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Building and using a social network: Nurture for low‐income Chinese American adolescents' learning
Author(s) -
Li Jin,
Holloway Susan D.,
Bempechat Janine,
Loh Elaine
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
new directions for child and adolescent development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1534-8687
pISSN - 1520-3247
DOI - 10.1002/cd.220
Subject(s) - nature versus nurture , social capital , psychology , adaptation (eye) , immigration , developmental psychology , low income , cultural capital , chinese americans , social psychology , sociology , socioeconomics , political science , social science , neuroscience , anthropology , law
Little research has examined how low‐income Asian American children are supported to achieve well in school. The authors used the notion of social capital to study higher versus lower achieving Chinese adolescents from low‐income backgrounds. They found that families of higher‐achieving adolescents built and used more effectively three kinds of social networks in lieu of direct parental involvement: (a) designating a helper in and outside the home for the child, (b) identifying peer models for the child to emulate, and (c) involving extended kin to guide the child jointly. These forms of social capital reflect Chinese cultural values applied to the challenges of immigrant adaptation. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.