MINORITY
GROUPS – IMMIGRATION
Harker, Kathryn. 2025. “Immigrant Generation, Assimilation and Adolescent Psychological Wellbeing: The Importance of Mediating Factors.” Paper presented at Southern Sociological Society (SSS), 2000.
Abstract: Data from the
National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a nationally
representative sample of US adolescents in grades 7-12 during 1995, are drawn
on to examine the relationship between immigrant generation & adolescent
psychological well-being, along with factors that mediate this relationship.
After exploring intergenerational differences in well-being, the impact of
intragenerational assimilation on the well-being of first-generation immigrant
youth is examined. Results indicate that, overall, first- &
second-generation immigrants experience similar levels of depression &
lower levels of positive well-being than their native-born peers. However,
mediating factors such as parental supervision, parent-child conflict, church
attendance, frequency of prayer, & social support act as protective
influences that allow first-generation immigrants to maintain higher levels of
well-being than their native-born peers of similar demographic & family
backgrounds. Intragenerational assimilation among first-generation immigrants
does not significantly affect adolescents' positive well-being; however, having
immigrated to the US as an adolescent is related to slightly lower levels of
depression than having immigrated at earlier ages. [Source: SA]
Chong, Kelly H. 1998. “What It Means to Be Christian: The Role of Religion in the Construction of Ethnic Identity and Boundary among Second-Generation Korean Americans.” Sociology of Religion vol. 59, pp. 259-286.
Chrispin, Marie Carmel. 1998. “Resilient Adaptation of Church-Affiliated Young Haitian Immigrants: A Search for Protective Resources.” Ed.d. Thesis, Columbia University Teachers College.
Abstract: This exploratory
study examined the phenomenon of resilience despite high levels of acculturative
stress in a sample of 96 church-affiliated Haitian immigrant adolescents. Two
domains of the resilience process were examined: academic resilience which was
operationalized by school grades (GPA) and emotional resilience which was
operationalized by measures of depression and anxiety. Variables examined for
their predictive relationships with resilience were: locus of control,
biculturalism, religious affiliation, parental influence, special education
attendance, and bilingual education attendance. Acculturative stress was
operationalized by scores on the Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and
Environmental (SAFE) scale. Two aspects of the acculturation process were
examined: (1) acculturation orientation or the degree to which young Haitian
immigrants adopted a monocultural or bicultural ethnic identity during the
acculturation process, and (2) biculturality or the degree to which they
maintained social interactions and contact with one culture to the exclusion of
the other (Haitian or American) or both cultures (Haitian and American).
Various mechanisms were found to be involved in protective and vulnerability
processes. Bicultural acculturation orientation emerged as a strong predictor
of academic resilience, and parental influence as a strong predictor of emotional
resilience. Acculturative stress and biculturality were found to be operating
as vulnerability factors for emotional resilience. However, acculturative
stress was a stronger and more consistent predictor of emotional resilience
(anxiety) among first generation than among second generation immigrants.
Gender differences were also noted. Females were noted to be more vulnerable to
emotional distress than males. These findings were discussed in terms of their
implications for interventions, recommendations for future research, and
theoretical definitions for resilience. It was suggested that more attention be
paid to the mental health of bicultural youth.
[Source: DA]
Crane, Ken R. 1998. “Religious Adaptation among Second Generation Latino/a Adventists: Finding from `Avance'.” Latino Studies Journal vol. 9, p. 74.
Abstract: Examines religious
adaptation among second generation Latin American Adventists in the United
States. Role of religion in the immigrant adaptation process; Comparison with
United States-born and foreign born youth; Factors influencing departure from
conservative Latino Adventism in the area of youth culture involvement. [Source: AS]
Ajrouch, Kristine Joyce. 1997. “Ethnicity, Gender and Identity among Second-Generation Arab Americans: Growing up Arabic in America.” Ph.d. Thesis, Wayne State University.
Abstract: This study
implements the use of focus group discussions and life history interviews with
Muslim Lebanese immigrants and their adolescent children in order to explore
the process by which an Arab-American identity develops among the second
generation. The participants reside in Dearborn, Michigan which has the largest
and most visible Arab population outside of the Middle East. The adolescents
were accessed through the Dearborn Public school system on a voluntary basis.
