Chinese American Middle School Youths' Experiences of Discrimination and Stereotyping

Abstract

This study examined Chinese American youths' perceptions of their non-Asian peers' views and behaviors toward them. In 4 focus groups, 22 Chinese Americans (ages 11 to 15) described specific relational experiences that were analyzed thematically. Three major themes related to racial discrimination emerged: (1) descriptions of stereotyping experiences; (2) descriptions of harassment or discriminatory experiences; and (3) meaning-making or explanations of why discrimination and stereotyping occur. These data can help guide future research on Asian American youths' peer relationships to gain insight into their experiences, reactions to, and understanding of subtle yet potent forms of discrimination. Implications for future research and intervention are also discussed.

Keywords:

• adolescence
• Asian American
• Chinese
• discrimination

The authors wish to thank our research team and focus group participants for their support and important contributions to this paper.