School adjustment of first‐generation Chinese‐American adolescents

Abstract

Abstract Guided by Perry and Weinstein's (1998) conceptual model of school adjustment, first‐generation Chinese‐American adolescents' school adjustment was compared with that of Mainland Chinese and European American adolescents in two domains of functioning, academic (attitudes to school and teacher; their sense of academic adequacy) and behavioral (depression, anxiety and social stress), using the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC). Results indicated that Chinese‐American adolescents reported more negative attitudes toward teachers than European American and Mainland Chinese students, had more negative perceptions of the school environment than students in Mainland China, and reported more feelings of inadequacy in academics than European American students. Chinese‐American adolescents reported higher levels of depression and social stress than the other two groups, and more anxiety than Mainland Chinese students. Feelings of academic inadequacy were related to depression, anxiety and social stress for all three cultural groups. In addition, Chinese‐American adolescents reported that they did not trust their teachers and their peers who were not Chinese‐American, and felt that adults at school and home did not understand them. This feeling coupled with their fear, anger and frustration at being bullied frequently in school could be related to Chinese‐American adolescents' negative perception of school and teachers. Implications of the study are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 40: 71–84, 2003.