Filipinos in the U.S.: Historical, Social, and Educational Experiences

Abstract

_________________________________________________________________The purpose of this article is to better understand current Filipino American communities and their educational experiences by examining the historical and social context of their immigration to the United States. Filipinos are the second largest Asian American group with a distinct immigration history that has been complicated by centuries of colonization by Spain and later the United States. Based on an adapted model of incorporation and literature review, the article examines government policies, societal reception, co-ethnic communities, as well as other barriers and opportunities, which influenced their acculturation both before and after the Immigration Act of 1965. Government and societal reception of Filipinos have ranged from hostile to mostly neutral positions through four waves of immigration. Earlier Filipino communities were stronger often serving their economic, cultural and social needs, but have become more dispersed over time as Filipinos have become less reliant on their co-ethnic networks. Despite their overall success, there is research showing mixed educational achievement levels across later generations. The Filipino community is steadily growing and more research and support are needed for Filipino American students. Historical contexts can provide a comprehensive lens to understand current educational issues. Resumen _________________________________________________________________El propósito de este artículo es conocer mejor las actuales comunidades filipino-estadounidenses y sus experiencias educativas a través del análisis del contexto histórico y social de su inmigración a los Estados Unidos. Los filipinos son el segundo grupo cultural asiático-estadounidense más grande, con una historia inmigratoria distinta que se ha complicado debido a siglos de colonización por parte de España y más tarde Estados Unidos. Basado en un modelo adaptado de incorporación y revisión de la literatura, el artículo examina las políticas gubernamentales, la recepción social, las comunidades co-étnicas, así como otras barreras y oportunidades que influyeron en su aculturación, tanto antes como después de la Ley de Inmigración de 1965. Las posturas gubernamentales y la recepción social de las personas filipinas han oscilado desde posiciones hostiles a actitudes más neutrales a lo largo de cuatro olas de inmigración. Las primeras comunidades filipinas se mantuvieron fuertes cubriendo sus necesidades económicas, culturales y sociales pero con el tiempo se han vuelto más dispersas ya que los filipinos y filipinas se muestran menos dependientes de sus redes co-étnicas. A pesar de su éxito global, hay investigaciones que muestran que han alcanzado niveles educativos mixtos a lo largo de las generaciones posteriores. La comunidad filipina está creciendo de manera constante y es necesario realizar más investigaciones y aportar apoyo a los y las estudiantes filipino-estadounidenses. Estos contextos históricos pueden proporcionar instrumentos ...

Full Issue

“…This article focuses on A the three largest ethnic groups, Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis; other groups were not included due to the dearth of data and scholarly literature. This article will: 1) utilize the Asian American modes of incorporation framework (Paik, Kula, Saito, Rahman, & Witenstein, 2014) to understand the immigration experiences of South Asian communities; 2) present current demographic, occupational and educational data on South Asians, 3) provide historical context on three waves of South Asian immigration to the US both before and after the Immigration Act of 1965, and 4) discuss how past immigration experiences link to present-day ethnic communities and their educational trends. The article will conclude with how this historical analysis can help inform practice and policy recommendations for South Asian American communities.…”

“…The theoretical framework is based on the "Asian American modes of incorporation" by Paik et al (2014), adapted from Rumbaut's (1990, 2001) early work on modes of incorporation, to examine the immigration experiences of Asian communities in the US and their impact on later group outcomes (e.g., education). The framework consists of four key factors that affect immigrant experiences in terms of adaptation to the host country: a) Government Policy, b) Societal Reception, c) Co-ethnic Communities, and d) Other Barriers & Opportunities.…”

“…The first three factors derive from Portes and Rumbaut's original model. The fourth factor was added by Paik et al (2014) to examine how time of arrival; location and settlement patterns; class status, occupation, and educational level; and language abilities affected immigrant experiences. Each of these four factors is categorized as positive, negative, or neutral experiences, as described below.…”

“…And a community is considered "weak" if its members live in areas of high ethnic concentration, but consist primarily of less skilled individuals. Paik et al (2014) included six factors under "Other Barriers and Opportunities", which are critical to understanding immigration experiences for Asian immigrants: a) time of arrival (pre-or post-1965; marked by the Immigration Act legalizing immigration from Asia, thereby enabling a more favorable environment for immigrant groups); b) settlement patterns (coastal or inland; coastal settlements offered easier access to co-ethnic networks); c) class status/SES (higher or lower; higher status acceded greater benefits); d) occupation (professional or working class; professional and entrepreneurial fields produced better prospects); e) education level (higher educational attainment lead to greater opportunity); and f) English language ability (greater English ability enabled easier acculturation to the host country). These factors play an important role in the types of opportunities or barriers experienced by Asian American groups.…”

“…This section uses the modes of incorporation framework (Paik et al, 2014) to review the literature and analyze the immigration experiences of South Asian Americans. Taking their history into account, government policies, societal reception, and co-ethnic communities will be discussed in positive, negative or neutral experiences (as described earlier).…”