Low-income South Asian Parents' Concept of 'making It' in Hong Kong PDF Download

Author: Alka Sharma
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Parents
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Author: Alka Sharma
Publisher: Open Dissertation Press
ISBN: 9781361307939
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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This dissertation, "Low-income South Asian Parents' Concept of 'making It' in Hong Kong" by Alka, Sharma, was obtained from The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) and is being sold pursuant to Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation. All rights not granted by the above license are retained by the author. Abstract: This thesis addresses academic underachievement by ethnic minorities, a persistent sociological problem, in the context of low-income South Asian students in Hong Kong. South Asians have deep roots in the history of Hong Kong; however lower income groups among them find few opportunities for upward social mobility. Students from this community attend 'designated' local public schools, which do not seem to offer them a challenging academic environment. Hence, these students generally show poorer levels of academic performance and higher levels of dropout rates compared to the majority Chinese students. Most of them also do not go to university and seem to make poor career choices. Existing research on this issue has explored the impact of factors such as limited school choices, segregation in designated schools, poor quality of education, Chinese language requirement, and stereotypes associated with the South Asian community, suggesting that the disadvantaged position of South Asian students is a consequence of their 'non-Chinese status' as it denies them the privileges enjoyed by the mainstream population. However, prior research has generally overlooked the role of South Asian parents in their children's academic life. This thesis addresses this 'research gap' by exploring low-income South Asian parents' understanding of the educational opportunities available in Hong Kong and their attitudes towards children's education and future. A qualitative study within the social constructionist paradigm is used, to examine the ways in which low-income South Asian parents understand and respond to the education system in Hong Kong. Grounded theory approach is used to collect and interpret the data obtained from seventy one interviews with South Asian students, their parents, teachers and social workers. Using 'constant comparative' and 'inductive' methods, three sensitizing concepts are identified - 'parental involvement', 'ethnic identity' and 'folk theory of making it'; and these are used as the theoretical foundation for the data analysis process. In addition, four conceptual categories are developed - 'educational perspectives', 'limited support', 'beyond control', and 'ensuring future success', which define the process of adaptation of the South Asian parents to the education system in Hong Kong. Data shows that the low socioeconomic status and strong ethnic identity of South Asian parents has a major impact on their educational expectations for their children and their adaptation pattern reflects 'resistance' against marginalization in the local education system. This study highlights the 'instrumental' view of education wherein South Asian parents do not conform to standard achivement ideology of Hong Kong society. Instead, they seem to withdraw from high academic expectations and upward social mobility, which further widens the existing social and economic gap between them and other groups, especially the majority Chinese group. In this process, their ethnic identity is reinforced with a focus on strong ties with their home countries; hence, most of them consider themselves only as 'economic stakeholders' in Hong Kong society. These findings emphasize the immediate need for the provision of quality education for ethnic minority groups and concerned attitude from the educators and citizenship education DOI: 10.5353/th_b4979937 Subjects: South As...

Author: Thomas Kwan-Choi Tse
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317439384
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Since 1997 when Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, a string of education reforms have been introduced to improve the quality of education and maintain Hong Kong’s economic competitiveness in the age of globalization. This book provides a comprehensive and critical analysis of major issues and challenges faced by the education system, ranging from pre-school to higher education. It analyses the prospects for educational development in Hong Kong. It further addresses how the Hong Kong government has responded to the perceived challenges of the external environment and internal forces and explains the rationales for the actions taken. Not only does it review how the reform initiative challenges have been dealt with, it also reviews how effective these initiatives are and its implications on future directions.

Author: Yan Guo
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 981130324X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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This book examines new directions in home-school relations from an international perspective. Unlike other current literature that concentrates on traditional models of family-school partnerships in Western countries, it focuses on the contributions of immigrant and minority parents, especially those in Asia and South America. This book brings together international scholars who explore home-school relations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Mongolia, Sweden and the United States.

Author: Elaine Suk Ching Liu
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351589598
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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This book describes the origin, development and current state of volunteerism in Asia and Hong Kong. It also presents a field-tested model of empowering through volunteerism (namely, the CYEP at City University), that involves youth, governmental and non-governmental agencies and their clients in a rapidly changing society. Volunteerism is then described as a "win-win" situation for all stakeholders/actors. Volunteerism converges the needs, the struggles, the personal motives and the aspirations of the volunteers, together with the dreams and the difficulties of the clients, the expertise of the professionals and the (lack of) resources of the agencies, the new values emerging in society, the effects of globalization and the new policies. This book presents actual Asian case examples with the voices of the people involved on the CYEP (volunteers, officers, service recipients) who explain how volunteering changed their lives, their values, their attitudes toward social, civic and political participation, their ethics and sense of individual responsibility. These stories from the frontlines can be adopted and/or adopted for use by other institutions, but it is also the chance for understanding the emergence of volunteering in Asia overall, and its future direction.

