Final draft for AIP-03172016

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ASIAN AMERICAN OR PACIFIC ISLANDER? EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FILIPINO
STUDENTS' RACIAL-ETHNIC IDENTIFICATION AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Asian American or Pacific Islander? Examining the Relationship between Filipino Students'
Racial-ethnic Identification and Academic Achievement
Yu Jung (Eddie) Chen
University of California, San Diego
Author Note
Yu Jung Chen is an international student from Taiwan, and will finish his B.A. in Political
Science with a minor in Education Studies from University of California, San Diego in Spring
2016. He is interested in bilingual education, public policy, and identity issues.

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ABSTRACT
Many researchers have demonstrated the relationship between racial-ethnic
identification and academic achievement (Arroyo & Zigler, 1995; Strobel, 1996; Sirin, 2005).
According to the Pew Research Center (2012), the Filipino American population has
dramatically increased since 1980. Yet, we still have much to learn about the experiences of
this dynamic and diverse ethnic group. In this paper, I examined how academic achievement
relates to Filipino American students’ racial-ethnic identification, and internalization and
experiences of the model minority stereotype. Drawing on survey data collected on 79
Filipino high school students attending a public high school located in Southern California,
findings show that Filipino students’ academic performance is not related to the strength of
their identification as Asian American or Pacific Islander. However, results indicated that
stereotypes of Asian Americans as a “model minority” are associated with Filipino American
high school students’ academic achievement. Possible explanations and implications of
these findings are discussed.
Keywords: Asian American, Pacific Islander, racial-ethnic identification, academic
achievement, immigrant student, Filipino.

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Asian American or Pacific Islander? Examining the Relationship between Filipino Students'
Racial-ethnic Identification and Academic Achievement
Filipinos are one of the largest subgroups of Asian Americans in the United States (Pew
Research Center, 2012; Batalova & McNamara, 2015; US Bureau, 2015). Based on previous
research, we have noticed Asian American students have higher academic achievements
than White American students (Pang, Han & Pang, 2011). However, few researchers have
examined the variability of academic achievement among Filipino American high school
students. Previous studies with adolescents of African American and Chinese backgrounds
have shown how racial-ethnic identification influences students’ academic achievement
(Arroyo & Zigler, 1995; Strobel, 1996; Sirin, 2005). For example, when an academically
successful African American adopts behaviors and attitudes that is distance from their
cultural origins in order to achieve successes, it increased the feeling of depression, anxiety,
and identity confusion (Arroyo & Zigler, 1995). Group identification provides awareness and
belonging for individuals who share similar characteristics as groups. However, the
boundaries of these groups are both explicit and implicit; meanwhile, they are also
examined internally by members within the communities and externally by the whole
society (Arroyo & Zigler, 1995). Therefore, in this study, I will examine if Filipino students’
identification as Asian American or Pacific Islander influence their academic achievement.
While Filipinos are recognized as part of the broader category of Asian Americans (US

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Census Bureau, 2015), the California government specifically created a separate aggregated
sub-group for Filipino for state reports in the late 1970s (CDE, 2016). This was done so in
order to more adequately meet the needs of Filipinos in California as their experiences and
outcomes in education and in the labor market seem to differ from their other Asian
American counterparts (e.g., Chinese, Japanese; Ong, Bonacich & Cheng, 1994). For
example, Filipino Americans are underrepresented in higher education, and earn
significantly less money than their Chinese and Japanese American counterparts after
accounting for their age, geographic region, and educational background (Ong, Bonacich &
Cheng, 1994). Research has shown that there is an extensive gap between thirteen Asian
American and Pacific Islander subgroups. . In their research, Pang, Han, and Pang studied
over 1 million Asian American and Pacific Islander and white seventh graders. For example,
the median math score of 2003-2005 California Achievement Tests for Chinese and Korean
students were over 70 but Lao, Cambodian, Samoan, and other Pacific Islander students’
median scores were less than 50. The median math score for Filipino students was 57.13 and
the median for English was 53.35. Meanwhile, their white peers’ median score was 57.72
(Pang, Han & Pang, 2011). East Asian Americans such as those of Chinese, Japanese, and
Korean backgrounds usually perform academically better than their peers of other Asian
American backgrounds. As a result, the performance of East Asian Americans such as
Chinese, Japanese, and Korean informs the model minority myth that is a pervasive

