Heejung Chun

A Psychoecological Model of Academic Performance Among Hispanic Adolescents

Although the number of students who complete high school continues to rise, dramatic differences in school success remain across racial/ethnic groups. The current study addressed Hispanic adolescents’ academic performance by investigating the relationships of parental involvement, culturally responsive teaching, sense of school belonging, and academic self-efficacy and academic performance. Participants were 478 (51.5% female) Hispanic 7th graders in the US-Mexico borderlands. Based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, a structural model was tested. Results showed that the proposed model was supported by demonstrating significant indirect effects of parental involvement, culturally responsive teaching, and sense of school belonging on academic performance. Furthermore, academic self-efficacy was found to mediate the relationships between parental involvement, culturally responsive teaching, and sense of school belonging and academic performance. The current study provides a useful psychoecological model to inform educators and psychologists who seek to meet the needs of Hispanic students.

Family Resilience and Parenting

The concept of resilience has been studied for decades at both individual and family levels. When examining the concept of family resilience, the question arises as to what makes some families face difficult circumstances and come out stronger while others fail at this task? What we know is that families are constantly faced with multiple challenges (e.g., divorce, violence, economic hardship, mental and physical illnesses, immigration) that impact not only individual family members but also the family system as a unit. The dynamic nature of family functioning also impacts the development of resilience. What remains unclear as our understanding of the developing area of family resilience increases is the role of parenting.

Testing Jessor's problem behavior theory and syndrome: a nationally representative comparative sample of Latino and African American adolescents.

Based on Jessors problem behavior theory (PBT; R. Jessor, 1987, Problem-behavior theory, psychosocial development, and adolescent problem drinking, British Journal of Addiction, Vol. 82, pp. 331-342), the comparability of a second-order problem behavior model (SPBM) was investigated employing structural equation modeling (SEM) and latent mean differences in problem behavior engagement were examined among racial/ethnic adolescents. Within a span of nearly 25 years, this study represents the first nationally representative sample of Latino and African American adolescents utilized in testing Jessors PBT and problem behavior syndrome (PBS). Using a sample of 5,831 Latino, African American, and European American adolescents drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a series of invariance tests evidenced support for Jessors PBT and PBS. Latent mean difference test results evidenced significant differences in problem behaviors (e.g., academic failure [AF], aggression [AG], substance use [SU], and risky sexual activity[RSA]) across racial/ethnic adolescent groups, which could be explained partially by PBS. A discussion of findings, limitations, and recommendations for future research is presented.

The “Immigrant Paradox” Phenomenon: Assessing Problem Behaviors and Risk Factors Among Immigrant and Native Adolescents

We investigated the “immigrant paradox” phenomenon by examining differences in problem behavior engagement and exposure to risk factors across four adolescent groups: 1,157 first-generation, 1,498 second-generation, and 3,316 White and minority third or higher generations. Latent mean differences in problem behavior engagement (i.e., academic failure, aggression, and substance use) and risk factors (i.e., low socioeconomic status, poor family relationship, and low sense of school belonging) were associated with significant differences across adolescent groups. Results supported the generational status effect by demonstrating sequentially greater adolescent problem behavior engagement. However, the difference in exposure to risk factors across adolescent groups only partially supported the immigrant paradox. Further, the multiple group analysis of the relationships between risk factors and engagement in problem behaviors showed increased susceptibility among second generation immigrants for substance use, White natives for academic failure and substance use, and minority natives for physical aggression. Study findings have implications for understanding how the immigrant paradox leads to different adjustment patterns and problem behavior manifestations among immigrant and native adolescents.

