annotated bibliography

0

Annotated Bibliography

Hmong Children In The United States


Table of Contents

Introduction to the paper:.........................................................................................2

Annotated Bibliography:..........................................................................................2

Four empirical articles on Hmong children in United States:...............................2

Chang, C. S. (2004, May). A Hmong And His Story................................................3

Ed.D., K. Y. (2005). An Assessment of the Hmong American New Year and Its

Implications for the Hmong-American Culture. Hmong Studies Journal , 8, 32..5

Vang, D. C. (2004-05). Hmong-American K-12 Students and the Academic Skills

needed for a College Education: A Review of the Existing Literature and

Suggestions for Future Research. Hmong Studies Journal , 5, 31......................7

Vang, K. M. (2011, May). Living a Double Life: How Hmong Adolescents Adapt

With Clashing Cultures. UMI , 93.............................................................................9

Bibliography............................................................................................................11

1


Introduction to the paper:

This is a 9 pages paper and is in APA format and has 15 sources. The paper is an

annotated bibliography of four empirical articles fully focusing on the Hmong children

in the United States of America. This annotated bibliography reviews four empirical

articles all focused on the Hmong children in the United States.

Annotated Bibliography:

Annotated bibliography is a very efficient way that describes the total authenticity of

the document and further it elaborates that how much validity has been integrated in

the citation. It explains the reliability of the text. It helps one to understand the

complete accuracy and resourcefulness of content. It is perceived that an annotated

bibliography provides a brief of almost two hundred words but it is more important

how long the content is because the annotated bibliography must cover the whole

thing with it enabling the reader to understand it completely and so the length of

annotation varies. Annotated bibliography must provide enough information to the

reader leading from the fundamentals of thesis up to its conclusion.

Four empirical articles on Hmong children in United States:

1. A Hmong and his history.

2. An Assessment of the Hmong American New Year and Its Implications for the

Hmong-American Culture.

3. Hmong-American K-12 Students and the Academic Skills needed for a Col-

lege Education: A Review of the Existing Literature and Suggestions for Fu-

ture Research.

4. Living a Double Life: How Hmong Adolescents Adapt With Clashing Cultures.

2


Chang, C. S. (2004, May). A Hmong And His Story.

A Hmong and his history is a successful dissertation submitted by Dr. Chou

Soobtsheej Chang to the University of St. Thomas. The dissertation was conducted

in the year 2004. Briefly the focal point of this dissertation is about Hmong people

and author’s intention is to direct it for his Hmong children. Here author has tried to

give a full and in depth analysis of Hmong people to create awareness about Hmong

people.

These mountain people historically resisted changes and lived apart from other

ethnic groups and maintained their own culture for over 5000 years (Moua, 1994).

Clanship has been the most important factor for Hmong people to maintain their ritu-

als which includes burning offering to their beloved ancestors along with the wor-

ships they have continued since decades. They dwell isolated in the jungle of Laos

historically and started agriculture and involved themselves in livestock as well to

maintain their food demands (Yang Dao, 1993). The biggest change occurred due to

the war was their shift to the United States. During this war Laos, Thailand and Viet-

nam were the major affected areas. Author has described an in depth history of this

great war just in order to preserve the knowledge of their ethnicity to their newer gen-

erations due to the fact that they really want to preserve it as it unites them strongly

helping them to continue their spirituality (Quincy, 1988).

An important aspect is a Hmong’s life being a war victim, a soldier, a refugee, life in

Thailand refugee camps and finally in America. It was the Thailand government’s

mercy upon Hmong people that they found a place where they could survive. They

kept on shifting from one camp to another along with the lacking of food and

3


medicine. After a long crucial time it was a new beginning and they were allowed to

go to America independently but again the uniting issue arrived, it was a big concern

for them because they can’t live alone but ultimately they were shifted along with

their desired relatives too to America. From here a new struggle begun in order to

achieve respect and wealth. The author describes a new journey of life in the Hawaii.

The worst experience they faced was adapting to America recreating their lives

according to a totally different culture along with the problem of language and

qualification. The tuff struggle started from a $2.4 per hour wage rate to survive the

whole family’s life and later on shifted to Chicago.

The author has done an in depth explanation of his hardships of life from Laos to St.