Author: Miron Kumar Bhowmik
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9811003270
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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This book offers a comprehensive overview of ‘out of school’ ethnic minority young people in Hong Kong. The focus is on the extent of the phenomena, reasons behind it and a description of ‘out of school’ life. Employing qualitative research methods and adopting a case study approach that involved fieldwork comprising 15 in-depth interviews and 2 observations with 11 ‘out of school’ ethnic minority young people, this book provides detailed insights into the phenomena. Information gained from an additional 22 in-depth interviews with 20 other stakeholders related to ethnic minority education, from time spent at three schools and key document analysis are also incorporated. Drawing on critical race theory, this book presents a critical discussion of the ‘out of school’ issue for ethnic minority young people in a privileged Chinese context.

Author: Stephen WK Chiu
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9811657076
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 411

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This book borrows the concept of “high-definition” from digital broadcasting to highlight our unique approach to Hong Kong society, which gives a sharper image than analyses. It intends to highlight contrasts with many common and taken-for-granted stories, myths and representations of Hong Kong— which often presented with a low level of detail, lacking proper connections between grounded personal experiences and the macro social context. With chapters covering various salient dimensions of Hong Kong’s society, including migration, economy, inequality, identity and social movements, our “high-definition” approach presents images with high enough “resolution” to match multiple layers of experiences from walks of life of Hong Kong people, contributing to an understanding of how global transformation impacts local people’s experiences, as well as Hong Kong’s significance in the regional and global system.

Author: Priscilla Pue Ho Chu
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9622096425
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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This book provides a detailed account of Chinese industrial entrepreneurs, and describes and explains the phenomena of women entrepreneurship in Hong Kong. It addresses two main issues: first, the characteristics of Chinese entrepreneurship and women entrepreneurs; second, the factors that constitute the making of Chinese women entrepreneurs in Hong Kong. From in-depth personal interviews, Priscilla Chu examines the entrepreneur as a person, and as a member of family, organization and society. Having thus established the characteristic features of Chinese entrepreneurship in general, and female entrepreneurship in particular, the author builds a model to summarize the making of female entrepreneurs in Hong Kong, a model which is significantly different from that for male and Western counterparts. The study analyses the distinct Chinese entrepreneurship in relation to familism, Chinese work ethics, family and organizational conditions, and societal and cultural contexts.

Author: Hin-yui Lee (June)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Immigrants
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Author: John Nguyet Erni
Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
ISBN: 9888208349
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 251

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People of South Asian descent are a large, varied and increasingly visible part of Hong Kong’s population. Most have found ways of prospering despite social and economic obstacles and widespread discrimination. Focusing on three important groups—Indians, Pakistanis, and Nepalese—Erni and Leung explore the cultural histories of South Asians in Hong Kong and their experiences at school and at work. The book then discusses how far South Asians’ legal rights are protected by recent anti-discrimination legislation, how they are presented in mainstream media, and how they in turn have made creative use of the media in their efforts to secure recognition as full members of society. Written in an accessible style and drawing on a range of case studies, Understanding South Asian Minorities in Hong Kong is intended primarily for university students and general readers. It will also be of interest to scholars in a wide variety of disciplines, including sociology, social work, media studies, anthropology, history, and cultural studies. At a time when minority rights come increasingly under scrutiny, this book will also be essential reading for advocates, politicians and policy-makers. “This is a comprehensive book on South Asians in Hong Kong. Its examinations of important issues affecting the community are well researched, well argued and supported. The inclusion of personal stories and vignettes also adds a sense of ‘living history.’ This book will certainly enhance the readers’ understanding of Hong Kong’s multicultural background, the advantage of a pluralistic society, and the steps towards further racial integration.” —York Y. N. Chow, Chairperson, Equal Opportunities Commission, Hong Kong “This is a striking example of cultural studies at its best: boldly interdisciplinary, smartly argued, engagingly written, and with a provocative set of policy recommendations to top it all off. Erni and Leung’s nuanced analysis of the politics of racism with respect to ethnic minorities in Hong Kong is a ‘must read’ for anyone interested in critical multiculturalism.” —Gilbert B. Rodman, University of Minnesota “For understanding the situation of South Asians in Hong Kong, this book is absolutely essential reading. It explores not only South Asians’ lives and histories in Hong Kong, but also Hong Kong laws, mass media, and educational policies as these affect South Asians. This book will be a valuable resource for years and decades to come.” —Gordon Mathews, The Chinese University of Hong Kong