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stereotype about all Asian Americans in broader society. However, the stereotype of model
minority cannot represent all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (Pang, Han & Pang,
2011). Based on these findings, the current study examines how Filipino American high
school students’ racial-ethnic identification is associated with their academic achievement.
According to the Pew Research Center (2012), 69% of 18 and older Filipino Americans
were foreign-born. As a result, I need to concern the “immigrant paradox” for my study.
Studies have shown that first-generation and second-generation immigrant youths usually
do academically better than their native-born peers; and they are less likely to use legal and
illegal substances and to engage in delinquent and violent acts (Fuligni, 1997; Georgiades,
Boyle & Duku, 2007). Therefore, participants in this study might have higher average of their
academic achievement than the average of the entire student body.
The Current Study
Two major research questions were addressed in the present study. First, what is the
relationship between racial identification and academic achievement among Filipino high
school students? Second, what is the association between Filipino high school students’
experiences of the model minority stereotypes and their academic achievement? Based on
data from Asian American and Pacific Islander Students: Equity and the Achievement Gap
(Pang, Han & Pang, 2011), I hypothesize that students who identify as Asian American will
have better academic achievement compared to those who identify as Pacific Islander.

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Method
Participants were recruited from a public high school located in a San Diego
metropolitan area with a large Filipino community. Based on the California Department of
Education report, the student population of 2014-15 enrollment for my sample school were
composed of 54% of Hispanic/Latino students, 19.7% of Filipino students, 7.3% of African
American students, 7.4% of White students, and 8.7% of biracial/multiracial students (CDE,
2016). The graduation rate for the Class of 2013-14 was 95.6%. The white students had the
lowest graduation rate (83.3%) and the graduation rate of Filipino students was 96.6% (CDE,
2016).
Demographic Characteristics
The sample for this study was composed of 79 high school students who identified
themselves as Filipino American (50.6% female). Participants were 9th-12th graders ranging
in age from 14 to 17 (Mage = 15 years old). The mean of family household income for
students in our sample is $100,001 to $125,000. The majority were 2nd generation (e.g.,
U.S.-born participant with two foreign-born parents; n=39) or 2.5 generation (e.g., U.S.-born
participant with one foreign-born parent; n=20). The remainder were 1.5 generation (e.g.,
foreign-born participant who arrived in U.S. by age 12; n = 11), and 3rd generation or
beyond (e.g., U.S.-born participant with two U.S.-born parents; n = 9).
Procedure

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This study used data from a larger study examining the academic achievement and
psychosocial adjustment of Filipino-American adolescents (Rodriguez & Mistry, 2015).
Students under age 18 obtained their parental consent to participate in this study. Students
typically finished the survey within 30-45 minutes. Parent consent and adolescent assent
were obtained prior to completing the survey. Along with the parent consent form, parents
of all participants were asked to complete a demographics questionnaire indicating their
birthdate, gender, grade, family’s household income.
Measure
Generational Status and Racial/ethnic Self-identification
Participants’ generational status was based on self-reports of their birthplace, as well as
the birthplace of their parents, and maternal and paternal grandparents. If participants were
foreign-born, they were also asked to indicate the age they arrived in the U.S. Participants
were also asked questions regarding their racial/ethnic self-identification based on a 5-point
Likert scale ranging from 1 (Not At All) to 5 (Very High Degree).
Strength of racial identification:
In order to examine the strength of identification, I created three different categories.
The first group represents those students who indicated that the degree of Asian American
identification is stronger than the degree of Pacific Islander identification. The second group
represents the students who indicated the degree of Asian American identification is weaker

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than the degree of Pacific Islander identification. The third group represents the students
who indicated the degree of Asian American identification is equal to the degree of Pacific
Islander identification.
Academic Achievement:
Participants’ academic achievement was based on their school transcripts. Grade point
averages (GPAs) were based on their grades in core academic courses: English, mathematics,
social science, and science. The GPA scale from 0 to 4 was used to calculate participants’ GPA
(College Board, 2016). (e.g., A/A+ =4.0, A- =3.7, B+ =3.3, B =3.0, B- =2.7, C+ =2.3, C = 2.0, C- =
1.7, D+ =1.3, D =1.0 and E/F =0.0).
Model Minority Stereotype:
In order to understand Filipino American students’ internalization of the model
minority stereotype, I will use adapted questions from the Attitude toward Asian (ATA) Scale,
which ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). A sample item is, “As an Asian
American, I tend to be hardworking and diligent.” I also create two subgroups for model
minority stereotype: internal model minority stereotype and external model minority. For
internal model minority stereotypes, participants will answer a series of questions about
what they think about model minority; for example, “As an Asian American, I tend to have
close ties with my family.” For external stereotypes, participants will be asked what their
belief of others’ model minority stereotypes; for example, “Others often assume that I have