Immigrant parents were accessed through the adolescents or volunteered through
the Kfarhouna Lebanese Club of America. This study was informed by the
interactionist perspective and therefore approaches ethnic identity formation
as a process which is continuously negotiated. The major goal of this research
is to ascertain the impact of both the American culture and the Arab culture
upon the formation of personal and community identities among these adolescents.
Focus group discussions and life history interviews were audio-taped,
transcribed and then analyzed through the development of major themes. Gender
relations is a central theme to discovering the process of ethnic identity
formation in this study. Much of the dialogue by parents and adolescents
revealed that ethnic identity formation is a gendered process. Specifically,
there are a set of restrictions placed upon the females by parents with regard
to social outings, particularly with regards to dating, which does not apply to
males. This difference marks not only the parent child relationship, but
extends to the relationship between brother and sister. Brothers often times
assume the role of protector as they watch over their sister. The social
structure of the community places the female in a position where her actions
not only represent herself, but extend to her family and to community members
generally. She is the bearer and transmitter of the Arab ethnic identity in
America. Religion is a central theme because it not only serves as a
justification for the structure of gender relations, but also often times
becomes conflated with definitions of Arab culture. The respondents often drew
upon religious precepts to underscore the meaning of an Arab identity in
America. Immigration also became a core theme. The experiences of the parents
in Lebanon as well as the adolescents' perceptions of their experiences
contribute to their understanding of Arab culture and an Arab identity. Respect
is the aspect of traditional Arab culture which faces a major threat from the
American cultural value of freedom. The negotiation of these forces arises
within each major theme of gender, religion, and immigration to produce the
finding that ethnic identity formation is a gendered process among children of
Lebanese Muslim immigrants living in Dearborn.
[Source: DA]
Bhadha, Bakhtawar Rayomand. 1997. “Ethnic Identity in Parsee Teenagers.” M.a. Thesis, University of Southern California.
Abstract: Thirty-two Parsee
teenagers and their parents were interviewed to determine how ethnic identity
affects social adjustment and academic competence among first and second
generation immigrants. Adolescents and parents completed the Multigroup Ethnic
Identity Measure (MEIM), a religiosity questionnaire, and the Acculturation
Rating Scale (ARSMA) adapted for Parsees. Adolescents also completed the Harter
Self Perception Profile. Academic competence was found to be significantly
related to teenagers' orientation toward the host culture and other ethnic
groups that comprise it. Self worth was found to be significantly related to
adolescent and parent self-identification, acculturation, and religiosity. [Source: DA]
Kim, Dohmin. 1997. “Identity Education of Korean American Youth through Family Worship Service.” Thesis, School of Theology at Claremont.
Abstract: This project seeks
solutions for identity crises of young Korean Americans suspended between the
cultures of their immigrant parents and their new homes in America. Based on
research in current literature and field work in a Korean American community,
the project proposes that spiritual or faith education in the home can
transform a marginalized people. Family worship services as a ministry of
churches can overcome the alienation of an immigrant home in a new
environment. [Source: RI]
Zobary, Shaul. 1997. “The Association among Recreation Participation Patterns, Perceived Recreation Barriers, Self-Esteem, and Acculturation of Syrian Jewish Immigrant Adolescents.” Thesis, New York University.
Abstract: This study was
designed to investigate the relationship among acculturation, recreation
participation and self-esteem among recently arrived Syrian Jewish immigrant
adolescents. A total of 92 Syrian adolescents in New York City, 49 males and 43
females between the ages of 13 and 19, completed the three questionnaires used
in the study. Descriptive analysis, Pearson's Correlation, t-test, Chi Square
and Regression Analysis were used to answer the study's six research questions.
Research findings showed that these adolescents were at a low level of
acculturation, but had a moderately high level of self-esteem. They most often
recreated with family members, with Syrian friends or were alone in their free
time. Girls participated significantly more often in the creative activities
category in comparison to boys. The perceived barriers to participation cited
most often were too much school work, religious obligations, family obligations
and lack of transportation. Acculturation had a significant positive
correlation with total level of recreation participation, but no significant
relationships were found between acculturation and the number of perceived
barriers or between acculturation and self-esteem. Self-esteem had a
significant positive relationship with the total number of perceived barriers.
