task, made more difficult by a lack of opportunities in K-12 for students to learn about Ethnic Studies, and Philippine Studies in particular. While many of the students interviewed are still in the beginning phase of their self-discovery, it is clear that courses in community colleges and universities and other programs that are designed to support Filipino American students in their journey to decolonization and exploring their identity are critical and valuable. v 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Statement of the Problem According to Lott (as cited in Revilla, 1997), the reason why Filipinos have maintained a nondominant status in the United States is because of colonial mentality and the practice of values, such as hiya (shame) and bayanihan (togetherness in common effort). However, the latter are in fact, superficial Filipino cultural values fabricated by Westerners to perpetuate their status as colonizers (Pe-Pua & Protacio-Marcelino, 2000). While colonial mentality exists and is one reason offered for the struggles that Filipinos experience (David & Nadal, 2013), this belief does not paint a complete and objective picture. Filipinos have not been recognized to be of importance in history books and by American society; therefore, there are some Filipino Americans who would rather deny their heritage than risk being seen in a negative light (Revilla, 1997). How then are young Filipino