Immigrant and Minority Students' Experience of Curriculum

Research on Immigrant and Minority Students

Research on immigrant and minority students of color can be found in empirical research, reflective essays, and books on demographics research, immigration patterns and policies, acculturation and enculturation, voluntary and involuntary immigrants, bilingual education, multicultural literacy, and race, gender, and class issues. This work, however, contributes to a theoretical understanding of the sociopolitical and cultural context of education of immigrant and minority students of color. Although there is a wide array of literature on immigrant and minority students of color, there is less literature focused on their school experiences. There is a need for more research examining ways in which schooling shapes cultural and ethnic identity and a sense of belonging in schools and communities; ways in which achieving academic success is a challenge for these students as they balance affiliation to home cultures and participation in schools and communities; and ways in which academic performance is challenged by differences in expectations, behaviors, and practices between school educators and families of immigrant and minority students.

There is a large body of research literature on the experience of African American students inside and outside schools; a growing body of literature addressing the experiences of Hispanic students, including Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Chicanos, and Latinos/as; and research on Aboriginal, Native American, and Inuit students. There is a developing literature on school experiences of Asian students; some highlight diversity between different Asian groups and within group differences. Research on the experience in schools and communities of specific Asian groups such as Cambodian, Hmong, and Vietnamese is growing. Research on the experience of other groups, however, such as Khmer and Tibetans, is relatively sparse.

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