However, no significant relationship was found between self-esteem and total
level of recreation participation or with participation in any of the six recreation
categories. The association between the demographic variables of age, gender,
and length of time living in and attending school in the United States and
recreation participation and perceived recreation barriers are described.
Implications of the findings of the study for future research are
discussed. [Source: PI]
Bankston, C. L. and M. Zhou. 1996. “The Ethnic Church, Ethnic Identification, and the Social Adjustment of Vietnamese Adolescents.” Review of Religious Research vol. 38, pp. 18-37.
Abstract: This article
examines the effect of participation in an ethnic religious institution on
ethnic identification and social adjustment to American society by Vietnamese
adolescents. It considers to what extent ethnic identification and social
adjustment may be the product of church attendance and church- sponsored formal
educational programs. Our results show that church attendance has a
consistently significant influence on ethnic identification and that
church-sponsored formal educational programs contribute to stronger ethnic
identification (chiefly by increasing use of the Vietnamese language) and to
better adjustment (by positively influencing scholastic performance). However,
the relationship between church attendance and ethnic identification is not
merely determined by the formal educational programs sponsored by the church.
We suggest rather that the ethnic church serves as a network focus for the
ethnic community and that participation in the ethnic church binds youth more
closely to the ethnic network. The close association with the ethnic community,
in turn, facilitates positive adjustment of immigrant adolescents to American
society by increasing the probability that they will do well in school, set
their sights on future education, and avoid some of the dangers that confront
contemporary young people. We conclude that the immigrant congregation should
be viewed as promoting adjustment to American society because it encourages the
cultivation of ethnic group membership.
[Source: SC]
Carlson Cumbo, Enrico Thomas. 1996. “"as the Twig Is Bent, the Tree's Inclined": Growing up Italian in Toronto, 1905-1940.” Ph.d. Thesis, University of Toronto (Canada).
Abstract: While the Italian
first generation in Canada has been studied extensively, little has been done
on the second generation experience. The dissertation treats the second
generation Italian youth experience in pre-World War II Toronto in the context
of familial, peer and host institutional relationships. The study is divided
into two parts. Part A, examines the primary socializing influence of family
and home in the lives of the second generation young. Here, the children were
imbued with the core values and value systems of their elders, instructed in
their importance as "traditions" and their currency as functional,
ongoing strategies of survival. The integrity of these values remained even as
their "boundaries" were "pulled and hauled by cultural
contention." Moving beyond the confluence of home and ethnic ambience, the
study examines the larger urban and peer associational influences of the
"streets" on Toronto's second generation youngsters. Though the
streets comprised a "separate world" for the children, the adolescent
young in particular incorporated and adapted many of their elders' values in
the very "independence" of their peer associational life. Italian
Canadian youngsters, however, were far from mere clones of their elders. They
developed a vibrant street culture based partly on inter-ethnic associations,
and a distinctive sense of identity bearing little a resemblance to the ethnic
"marginalization" and "alienation" theories of the day.
Part B examines the Canadianization efforts of four host agencies (each an
important "outreach" presence in the enclaves), i.e, the elementary
school, the settlement house, the Protestant mission, and the Catholic parish.
Each of these institutions is dealt with separately. Three broad questions
frame the analysis: (i) what were the host institutional impressions of the
foreign element, the immigrant young in particular? (ii) What were the
achievements and limitations of the work as defined by the workers themselves?
