The aggregation of various Asian American ethnic groups into one homogenous block and the comparatively sparse amount of research on Asian Americans creates of one the most misunderstood groups in American society and scholarship. The aim of this dissertation is to study one Asian American ethnic group, Korean Americans, and to find the relationship between their ethnic identity formation and academic achievement. Other factors such as socialization, the role of the church, and religious identity are also investigated within the framework of the theories of second culture acquisition (SCA). Specifically, the alternation model was chosen because of the nonhierarchical nature of this two-dimensional model in which both Korean and American cultures could coexist whereby one culture does not necessarily have to be lost in order to acquire another. This quantitative study samples from Korean American students attending Bible study classes within ethnic Korean churches across two states. A battery of survey measures designed specifically for Korean Americans is used to test for ethnic and religious identity as well as socialization. To replicate academic achievement, two reading and two mathematics tests are also administered to the 45 participants. The results revealed that an additive phenomenon occurred in which students who were multicultural and/or are members of a Korean organization were shown to achieve higher scores on the achievement tests. These outcomes held true even on the reading tests when compared to students who only adhered to an American identity in which they only spoke English. The data also revealed the importance of the mastery of dual languages, in this case Korean, whereby those with higher levels of fluency exhibited increased test scores. Disaggregating Asian Americans and finding the mechanisms driving academic outcomes revealed the unique complexities and interactions of ethnicity, culture, history, migration, and language which influence and characterize one Asian American ethnic group. Using an in-depth and singular approach to studying Asian Americans revealed more piercing insights than relying on generalizations and "model minority" stereotypes as the lens with which to view this diverse group of peoples. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]