The (Re)Production of Social Capital in the Post-Chinatown Era: a Case Study of the Role of a Chinese Language School

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The (Re)Production of Social Capital in the Post-Chinatown Era: a Case Study of the Role of a Chinese Language School THE (RE)PRODUCTION OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN THE POST-CHINATOWN ERA: A CASE STUDY OF THE ROLE OF A CHINESE LANGUAGE SCHOOL A dissertation submitted to the Kent State University College and Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Guangyu Tan May, 2009 A dissertation written by Guangyu Tan B.A. Sichuan International Studies Institute, 1998 M.Ed. Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, 2002 Ph.D. Kent State University, 2009 Approved by ______________________________, Co-director, Doctoral Tricia Niesz, Ph.D. Dissertation Committee ______________________________, Co-director, Doctoral Natasha Levinson, Ph.D. Dissertation Committee ______________________________, Member, Doctoral Averil McClelland, Ph.D. Dissertation Committee ______________________________, Member, Doctoral Karla Anhalt, Ph. D. Dissertation Committee Accepted by ______________________________, Interim Chairperson, Department of Educational Melody Tankersley, Ph.D. Foundations and Special Services ______________________________, Dean, College and Graduate School of Education, Daniel F. Mahony, Ph. D. Health, and Human Services ii TAN, GUANGYU, Ph.D., May, 2009 CULTURAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION THE (RE)PRODUCTION OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN THE POST-CHINATOWN ERA: A CASE STUDY OF THE ROLE OF A CHINESE LANGUAGE SCHOOL (244 PP) Co-Directors of Dissertation: Tricia Niesz, Ph.D. Natasha Levinson, Ph.D. Previous research attempted to explain the ―model minority‖ phenomenon through conventional cultural theories, and attributed the success of the Chinese immigrant and Chinese American (CICA) students to the Chinese cultural values or to individual families. Such arguments are de-contextualized and do not take into account the social context that the immigrants are embedded. This dissertation argues that cultural values per se are inadequate to explain the success of Chinese immigrants unless such values are reinforced through the ethnic community, and thus become a form of social capital that the immigrants can draw on. Building on the conceptual framework of social capital theory, this qualitative case study is designed to investigate the role that a Chinese language school, as the center of the ethnic Chinese community, plays in (re)producing social capital in the post- Chinatown era. This study focuses on how social capital within the Chinese language school influences the school adaptation and the academic performance of the CICA children. It further explores how the CICA children identify themselves in terms of ethnicity, and how they position the Chinese language school in their understanding and crafting of their ethnic identity. The participants in this study are fifteen Chinese immigrant and Chinese American students aged 10-16, and thirteen Chinese immigrant parents, who come to the Chinese language school regularly. Data are collected through participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analyses. The findings of this dissertation suggest that the Chinese language school plays multiples roles in the lives of Chinese immigrants. Social capital embedded in the ethnic community, in forms of friendship with co-ethnic peers, social norms and social control, influences school adaptation and academic achievement of the CICA children. Finally, the Chinese language school provides the CICA children an ―affinity‖ group and a sense of belonging, and thus helps them not only understand but also accept who they are. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Coming to America to pursue a doctoral degree has been a long journey. Along the way I have benefited greatly from the assistance, support and wisdom of many family members, friends, and colleagues. I am very grateful to Tricia Niesz for all her support, advice, and assistance. While I struggled with the problem of finding a strong analytic voice, Tricia Niesz provided sage advice. I am indebted to Natasha Levinson for her help in pushing this dissertation to a higher level, especially her persistence in posing the question ―How can you go deeper with your analysis?‖ I am also grateful to Averil McClelland and Karla Anhalt for their valuable advice and critique. I owe a special thanks to Janice Kroeger for her time and expertise. While writing the dissertation, I was supported by a Diversity Fellowship at Canisius College. I am particularly grateful to Margaret McCarthy, Dean of the School of Education and Human Services, for purchasing NVivo, the qualitative data analysis software. Other colleagues were also very helpful and supportive, most notably Paul Nochelski, Michele Marable, Marya Grande, Ellen Hamm, and Fernanda Astiz. Family members have contributed to this dissertation in countless ways. I‘d like to thank my parents, Diguang Tan and Yucong Yao, and my sisters, Xinyu Tan and Jingyu Tan, for believing in me and supporting me financially to purse my ―American Dream.‖ My husband, Baher Ghosheh, is my pillar of support and encouragement. I am iv indebted to him also for his positive attitude towards the challenging task at hand and towards life in general. Finally, I am very grateful to the parents, children, and other community members at Contemporary Chinese Language School. Although I cannot thank the participants by name in order to protect their confidentiality, I greatly appreciate their help. Without their participation, this dissertation would not be possible. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................x CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION: A CASE STUDY OF THE ROLE OF A CHINESE ETHNIC COMMUNITY IN A POST-CHINATOWN ERA............................................................. 1 In Search of an Explanation: From Culture to Social Capital ................................... 2 Why is this Study Needed? ....................................................................................... 8 Why Community Matters? ...................................................................................... 10 Conceptual Framework: An Overview ................................................................... 12 Research Questions and Significance of the Study ................................................. 13 Organization of the Dissertation.............................................................................. 16 II. SOCIAL CAPITAL THEORY: THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK .................... 19 Definitions of Social Capital ................................................................................... 20 Properties of Social Capital ..................................................................................... 29 Positive Functions of Social Capital ....................................................................... 30 The ―Dark Side‖ of Social Capital .......................................................................... 33 Social Capital and Academic Success ..................................................................... 36 Mobility, Suburbanization and Social Capital ........................................................ 40 Social Capital and Ethnic Identity ........................................................................... 43 Classical Assimilation Theories .................................................................... 43 Segmented Assimilation ................................................................................ 47 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 56 III. THE CHINESE LANGUAGE SCHOOL IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE .......... 57 The History of Chinese Immigration ...................................................................... 58 The New Chinese Immigrants ................................................................................. 61 vi The Early and New Immigrants: A Contrast ........................................................... 64 The Chinese Immigrants in Cleveland, Ohio .......................................................... 66 Chinatown: The Symbolic Cultural and Ethnic Community Center ....................... 67 Moving to the Suburbs ............................................................................................ 69 The History of the Chinese Language School ......................................................... 73 IV. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS .................................................................. 78 Research Design ...................................................................................................... 78 Research Site ........................................................................................................... 79 Site Selection ........................................................................................................... 84 Data Collection ........................................................................................................ 87 Participant Observation ................................................................................. 87 Responsive Interviewing ............................................................................... 94 Document Analysis ...................................................................................... 100 Data Analysis .......................................................................................................
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