and (iii) What was the immigrant response to the institutional outreach; in
what way and to what extent did first and second generation Italians
participate in organized institutional activities? While differing in their
approach, the agencies essentially agreed on the necessity of
"moulding" the foreigners into "Christian Canadian citizens of
the right type." In seeking to implement this ideal, however, the agencies
faced a variety of problems, chief among them the foreigners' unwillingness to
act as subservient or ancillary players in the relationship. Like their elders,
the immigrant young had their own agendas and their own perception of the
institutions' usefulness. In the case of the settlement and mission houses
especially, many simply made use of the facilities and resources provided
without the least regard for formal ideals. The children's familial, peer and
street culture was not easily "remoulded". Indeed, Italian youngsters
were more successful in "bringing the streets" into the mission and
settlement houses than the house workers were in "taking the streets out
of the children". In locating the "voice" and "agency"
of the immigrant young in pre-War Toronto, the dissertation contests the
usefulness of imposition and social control theories as models of historical
explanation. [Source: DA]
Carroll, Susanne Dennington. 1996. “Resiliency and the Hmong Child Growing up in Fresno: An Ethnographic Narrative with Drawings.” Psy.d. Thesis, California School of Professional Psychology - Fresno.
Abstract: This dissertation
is an ethnographic exploration of the thoughts, feelings and resiliency of
Hmong children growing up in Fresno. For 23 months, I lived in Little Ban
Vinai, a Fresno California neighborhood named after the Ban Vinai refugee camp
in Thailand. During this time, I spent both formal and informal time with nine
children between the ages of 7 and 13. The children became "coresearchers"
teaching me about their life and learning about mine. Through the children's
drawings and the stories they would tell, certain themes emerged. I wove these
themes into a narrative retelling reflecting the children's sense of time. The
children's drawings compliment the story. The use of story allows for the
complexity and paradox of their lives. The children illustrate and describe
coming to America, going to school, relating to their families and friends,
playing after school, celebrating holidays, going to church, as well as their
ideas about love and marriage, their spiritual understandings, their fears of
spiritual and human dangers, and their hopes for the future (possibly somewhere
else). The children's story, like that of the Hmong people, is one of
resilience in the face of numerous difficulties past and present. They are
creative, persistent, energetic, and fiercely committed to each other as
siblings, friends, cousins, and as immediate and extended families. Still,
there are very real risks in their future. They live in a dangerous
neighborhood where becoming either a part of or a victim of a gang is likely
before adulthood. In addition, they face the challenging task of sorting
through a myriad of conflicting world views, particularly in the areas of love
and marriage, and spiritual understandings. In the future these conflicting
world views could become points of conflict within themselves and between their
relatives and friends. The importance of psychologists expanding their efforts
to include prevention and outreach is discussed. Finally, the method is
reviewed and recommendations made for future studies.. [Source: DA]
Powell, Ron. 1996. “Cross Cultural Youth Ministry in the Ethnic Church.” Eastern Journal of Practical Theology vol. 10, pp. 6-14.
Bankston, Carl L., III and Min Zhou. 1995. “Religious Participation, Ethnic Identification, and Adaptation of Vietnamese Adolescents in an Immigrant Community.” The Sociological Quarterly vol. 36, pp. 523-534.
Abstract: This article
addresses the role of religion in immigrant adaptation through the case of
Vietnamese adolescents. Our results show that religious participation
consistently makes a significant contribution to ethnic identification, which,
in turn, facilitates positive adaptation of immigrant adolescents to American
society by increasing the probability that adolescents will do well in school,
set their sights on future education, and avoid some of the dangers that
confront contemporary young people. These results suggest that an immigrant
congregation does not function simply as a means of maintaining a
psychologically comforting sense of ethnicity while group members drop ethnic
traits in their day-to-day lives. Nor does identification with an ethnic group
appear to limit life chances by binding group members to ethnic traits. On the
contrary, the ethnic religious participation examined here, to a large extent,
facilitates adjustment to the host society precisely because it promotes the
cultivation of a distinctive ethnicity, that, in turn, helps young people to
reach higher levels of academic achievement and to avoid dangerous and
destructive forms of behavior. [Source:
SS]
Rumbaut, Rubén G. 1994. “The Crucible Within: Ethnic Identity, Self-Esteem, and Segmented Assimilation among Children of Immigrants.” International Migration Review vol. 28.
Jon, Yung Kyu Paul. 1991. “Transgeneration Ministry for Korean Immigrants in the United States.” Thesis, McCormick Theological Seminary.
