Student Experiences and Educational Outcomes of Southeast Asian Female Secondary School Students in the United States: A Critical Quantitative Intersectionality Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between Southeast Asian female students’ multiple identities (race or ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic class [SES]) and their schooling experiences and educational outcomes. It also seeks to identify school organizational characteristics that mediate the effects of the convergence of multiple marginalized identities on Southeast Asian female students’ experiences and educational outcomes. This study used restricted-use data from High School Longitudinal Studies 2009 provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and employed multiple regression, logistic regression, and linear mixed effect modeling. Math achievement scores of Southeast Asian students were significantly higher than those of other race or ethnicity groups, except Other Asian/Pacific Islanders, regardless of gender. However, Southeast Asian females’ intention to pursue higher education was significantly lower than that of Southeast Asian males as well as being the lowest among all female students. Furthermore, the influence of SES on Southeast Asian female students’ math achievement scores was not statistically different from the average impact of SES on math achievement scores for all students. In terms of students’ schooling experiences, Southeast Asian female students are less likely to hold gender stereotypes regarding males’ superior math abilities than are other race or ethnic groups. In addition, Southeast Asian female students perceived a higher degree of positive interactions with math teachers (i.e., teacher’s expectation, teacher’s treatment in terms of respect, and teacher’s fairness). Focusing on math teachers’ teacher quality measures (i.e., years of teaching experience, a graduate degree), Southeast Asian students’ math teachers did not have significantly different teacher quality compared to that of their white counterparts. Finally, the effect of SES on the quality of interactions with math teachers was positive for Southeast Asian female students. This pattern was not unique to Southeast Asian high school girls; that is, higher SES had a similarly positive association on the quality of interactions with teachers for other race or ethnicity groups, except Hispanic students. This study also found that the school organizational characteristics used in this study did not mediate or differentiate the intersectionalities related to Southeast Asian female students. In other words, the patterns described above held regardless of schooling context. Although the model minority stereotype toward Asian students suggests that they are the most likely to pursue higher education, this study reveals the limits of the myth. It demonstrated that Southeast Asian females have the lowest intention (among females) to pursue higher education even though they had good schooling experiences, earned among the highest grades in high school, and did not consider boys to be better at math. The findings reveal a larger systemic failure to consider the specificities within the Asian population, which limits the provision of adequate support for Southeast Asian females to realize their full potential through their future academic careers. Implications for policy and leadership are discussed.