Informal Assessment of Asian Americans: A Cultural and Linguistic Mismatch?

Abstract

the demographic profile and the academic and economic achievements of Asian Americans are discussed the barriers Asian Americans face in accessing educational and economic opportunities are presented / it is posited that a major factor contributing to inequality is the widespread use of culturally based informal evaluations discusses research findings on culturally specific linguistic conventions and how native English speakers interpret these conventions, often resulting in unfavorable judgments of the abilities, intentions, and attitudes of Asian Americans concludes by suggesting research that must be conducted to increase our understanding of the impact of these cultural and linguistic differences questions are raised about policies and strategies adopted by those in power and by Asian Americans to address this inequity (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved). (chapter)