Abstract: This thesis
addresses the relationships between Korean-American parents and their children,
and an effective ministry for the transgeneration in the bi-cultural setting.
As Korean youths grow up in the United States, they become Americanized,
creating cultural and generational problems between them and their parents.
Most problems originate from changing family roles, the generation gap,
cultural problem/shock, language problems, different values, identity crises,
and conflicting attitudes toward church affiliation. Through understanding of
the generational and cultural gaps, and with the help of appropriate ministry,
these youths and adults can rediscover their own identity and redefine their
life work. [Source: RI]
Kim, Dea Hee. 1990. “A Cultural Program as an Effective Means of Ministry with the Second Generation Korean Youth in the United States of America.” D.min. Thesis, Drew University.
Abstract: Korean youth in
America are going through a very unique experience due to their Korean
ethnicity. Today, however, virtually all Korean churches in American are
struggling in dealing with ministry for the youth, and it has become one of the
toughest challenges for Korean churches in their ministry. This phenomenon is a
result of the growing number of youth in the Korean community and proportionally
increasing problems such as suicide, run-aways, crimes, etc. Needless to say,
these problems of Korean youth today are very serious ones that shake the
Korean community as a whole. By no means is youth ministry in Korean churches a
simple task. It involves not only religious dimensions but all social as well
as cultural dimensions, because of their Korean ethnicity. In order to build an
effective youth ministry, it is also important to understand the situation that
Korean youth in America face. Korean youths are confronted by the two different
cultures, and often struggling to find the ways to balance these two cultures.
Obviously, for them, it is not an easy task, and there is a need for much
guidance and support which must be provided by youth ministry. Given these
issues, youth ministry for the Korean youth must embrace three dimensions:
Cultural, Social, and Religious. The ultimate goal of youth ministry must be
designed in such a way that is becomes an effective means to help the youth
grasp the love of God, and through experience of that love, to become
responsible individuals of God in society. However, in order to achieve that
goal, it is essential to incorporate the above three dimensions. [Source: DA]
Munoz Rivera, Brindice. 1989. “A Pastoral Counseling Program for Mexican-Immigrant Families.” D.min. Thesis, School of Theology At Claremont.
Abstract: Mexican immigrants
have different values than the Anglos. When they come to the United States,
they bring their culture, which is very rich, and experience many conflicts
because of the different culture in which they are living. The author of this
project read several books and did research among the Mexican-immigrant
families in Long Beach, California to determine if their values were changed,
what kinds of conflicts they were dealing with, and their suggestions on how to
deal with them. After examining the results, a pastoral counseling program was
developed to help families deal better with their conflicts and adjust to this
culture. More than thirty questionnaires were prepared and distributed among
the Mexican immigrants, the majority of them undocumented and from different
areas of the city. Of the questionnaires distributed, twenty were collected by
youth, men and women. Some of the values considered important for them were
personalism, familism, spiritual concerns (justice, love, and loyalty),
parental approval for courtship and marriage, support of grandparents,
discipline of children, and fatalism. According to the results, the majority of
the traditional values have been maintained, although the Anglo culture is
influencing the immigrants, especially the youth. Among the conflicts that the
immigrant considered very important were: young people and drugs, lack of
health insurance, lack of employment, the discipline of young people, youth and
gangs, and high crime. Because of these conflicts and differences in values
from white middle-class Americans, a pastoral counseling program to the Mexican
immigrants should use different types of counseling in order to to be
effective. The author proposes a type of counseling that gives more direct
advice, help, and support to the poor regarding their needs. These persons seek
help which is related to their material needs. The author and volunteers from
the church will give help or refer these persons to other agencies. After they
develop trust, other counseling techniques can be used to help them, such as
pluralistic counseling, group counseling, family therapy, and assertiveness
training. [Source: DA]
Stepp, Theodore J. Jr. 1989. “Serving Samoan Youth in Honolulu: Culture, Religious Education, and Social Adjustment.” M.a. Thesis, University of Hawaii.
