The Adaptation of the Immigrant Second Generation in America: A Theoretical Overview and Recent Evidence

Abstract

This paper summarises a research program on the new immigrant second generation initiated in the early 1990s and completed in 2006. The four field waves of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS) are described and the main theoretical models emerging from it are presented and graphically summarised. After considering critical views of this theory, we present the most recent results from this longitudinal research program in the forum of quantitative models predicting downward assimilation in early adulthood and qualitative interviews identifying ways to escape it by disadvantaged children of immigrants. Quantitative results strongly support the predicted effects of exogenous variables identified by segmented assimilation theory and identify the intervening factors during adolescence that mediate their influence on adult outcomes. Qualitative evidence gathered during the last stage of the study points to three factors that can lead to exceptional educational achievement among disadvantaged youths. All three indicate the positive influence of selective acculturation. Implications of these findings for theory and policy are discussed.

Familien som ressurs eller hinder? Etterkommerkvinners deltagelse i arbeid

“…Med foreldres normative kontroll mener Portes og kollegaer ikke overføring av verdier, men foreldres autoritet og familiedisiplin, noe de vektlegger som en positiv ressurs, spesielt for unge som vokser opp i fattige og belastede nabolag. Hvis alternativet utenfor familien er gjengmiljø og kriminalitet, slik det er for mange av familiene Portes og kollegaer har studert, er det positivt å ha foreldre som skjermer barna fra det som foregår ute (Portes, Fernandez-Kelly og Haller, 2009: 1095. De store amerikanske studiene av barn av innvandrere, legger altså vekt på andre familieressurser enn rent kulturelle.…”

“…This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC 4.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). miske ressurser som hjelper de unges deltagelse i arbeid (Portes et al, 2009;Portes og Zhou, 1993). De vektlegger da ressurser som for eksempel støtte, kunnskap om hvordan det er strategisk å navigere i storsamfunnet og tilgang til jobbmuligheter i etniske økono-miske nisjer i arbeidsmarkedet.…”

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

“…Paik et al (2014) added factors related to other barriers and opportunities such as time of arrival; location and settlement patterns; class status, occupation, and educational level; and language abilities. The model is adapted to the historical immigration experiences of Asian communities, including Filipino Americans, capturing the changing migration patterns and demographic features of the communities based on policies specifically targeting immigrants from Asia in the pre and post-1965 eras (Paik et al, 2014;Portes, Fernández-Kelly, & Haller, 2009;Solorzano & Villalpando, 1998). The adapted modes of incorporation focuses attention on educational outcomes, providing historical, social, and political contexts for understanding the broad impact of Filipino immigrant experiences.…”

Teaching Family Science Students about Immigrant Families in the U.S.: A Course to Reflect the Diversity of the Immigrant Population

“…Students can compare different immigrants' resources, life circumstances, strengths, challenges, and resulting adaptation. The experiences of these and other immigrant groups are further examined through the lens of classic straight-line assimilation theory (Gordon, 1964) and contemporary segmented assimilation theory (Portes, Fernandez-Kelly, & Haller, 2009), as well as acculturation strategies such as assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization (Berry, 2007).…”