The immigrant optimism hypothesis holds in some cultural contexts but not in others, depending on cultural congruence, cooperative learning, and family educational investment¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2004 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? High future expectations of minority parents and youth predict educational attainment, but the effect is conditional on classroom cultural congruence and family investment. → Phalet 2004 q2 i? High parental aspirations may fail to produce school results when perceived discrimination or unequal opportunities limit their motivational impact. → Phalet 2004 (2)

Evidence¶

Phalet 2004¶

Phalet, K., Andriessen, I., & Lens, W. (2004). How Future Goals Enhance Motivation and Learning in Multicultural Classrooms. Educational Psychology Review, Vol. 16, No. 1. https://hdl.handle.net/1874/23520

q2 · i? · review · r3

The review's own synthesis of cross-cultural studies in the United States and Europe, including longitudinal evidence that parental aspirations predict educational progress after controlling for social and family background. It states the hypothesis "holds in some cultural contexts but not in others."

"To conclude, the immigrant optimism hypothesis holds in some cultural contexts but not in others; specifically, it holds when teaching prac- tices and interactions in multicultural classrooms support cultural congru- ence and cooperative learning, and/or when shared cultural values and be- liefs in minority families and communities promote educational investment."

Phalet 2004 (2)¶

Phalet, K., Andriessen, I., & Lens, W. (2004). How Future Goals Enhance Motivation and Learning in Multicultural Classrooms. Educational Psychology Review, Vol. 16, No. 1. https://hdl.handle.net/1874/23520

q2 · i? · review · r3

The review reports, citing Pels (1998) and Phalet and Schönpflug (2001b), that high parental aspirations do not always translate into achievement under perceived discrimination or unequal opportunities. The hypothesis also excludes so-called involuntary minorities in the U.S. context.

"On a cautionary note, some findings suggest that there are limits to the mo- tivational impact of high parental aspirations in the presence of perceived discrimination or unequal opportunities (Pels, 1998; Phalet and Sch ¨onpflug, 2001b)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Bicultural identity and integration-type acculturation attitudes are most conducive to minority students' school success, with weak or inconsistent associations for ethnic identification alone
• The attitude-achievement paradox: disadvantaged minority youth may show low achievement despite high motivation to achieve upward mobility through schooling
• Family stress and family investment models explain mediating processes of SES influence — related
• SSWs perceive meso-level community and school contexts, including 287g programs and ICE activity, as shaping immigrant families' fear and access — related