ERIC Number: EJ1105069
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1934-5267
EISSN: N/A
Mis/Representations of Asian/Americans in the Curricula: Perspectives from Second-Generation Japanese American Youth
Endo, Rachel
International Journal of Multicultural Education, v14 n1 2012
This case study explores how six second-generation Japanese American youth recalled learning about cultural diversity at their high schools, particularly information that was intended to represent their identities as ethnic and racial minorities. Semi-structured interviews were used to investigate how the participants made sense of curricular content that did not represent their experiences accurately or completely. Site documents including course documents and syllabi were also analyzed. The findings suggest that (a) Asian/Americans have largely been excluded from definitions of diversity and multiculturalism and (b) when White teachers included lessons intended to teach about Asian/Americans, the content generally reinforced Orientalist stereotypes, particularly colonizing images of the cultural exoticism-pathology binary and/or racial sameness. The implications section details practical strategies for K-12 teachers to include more balanced information about Asian/American experiences in the curricula.
Descriptors: Asian American Students, Asian Americans, Misconceptions, Case Studies, Japanese Americans, Semi Structured Interviews, Transcripts (Written Records), Course Descriptions, Racial Identification, Definitions, Ethnic Stereotypes, Cultural Pluralism, Educational Practices, Student Experience, Racial Bias
International Journal of Multicultural Education. Eastern University, 1300 Eagle Road, St. Davids, PA 19087. Tel: 610-341-1597; Fax: 484-581-1276; e-mail: ijme@eastern.edu; Web site: http://www.ijme-journal.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A