Acculturation and Sociocultural Factors in Children’s Mental Health Services: Applying Multicultural Consultation Frameworks

Nearly one in four children in the United States lives with at least one immigrant parent, and 21% of the U.S. population speak a language other than English at home (Zong & Batalova, 2015). By 2020, more than half of U.S. children will belong to ethnic minority groups (Colby & Ortman, 2015). The increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in our society is often perceived as a challenge for psychologists and other mental health providers who work with immigrant families with unique needs. One of the major challenges is the cultural mismatch between the clients and providers, since the providers also carry cultural and social attitudes that may influence their own actions and perceptions of immigrants. Indeed, the current sociopolitical climate in the United States has led to increased discourse and debate related to the topic of immigration. In addition, many families experience risk factors (e.g., poverty, prejudice, less educational attainment, limited English proficiency) that often act as barriers for them to access or benefit from existing mental health supports and services for children (e.g., Eiraldi, Mazzuca, Clarke, & Power, 2006). This interplay of sociocultural factors has been argued to contribute to the underutilization of children’s mental health services among immigrant populations (American Psychological Association [APA], 2013). Incidentally, much of what is known about the implementation and effectiveness of evidence-based interventions with immigrants has been extrapolated from research on other/nonimmigrant ethnic minorities (Miranda et al., 2005), and a limited number of studies have discussed consultation services with immigrant or refugee families. Thus, the purpose of this special issue is to bring attention to empirical research and contemporary models of consultation when working with these populations. Research has highlighted the disparate mental health needs and educational performance among immigrant youth compared to other youth (Suarez-Orozco, Gaytan, Bang, Pakes, & Rhodes, 2010). Although many first-generation immigrants encounter a wide range of acculturative stressors, they often do better than their counterparts who remain in the country of origin and even second-

The Development and Initial Validation of the Student Measure of Culturally Responsive Teaching.

This article describes the development and initial validation of a measure of middle school students’ perspectives of culturally responsive teaching practices. The Student Measure of Culturally Responsive Teaching (SMCRT) was developed by modifying items on the Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy (CRTSE), which measures teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs regarding their culturally responsive teaching practices. Data obtained from a sample of 748 seventh-grade students (63.9% Latino/as) were used to conduct exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses that yielded three factors: Diverse Teaching Practice, Cultural Engagement, and Diverse Language Affirmation. The three-factor model was compared with two competing models, yielding a second-order factor model as the final model. Initial validity of the SMCRT was demonstrated through tests of measurement invariance across subgroups of gender, immigrants, and Latino/as versus non-Latino/as and correlational analyses with SMCRT, teacher support, and school belonging. Internal consistency was also tested using Cronbach’s alpha. Results of the data analyses suggest that SMCRT is a psychometrically sound measure of seventh-grade students’ perceptions of their teachers’ culturally responsive teaching practices.

Cognitive Abilities in Bilinguals in L1 and L2

The proportion of individuals who speak more than one language in the United States has significantly increased. Although there are apparent cultural benefits for children who are bilingual, providing instruction and proper evaluation of bilinguals’ cognitive abilities comes with significant challenges. These challenges are exacerbated by the limited research in this area and the known impact speaking two languages has on individuals’ cognitive abilities. In this chapter, the authors highlight the challenges of conducting cognitive assessments with bilinguals. The authors also propose a culturally and linguistically responsive framework for minimizing bias in the assessment of cognitive abilities of bilinguals. The proposed framework is composed of four steps that encourages practitioners to: (1) assess their client’s behavioral and linguistic acculturation; (2) assess their clients’ verbal language abilities in both languages; (3) determine potential issues with comparing their clients’ cognitive abilities with the normative samples of available tests; and (4) select most appropriate test given the client’s sociocultural/behavioral background, language abilities, and appropriateness of available tests. Implications for clinical practice are also discussed.

Acculturation and Help-Seeking Behavior in Consultation: A Sociocultural Framework for Mental Health Service

ABSTRACT Many immigrant and ethnic minority families demonstrate reluctance to pursue or utilize mental health services in community-based and clinical settings, which often leads to poorer quality of care for children and greater likelihood of early termination. Cultural variations in help-seeking behavior and acculturation are likely to influence consultation participation and process for mental health services. Thus, examining sociocultural context of the consultants, consultees, and clients is critical to the success of multicultural consultation and outcomes. The purpose of the article is to (a) address processes and barriers when engaging in multicultural consultation in community-based and clinical settings, (b) outline the sociocultural context in relation to parent help-seeking behavior, and (c) discuss the effect of acculturation and related sociocultural factors in the participation and process of consultation.