Abstract: A study of Samoan behavioral
norms, Samoan Christianity, and the history of Samoan migration to Hawai'i
reveals the complex cultural and psychological dimensions of social adjustment
problems among immigrant Samoan youth and the potential for religious education
to contribute to the resolution of some of these problems. The purpose of this
study was to bring the research insights to bear on current Roman Catholic
parish religious education programs in order to propose enhancements to those
programs that might benefit Samoan immigrant youth in particular.
Recommendations based on the research and analysis include policy and program
proposals in the areas of theology and culture, teacher recruitment and
training, curriculum development and methodology, and parental involvement in
the religious education process.
[Source: DA]
Gonzalez, Rocio Revuelta. 1988. “The Impact of Family Support System and Strength of Religious Affiliation on Levels of Alienation and Acculturation among Mexican-American Adolescents.” Ph.d. Thesis, California School of Professional Psychology - Los Angeles.
Abstract: This study
examined the importance of family support and strength of religious affiliation
on levels of alienation and acculturation among Mexican-American adolescents.
Previous studies have attempted to prove that more acculturated individuals
were psychologically healthier. Another previous study showed an inverse
correlation between acculturation and feelings of alienation towards the New
Mexico educational system. Ninety-two subjects (33 males and 59 females)
between the ages of 14 and 18 responded to questionnaires measuring
acculturation, alienation, family support, and religious affiliation. Forty-six
subjects were members of youth ministry programs in Los Angeles County and the
other 46 subjects were randomly selected from the same geographic areas. The
results of this study indicated no significant correlations between type of
acculturation and alienation. There was a significant positive correlation
between cultural incorporation and family support, a significant inverse
correlation between religious affiliation and alienation, and a significant
negative correlation between religious affiliation and powerlessness for the
total sample. For the teenagers who were members of youth ministry programs,
there was a significant positive correlation between religious affiliation and
social isolation. For those teenagers who were not members of youth ministry
groups, there was a significant inverse relationship between family support and
alienation. [Source: DA]
Wu, David Y. 1988. “Imaginary Audience Egocentrism and Spiritual Well-Being among Church-Going American-Born Chinese Adolescents.” Thesis, Biola University Talbot School of Theology.
Varghese, Philip. 1984. “Helping Immigrant Mar Thoma Christian Youth and Parents Face Adolescent Identity Crises: A Shared Praxis Model.” Thesis, Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.
Abstract: Children of
immigrant families have to cope with the normal adolescent "identity crisis"
in a bicultural setting. Members of the Mar Thoma church of South India failed
to anticipate the serious and complex nature of this problem for their
congregation in Dallas, Texas. This project addressed this issue by building on
a strong family structure and providing the resources of the Christian faith so
that communication was enhanced between parents and children. Parents and
children thought family communication was facilitated when a shared praxis
model was used. They better understood the inter-cultural tensions and each
other's perspectives. [Source: RI]
Kim, Mark Heung Soo. 1982. “The Role of the Korean Church in Ministry with Korean Immigrant Youth.” Thesis, Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary.
Abstract: This report
describes the development and evaluation of ministry programs with Korean
immigrant youth. These were implemented in the local church, Chicago
metropolitan area, and as a national youth leadership program. This project
included a nationwide questionnaire survey which identified needs and problems
of Korean youth, and is based on study of the transition of biculturalism of
Korean immigrants, with special reference to youth-parent relationships. It is
grounded in a "vision theology" for Korean immigrants that has both
theoretical and practical aspects. Recommendations included bilingual
preaching, fostering parent-teen understanding, and a "selective
assimilation" approach. [Source:
RI]
Kim, Paul Shu. 1980. “A Study of Ministry to Second Generation Korean Immigrants in the Church.” D. min. Thesis, Drew University.
Abstract: For several years
the author has been convinced that there is a desperate need to awaken the
Korean Church to its mission to second generation Korean immigrants. He has
discerned a tendency on the part of many young Korean-Americans to stay away
from church, feeling the Church is not interested in youth and its problems. To
ascertain whether his theory is correct, the author took steps toward
identification of the basic problems of the Korean immigrant churches in their
life situations in America. He then sought to find a solution for the same.
