Current Research
Documenting and Understanding the Immigrant Paradox in Adolescence
Principle Researchers: Amy Marks and Cynthia GarcÍa Coll
Research Assistant: Flannery Patton and Tristan Guarini
In the Spring of 2007 we began a three-year, William T. Grant funded project which seeks to document and bring greater understanding to the contextual factors underlying the immigrant paradox in health, behavior and educational/occupational outcomes.
The immigrant paradox refers to a phenomenon in which, for Latino and Asian populations in this country, individuals who are poorer and less acculturated to the US display more favorable outcomes than more highly acculturated or native born individuals from the same ethnicity or the white population. Two nationally representative longitudinal studies of children and adolescents--theNational Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health)--are being used to address the question: What are the contextual processes in families, peers, school and neighborhoods settings that are associated with the positive outcomes observed in the immigrant paradox?
In the Spring of 2009 we brought together researchers, policy makers, educators and students at a national conference that explored the academic and behavioral trends of immigrant youth. Academics from across the country shared their research and students with immigrant families shared their experiences and perspectives. Video of speakers and copies of the conference presentations are now online.
It is our hope that by documenting and understanding the interplay between the complex environments and academic outcomes of these children within and across generations, this new research will allow others to design interventions that can prevent the deterioration in academic outcomes that are observed among immigrant populations as they acculturate to the US.
Want more information? Contact us by email at Flannery_Patton "at" brown "dot" edu