Calvin's Case Study

Calvin’s case is a bit extreme in that he mostly avoided even befriending the Asian students; however, others try to differentiate themselves by involving themselves in extracurricular activities that were not “Asian”. Rose joined theater and choir. Timothy joined soccer. When asked what the stereotypical “Asian” student would be like, responses varied from students who lack social skills to those who dress a certain way. These stereotypes are ones that all participants fought hard to overcome. In a way, the participants wanted to be the “model” student, not necessarily the “model minority”, who carries with him or her all of the negative stereotypes associated with having such a label. When asked why it was so important to be “a different kind of Asian”, Natalie said “I don’t know. Maybe for the longest time, that was my only identity. The Asian kid who didn’t talk. So I ended up spending all these years trying to disprove it.” Another participant mentioned, “Because that’s not all I am. I am …show more content…
can help human service professionals to work more effectively with these individuals and other diverse populations. Findings from this study can help us to realize that for most 1.5 generation individuals, their family is oftentimes the only people they have in the country; that they have added responsibilities in the family that their peers may not have; that they often feel a lack of belongingness in group settings, though it is not always a negative; that sometimes they are ashamed of their differences, though over time will eventually learn to embrace them; that they often are struggling for the first time due to the significant language barrier. Our awareness of these results will enable us to be a better teacher, friend, school psychologist, social worker, whatever our role may be, to these 1.5-generation individuals, who oftentimes fall through the cracks within our education