Paul. His achievement of a doctorate explains the hard work behind it that how could

a person who started with a $2.4 per hour job and ended up with a doctorate degree

a wife and two children who are focused in this whole thesis. The long journey

explain the great war completely including every single and even minor names of

people who were involved in this war, the miscellaneous agencies and people who

helped the Hmong in this long lived war, the affect of war on his own life and the

various Hmong clans and groups resulting them to become refugees of Thailand

camps namely Nong Khai, Nam Phong and Vinai. The author is more concerned to

the religious and cultural values those different ethnicities posses around the world.

He has made it very clear that there should be no discrimination of anyone’s cultural

norms, values, behaviors, perceptions, ethics, traditions and all in all the way of life

they have been leading from generations to generations. It is just a matter of

understanding between people enabling them to give space to others. Hmong

4


civilization their major part of existence in this world had been spent in a need of

independence.

Ed.D., K. Y. (2005). An Assessment of the Hmong American New Year and Its

Implications for the Hmong-American Culture. Hmong Studies Journal , 8 , 32

It is a thesis written on the occasion of Hmong American new year by Kou Yang. The

thesis describes various implications for the Hmong American culture. The author

puts light on the significance of the Hmong ethnic group culture in the United States

and its continuation in the territory. The author is concerned with the new age of

Hmong ethnicity putting an in depth light over the vast changes that are adopted by

this community with respect to the relation of Hmong and the United States dynamic

market and a review of the Hmong individual and social environment in the United

States. The given empirical article falls within the context of Hmong Diaspora which

means their dispersion from their homeland to various regions of the world.

The author’s effort is to explain the fundamentals of Hmong people around the world.

These fundamentals are like foundation pillars for the Hmong culture. The author has

listed five basic fundamentals that are in the context of their Diaspora which includes

the most important and very basic principles such as first of all keeping themselves

united while ignoring the fact that they are dispersed, trying their best to maintain

their memories of past related to their homeland which was their central point, their

crucial interactions with other various societies of the world and putting continuous

efforts to break off the unjust cruelty forced to them by other in order to keep them

dominated and moreover vanished from the world (Yang, K., 2005: 294).

There are a number of observations presented by the author in this article not only

in verbally but also have provided photos of each and every change that has been

5


adopted by Hmong people in the United States just according to the changing

patterns of their lives right accordingly to the changing environment around them

because in order to survive they really needed to adopt and at times adapt things

from the western culture because in order to at least coop up with the society they

have to engage themselves and mould their behaviors and perception according to

the new technology and markets of the United States.

As far as the purpose of this article is concerned one can easily see a collective

overview and reflection of the Hmong people all over the United States, the research

does not focused on the various categories of Hmong people in the United States

but a collective and more general information background has been developed by

the author successfully in this article. The author has clearly developed a sense of

understanding that their new year is a very joyful event for them because it is their

annual effort of reminding their historic traditions, culture and norms to their newer

generations teaching them to continue their civilization while cooping themselves

with the modern day world. The bigger part of this writing is based on the

photographic presentations explaining the new Hmong generation in the United

States and these pictures from their new year explains how the modern Hmong

generation is leading with the modern day world innovations and a global

perspective of living with being discriminated and dominated and performing their

own cultural and religious activities independently. According to the author this article

explains that their New Year celebration is also a source for them to show that they

are independent and united no matter in which region of the world they are living.

6


The author has described three major event of their New Year as the celebration is

divided into three parts namely the New Year’s feast, the ritual ceremony of the

transition from the old to the New Year, and the celebration (Yang, K, 2003).

A number of activities and rituals of Hmong New Year has been explained.

Vang, D. C. (2004-05). Hmong-American K-12 Students and the Academic Skills

needed for a College Education: A Review of the Existing Literature and

Suggestions for Future Research. Hmong Studies Journal , 5 , 31.

This is a review conducted by Dr. Christopher T. Vang Assistant Professor of

Education California State University, Stanislaus regarding the academic needs of

Hmong American students for their college education. This research article is a

contrast presenting the success or failure of Hmong students for college academics.

