Anthony Peguero
Associate Professor Of Sociology And Criminology, Virginia Tech
Key Findings
- Gender, race, ethnicity, and generation play an important role in an immigrant student’s connection to his or her school.
- African and Latina American girls have an increased commitment and attachment to school compared to White American girls.
- Asian American girls have increased commitment to school, but first-generation Asian American girls have decreased attachment to school when compared to third-plus-generation White American girls.
- For boys, Latino and Asian American boys have greater attachment and commitment to school than White American boys.
- Third-plus-generation African American boys have an increased attachment to school and all generations of African American boys have a greater commitment to school than third-plus-generation White American boys.
- A family’s socioeconomic status, structure, and involvement are linked to both boys’ and girls’ connections to school.
Description
In the article, “The Children of Immigrants’ Bonding to School: Examination the Roles of Assimilation, Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Social Bonds,” Peguero and his co-authors examine the implications of immigrant children’s connection to their school. More than 25% of students in America have at least one immigrant parent; a number that is expected to increase to 33% by 2040, but there is little research on the impact of a school’s role in socializing students. The researchers analyzed data from Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS) conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. ELS included data collected from nearly 10,000 students from almost 600 schools across the United States. The researchers examined the interactions of race, gender, and family on immigrant students’ ties to school. The results showed that gender, race, ethnicity, and generation play an important role in an immigrant student’s connection to his or her school. African and Latina American girls have an increased commitment and attachment to school compared to White American girls. Asian American girls have increased commitment to school, but first-generation Asian American girls have decreased attachment to school when compared to third-plus-generation White American girls. For boys, Latino and Asian American boys have greater attachment and commitment to school than White American boys. Third-plus-generation African American boys have an increased attachment to school and all generations of African American boys have a greater commitment to school than third-plus-generation White American boys. A family’s socioeconomic status, structure, and involvement are linked to both boys’ and girls’ connections to school. In conclusion, the authors note the need for further research is needed to understand how connections to school and assimilation frameworks are connected for immigrant children.