Family Interdependence and Academic Adjustment in College: Youth From Immigrant and U.S.‐Born Families

Abstract

This study is an examination of family interdependence and its implications for academic adjustment among late adolescents and young adults in college (18 to 25 years). Survey data and university records were collected on 998 American youth with Asian Pacific, Latino, African/Afro-Caribbean, and European backgrounds. Results indicate that Asian Pacific Americans placed more importance on family interdependence than did European Americans. Across all panethnic groups, youth with immigrant parents placed greater emphasis on family interdependence than did youth with U.S.-born parents. The study distinguished between family interdependence attitudes and behaviors and found that they had counteracting influences on academic adjustment: Family obligation attitudes contributed to greater academic motivation among youth from immigrant as compared with U.S.-born families, but greater behavioral demands detracted from achievement.

A Longitudinal Daily Diary Study of Family Assistance and Academic Achievement Among Adolescents from Mexican, Chinese, and European Backgrounds

“…One major source of their motivation derives from their values of family obligation, their sense to support, respect, and help their family (Fuligni 2001;Tseng 2004). Nevertheless, we found that the school achievement of students from Mexican and Chinese backgrounds may suffer when family assistance is a chronic activity that occurs across many days of the week.…”

“…Indeed, ethnographic work has shown that adolescents from immigrant families often report a sense of conflict and feel torn between doing their school work and assisting their family (Suarez-Orozco and Suarez-Orozco 1995;Suarez-Orozco 1991). Further, immigrant college students who assist their family more receive lower grades despite their increased academic motivation (Tseng 2004). In addition, young adults who provide financial support to their family are less likely to pursue postsecondary school, and those who live with their parents receive lower grades (Fuligni and Witkow 2004).…”

“…Many researchers and ethnographers suggest that spending more time helping the family may detract from adolescents' ability to concentrate on school work and spend time studying (Chase 1999;Suarez-Orozco and Suarez-Orozco 1995;Tseng 2004). Interviews with immigrant youth suggests that they feel conflicted about spending time on their homework when they have duties to assist their family (Suarez-Orozco and Suarez-Orozco 1995).…”

Person-Centered Trajectories of Cultural Values and Behaviors among Chinese American Adolescents

“…Accordingly, in the present study we examined whether trajectory groups varied across positive youth domains related to confidence, competence, and connection (Lerner, 2004): self-esteem, general self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, GPA, and family cohesion (Fuligni, Tseng, & Lam, 1999;Qin, 2006;Tseng, 2004).…”

Exploring Adolescent-parent Relationships in Asian American Immigrant Families: An Ecological Perspective

“…Drawing on Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory (1986), we propose a conceptual ecological model of AA adolescent-parent relationships to identify factors that affect AA adolescent-parent relationships and position them within a set of nested domains representing has been suggested, however, that family interactions might be particularly important for adolescents from a cultural background that emphasizes family interdependence as is the case with Asian Americans (e.g., Tseng, 2004). We will focus on parenting and parent-child dynamics in AA families as they play an important role in adolescents' experiences in their relationship with their parents, and are often the focus of the existing literature on parentadolescent relationships in these families.…”