Citizenship development of Chinese immigrant youth in the United States

There has been a rapid increase of the Chinese immigrant youths enrolling in U.S. higher educational institutions. The question of how college-level Chinese immigrant youths develop their citizenship is critical to American educators in order to provide better civic preparation. The present mixed-method study investigated Chinese immigrant youths' citizenship development in areas of identity, attitudes, engagement, and knowledge. The participants were over 100 college-level Chinese youths who were born abroad or whose parents were born abroad. In Phase I of the study, a Modified Nominal Group Technique (MNGT) explored the characteristics of different developmental areas of citizenship among the participants. One-on-one telephone interviews were conducted to explain how life experiences influence citizenship development. Phase II of the study utilized an on-line survey which investigated the relationships between the identities and citizenship development. Result of this research shows that Chinese immigrant youths have unique development of citizenship. The feelings of belonging to the cultural community and the national state were associated with different development aspects. The research helps American educators understand how youth citizenship development is influenced by cultures and the different understandings of good citizenry across social groups.