Date of Award

Summer 7-20-2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

School of Education

First Advisor

Dr. Peter Appelbaum

Second Advisor

Dr. Peggy Hickman

Third Advisor

Dr. Seungho Moon

Abstract

Although Korean-Americans are ubiquitous in contemporary American society, it was only after the enactment of the Immigration Nationality Act of 1965, when a sizable number of Koreans found their way to the U.S. During the two decades of the 1970s and 1980s, about a half-million Koreans immigrated to the U.S.

Almost five decades since their arrival, 2nd-generation Korean-American offspring are now parents raising their own school-aged children - 3rd-generation Korean-Americans. 2nd-generation Korean-Americans who have grown up in the U.S. are largely assimilated to mainstream U.S. society, and therefore their views and practices on various education-related issues are expected to deviate from those of their 1st-generation Korean immigrant parents.

Using in-depth interviews and survey questionnaires, the current mixed-methods study documents two generations of Korean-Americans’ views and practices regarding academic achievement, educational attainment, college education, field of study, career choices, and ethnic identity. Further, an attempt was made to decipher cross-generational metamorphoses of their educational philosophies and practices.

Findings from the current research may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of assimilation patterns of Korean-Americans, particularly those who are living in a place where their presence is less clustered, such as the metro-Philadelphia region.

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