This project has been developed in six areas. A brief history is presented of
Korean emigration to American from 1903 to the present, explaining the
characteristics of the different immigrant groups and their reasons for
emigrating. The social problems facing the Korean immigrant in the new world
are: racial, cultural, economic, educational (children), differences in family
life between parents and children, language, and assimilation. The four periods
through which the Korean immigrant churches in America have passed are: (1)
Their beginnings and growth (1903-1918); (2) The period of conflicts, divisions
(1919-1945); (3) The period of status quo (1946-1967); (4) The period of
revival (1968 - ). The author interviewed forty Korean pastors of Greater New
York delving into the problems of the churches. He discusses the pastors, their
qualifications, theology and roles; also the make-up of the congregations. The
author, believing the ideal ministry has our Lord at its center with equal
emphasis placed on worship, mission, fellowship, education, service to the
community, discusses the three functions of the church: (1) Kerygmatic; (2)
Diakonic; (3) Koinoniac. Leadership for the second generation is lacking; the
curricula supplied is inadequate; the worship services are irrelevant to second
generation Korean-American youth and their problems. The character of the
Korean Church is unique, functioning not solely as a religious institution but
forming the basis and source for the Korean immigrant's new life within his
community, supplying him with the cultural, mental and political sustenance he
needs. To ascertain the basic needs of the youth ministry in the church, the
author created and distributed a six- page questionnaire which was filled out
by 125 Korean- American youths. Their answers, indicating problems and giving
suggestions, were tabulated. A one-day seminar on Christian Education for
Second Generation Korean Immigrants was held. As part of the seminar the author
led a workshop to determine the unique need of a ministry to second generation
Koreans. The workshop was divided into four study groups: (1) Worship; (2)
Christian Education; (3) Identity; (4) Image of Pastor and Church
Administration. Each group rendered a report of their findings. The author
conducted a thirteen-week experimental bi- lingual ministry starting with
fifteen youths from his own congregation which increased to twenty-five. They
met for two hours a week on Saturdays for three months. The program created by
the author was attended twice by some of the parents. At its conclusion the
program was evaluated by both the first and second generations. Theological
foundation for this project is based upon a concept of the church as the body
of Christ where the Holy Spirit is at work, which finds its expression in a
worshipping, reconciling and serving fellowship. The differences existing
between the first and second generation's theological understanding of culture
and faith were explored and the theological basis cited for the author's
suggested ministry of reconciliation. Basically the goal of the project can be
summed up as a program of Christian nurture for the second generation Korean.
The author concludes there is a definite necessity for a ministry to the second
generation. He believes that while retaining the second generation's cultural
heritage, such a ministry should be Christ-centered. He submits his
thirteen-week bi-lingual ministry as a model.
[Source: DA]
Yamaoka, Haruo, David S. Steward, and Margaret S. Steward. 1979. “Defining New Buddhist Education: A Study of Japanese American Buddhist and Christian Youth.” Religious Education vol. 74, pp. 295-303.
Abstract: This interview
study determines the areas of interest and problems which young people active
in the Buddhist Churches of America
report in the relation of their ethnic heritage and identity to their functioning in American society. The study serves as background information
in the development of new educational resources for youth to be used in
the Buddhist Churches of America. New Buddhist education needs to be characterized by 1) the lived history of
persons of Japanese ancestry in the
United States; 2) reliance on family members as a source of information and
wisdom; 3) confidence in traditional
Japanese values for peer friendship relations; 4) awareness of the temple as a natural place for teaching both the
content and life-implications of Buddhist concerns. [Source: RI]
Barron, Frank and Harben B. Young. 1970. “Rome and Boston: A Tale of Two Cities and Their Differing Impact on the Creativity and Personal Philosophy of Southern Italian Immigrants.” Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology vol. 1, pp. 91-114.
Abstract: Various psychological
tests and questionnaires were administered to 95 Boston adolescents whose
grandparents had migrated from Southern Italy around 1900 and 125 similar
adolescents in Rome. The Boston Ss were found to be more religiously orthodox
and socially conservative. The Rome group was also higher in ideational
fluency, originality, and flexibility, though not in intelligence. [Source: PI]