Xue Lan Rong

Is There An Association between Gender and Methods in Sociological Research

Feminist scholars have proposed that two types of links exist between research methods and gender. Female scholars have been thought to be more likely than males to choose qualitative methods because such methods are compatible with relational and emotional skills stereotypically associated with women. Qualitative approaches also have been thought to be especially appropriate for study of gender issues and womens experiences and to be an effective strategy for correcting androcentric biases in construction of social theory. We examine articles in 10 sociology journals in 1974-83. Most articles have been quantitative, but female authors have used qualitative methods more often than males. Writing about gender increased rather than decreased the likelihood of having used quantitative methods for both women and men. We suggest that papers focusing on gender and also using qualitative methods represented double nonconformity and hence were unlikely candidates for publication in mainstream journals.

Socialization, culture, and identities of black immigrant children: What educators need to know and do

This article has synthesize the past two decades of research literature focusing on the life experience of Caribbean and African Black immigrants and their children and the process that they have been incorporated into American society and into its educational system. This article analyzes the social-cultural-economic causes of variation in Black immigrant children’s identity deconstruction and reconstruction, including Black immigrant youth’s attitudes towards racism and discrimination, their educational aspirations and educational performance, and the social and cultural resources present within ethnic communities. Three major issues relevant to Black immigrant children’s education were probed: “Triple disadvantages” vs. “model Blacks”; identities, differentiation and destination; and Black immigrants and American Blacks: diversity and solidarity. The authors have focused their recommendations on the transformation of educators’ perceptions and conceptions, on adjustment and innovation in educational policymaking, and on the change and reform in teachers’practice, schools’outreach efforts, and cultural environment.

Educating Immigrant Students. What We Need To Know To Meet the Challenges.

Immigration and Schooling in the United States Families and Communities Overcoming Language Barriers Educational Attainment Learning New Cultures Learning in School Hispanic Students Asian Students Caribbean and African Black Students The Future for Immigrant Students

The Continuing Decline in Asian American Teachers

The disparity between proportions of Asian American teachers and Asian American students in U.S. elementary and secondary schools has increased, Asian student enrollment having doubled every decade since 1970. As a case example in the composition of the U.S. teaching force, this study focuses on the differing patterns and causes of shortages of minority teachers across varying groups; understanding these differences may contribute to more effective but varied educational policies for recruiting and retaining Asian American and other minority teachers. Using social-demographic data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census and information from the U.S. Department of Education and existing research literature, this study compared the decennial census data of 1990 with 1970 and 1980 data to analyze shortages by U.S. geographic location, Asian nationality, gender, grade level, and immigration status. Causes of shortages are linked to traditional patterns of recruitment in proposing policy recommendations for increasing the number of Asian Americans in teaching.

Editorial. Immigration and Urban Education in the New Millennium: The Diversity and the Challenges.

The United States has been experiencing its fourth wave of immigration since the 1970s. In 2000, approximately 28.4 million foreign-born people resided in the United States, approximately 10% of the total U.S. population. The current immigration wave has not only brought large numbers of children to U.S. schools (in 2000, there were 8.6 million school-age children from immigrant families, see Camarota, 2001), adding to the steadily growing school population, but it has also expanded the proportion of firstand second-generation immigrants (children of immigrants). Furthermore, this immigration wave places the nation in the midst of its largest racial/ethnic transformation in history. The racial and ethnic diversity of this immigration influx significantly enlarged the proportion of Latinos, Asians, Africans, and Caribbeans. In 2000, among the foreign-born population in theUnited States, 51%were born in Latin America, 25.5%were born inAsia, 15.3%were born in Europe, and the remaining 8.1% were born in other regions of the world (Lollock, 2001). The variation in the quantity and characteristics of the immigrants interacting with the receiving communities brought changes to the social, economic, and demographic contexts in which this immigration occurred. American schools are at the front line for meeting newcomers. Indeed, U.S. public schools have undergone phenomenal transformations, with changes in educational philosophy, instruction, and curriculumand the use of emerging technologies. This new immigration poses severe theoretical, philosophical, and practical challenges to American schools, especially to schools in urban areas. The challenge and opportunity for all American school systems is that rapid population growth and massive immigration demand more schools.

The Educational and Economic Achievement of Asian-Americans.

From elementary through graduate school, the achievements of Asian-American students are nothing less than remarkable. Already their academic success has been reflected in economic and intellectual achievements in a number of fields. At the same time, the success of Asian-American students is related to the economic and educational status of their parents, most of whom are foreign born. Such achievements of migrants and their children are not new but have occurred before in the United States and in other countries over the ages. Never before, however, has there been so large a movement of highly educated, largely middle-class immigrants into the United States, and probably not into any other nation. No other group has moved so quickly upward in the United States with the possible exception of the Jews. Explanations are sought in family structure and in middleman and niche theories of migration.

Working with Immigrant Children of “Undocumented” and “Mixed” Families

Immigrant children constitute a large and growing segment of preK-5 children in the United States. An increasing number of young children are also living with undocumented parents or in families of mixed status, i.e., one or both parents, as well as one or more siblings, are undocumented. Despite this population growth, researchers and educational practitioners know little about these children or their vulnerabilities, such as family poverty, marginalized social and legal status, and serious societal and institutional barriers that cause academic, social/legal, psychological, and emotional difficulties. To help educators develop more awareness and understanding of the challenges this young population faces, and help them work effectively with immigrant children, this chapter examines practice and policy issues and explores three areas of concern: (1) health, social, and legal services; (2) support for linguistic transition and acculturation; (3) community outreach and children’s advocacy. In summary, schools should ensure that migrant students are provided services that are comparable to those offered to other students in the school district, and that every immigrant child is involved in the regular classroom/school programs offered to other students.

Inequalities in China’s Compulsory Education

In the last three decades, China has experienced massive economic development, with its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) increasing almost 42 times from 1,206 billion yuan in 1987 to 50,532 billion yuan in 2012. Like many developing countries, the rapid economic progress in China since the 1980s has had contradictory effects.

Immigration, Urban Schools, and Accountability

This paper examines the effects of immigration, urban residency, poverty, and race/ethnicity on the education of students in K-12 school. Findings of this study critiques the gaps between NCLB policy and its implementations as well as the outcomes, and makes several recommendations. This chapter recommends multiple standards and assessment approaches for accountability. The author believes that accountability must be addressed along with, equality, and fiscal adequacy. Accountability can work in a pluralistic nation only when diversity is taken into serious consideration. Recognizing this diversity is critical in developing successful strategies and effective approaches for working with immigrant families and students. Education policy for disadvantaged families and communities should not be limited to conventional education policy alone. Socioeconomic policies that benefit lower-income families and communities also should be recognized as educational policies on behalf of children.

Immigration, Demographic Changes and Schools in North Carolina from 1990 to 2015

Drawing data from the United States Census and other sources, this chapter highlights the impacts of new immigration on North Carolina. As a new gateway state with little or no immigrant population before 1980, North Carolina had the fastest increase rate of immigrant population in the United States during the decades of 1990–2010. This occurred in the national context of fourth-wave immigration, which swept the country and brought several major demographic changes to the make-up of its population, including nativity and race/ethnicity.