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a strong commitment to family values because I am Asian American.”
Results
The mean of GPA for the entire sample (n= 79) was 3.08 with standard deviation= .615.
The minimum of our participant’s GPA was 0.33 and the maximum was 3.95. The mean of
internal stereotypes of model minority was 3.52 with standard deviation= .70. The mean of
external stereotypes of model minority was 3.61 with standard deviation= .91.
Our finding shows that there were 45 students had stronger Asian American identification
(e.g., mean of GPA= 3.14, standard deviation= .611); 17 students had stronger Pacific
Islander identification (e.g., mean of GPA= 3.0, standard deviation= .573); and 17 students
had equal identification for Asian American and Pacific Islander (e.g., mean of GPA= 2.996,
standard deviation= .681).
A one-way between subjects ANOVA was conducted to examine whether the strength
of racial-ethnic identification is related to academic achievement among Filipino-American
students who more strongly identify as (1) Asian American, or (2) Pacific Islander or (3) those
who equally identify as both Asian American and Pacific Islander. There was no statistical
significance between the three groups, F statistic for between groups is .507 (df= 2 between
groups, df =76 within groups), and p is .604. Finally, I examined the association between
Filipino students’ experiences and internalization of the model minority stereotype and their
academic achievement. Removing the outlier, the comparison was statistically significant at

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p<.05. The outlier of the sample was a 9th grader who completed the first semester but
failed most of their classes and their GPA was 0.33.
Discussion
As the majority of participants are 2nd generation or 2.5 generation Filipino-Americans,
the findings for this study might differ from previous studies that have examined the
experiences of 1st generation immigrants. Because the sample size is too small to
statistically represent the differences for different generational statuses, I do not compare
participants’ academic achievements based on their generational statuses in this study. To
build upon this research, future analyses for this project will examine how the strength of
identification differs across generational status, and how this in turn may be related to
academic achievement. As we continue to collect data for the larger study, we will have
more participants that vary in terms immigrant generational status.
For family’s household income, the average of our participants was $100,001 to
125,000. Compared with the 2014 median of the neighborhood ($66,110), our participants
were from families with higher household income (U.S. Census, 2016). However, the gap
between the neighborhood and the participants may have been caused by a number of
invalid answers from the participants. For example, many participants chose “I don’t know”
(n = 6) or “I prefer not to answer” (n = 17). While we were not able to systematically
examine how…varies across family household income, future research should conduct a

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larger study to consider the variable of household income.
Although we can tell Filipino students with stronger Pacific Islander identification had
slightly lower GPA than their peers, we cannot assume students with higher Pacific Islander
identification would have lower academic performance like Pacific Islander students from
Pang, Han and Pang’s findings (2011). Therefore, the result has rejected my hypothesis that
students who identify as Asian American will have better academic achievement compared
to those who identify as Pacific Islander.
Limitations and future research
The limitation of this paper is that the sample size is too small. However, it can still
provide some valuable information about relationships between Filipino high school
students’ academic performance and their racial-ethnic identification. I also recommend
future research addresses Filipino parents and parenting attitudes towards Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders in order to understand how the model minority stereotype might
influence Filipino American students’ academic achievement. Furthermore, the findings of
this study should be examined again with a larger sample size in order to systematically
consider the differences in achievement across socioeconomic status and immigrant
generational status.
Conclusion
Based on my study, I have noticed that Filipino American adolescents might have

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different self-identifications which is different from other Asian American groups. However,
the achievement of Filipino students is not associated with the ways in which they choose to
identify themselves. Interestingly, our participants’ academic achievements did seemto be
influenced by Filipino students’ experiences of the model minority stereotype. In light of
these findings, future research should investigate more about Filipino students’ perceptions
of model minority stereotypes; and the rationality why Filipino American adolescents have
different self-identifications as Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders. Therefore, I recommend
educators should be aware of the model minority stereotypes that they may use to
characterize Filipino American students as it may have negative implications for their
academic achievement.

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rtq26.html

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