The author is concerned with the various problem that have been faced by the

Hmong students in the United States in their public schools moreover they face

problems in the secondary school which ultimately results in a very bad academic

experience in their college span of life. The problem identified by the author in this

research article is mainly that the Hmong students of United States really need a

very strong curricula in their school studies these could include many variables. The

article is a very powerful effort for those who want to make an understanding of the

Hmong students in America their issues and circumstances. The perception of public

schools for Hmong students clearly explains that they are not concerned to give the

required importance to these students as they needed (Lee, 2001).

There are a number of questions raised by the author in his research article and

addressed successfully. The most important questions asked by the author in this

7


research article are related to Hmong student’s social, economical, interpersonal,

environmental factors.

Author has found that their social and economic situation has a great impact on their

academic life, it has been observed that the majority of Hmong families are not

enough strong to afford private schooling for their children and their economic

(financial weakness) has a vital role in forcing them towards public school where

they does not receive the accurate amount of importance and attention as required.

Secondly author puts some light on the parenting manner of the Hmong students

and found that the manner they lead their children is also a very important role

because a children’s first place for his/her primary socialization is one’s parents. It

totally depends upon the parents that how they are teaching their children at home

the very initial teachings. It has been found that a children’s primary socialization has

the greatest impact on one’s future or secondary socialization (Hess, 2000;

Rumberger, 1991). The most important factor throughout notices for the failures or

lack of academic success for Hmong students in United States have been

highlighted as the language problem. Hmong children are very weak in English

proficiency even they have been categorized in the secondary English level area.

The author has found that most of the researchers recommend that learning any

second language by an individual becomes much more difficult in late ages and

individuals have the peek time to learn any other language in their childhood ( from

the initial age) as it is very much vital for them Lenneberg (1967).

All in all the author goes beyound the same factors of social, economical, ultural,

demographic, environmental which includes both internal as well as their external

environment and interpersonal factors and found that most of the researchers agree

8


with all these factors as the major and only variables that are affecting the Hmong K-

12 students aademic life at colleges and are have become the most important and

only reasons of lack of academic success. The research elaborates these factors in

depth and adresses the every possible implication to these factors. The researhed

showed that there is a need of improving their primary and secondary socialization.

Vang, K. M. (2011, May). Living a Double Life: How Hmong Adolescents Adapt

With Clashing Cultures. UMI , 93.

This research article basically addresses the Hmong adolescents’ behavioral study

which includes the psychological impact developed on the Hmong adolescents in the

result of their acculturation. The research is a compare and contrast between the

Hmong adolescents and impacts of acculturation on their psychological behaviors

moreover it is concerned with their well being in the light of stress. The literature

reviews some of the critical findings related to their recognition and from the point of

academics the author is more concerned with the well being of Hmong adolescents,

the strategies they made and implemented while coping with a new environment.

The study is has been powered with very accurate statistical facts and figures related

to the three major areas picked in this research article namely the acculturation, their

psychological well being in the given environment and the stress of acculturation.

The author’s quantitative approach of researching and analyzing the variables

benefitted with accurate results and the opportunity to present its implications. The

author found that their identity could be considered as the major factor influencing

Hmong’s adaptation process with the very new and dominating culture of United

States.

9


The study is focused on the new generation of Hmong people. It is a fact that the

Hmong people traditionally lived isolated and they were satisfied with it. It has been

observed that the strategies Hmong adopted for their acculturation had a great

influence on the psychological state of Hmong adolescents (Lee & Liu, 2001).

The study reveals that identity of Hmong community left a great level of distress

psychologically which influenced their acculturation process. The results showed that

Hmong adolescents who were less acculturated have much more sense of

collectivism and unition as compared to the more acculturated Hmong adolescents.

The reserch article’s findings under the light of influences of acculturation strategies

left on the psychological well being of Hmong adolescents adresses that the

adolescents who seleted strategies more focused to the collectivism were more

stable in their pshychological well being. The author concludes that Implication found

from the research says that Hmong adolescents have to understand the fact that

strategies bsaed on collectivism could prevent them a lot from the acculturative

stress. Moreover in the light of role of identity and recognition in acculturation and

well being adresses that adolescents who found and identified themselves as

Hmong adolescents were experinced very less acculturative stress as compared to

those who got dominated by the environment and current culture and identifed

themselves as the American Hmong individuals. Author has proved that there is

corelation between psyhological issues and acculturative stress.

The author main focused throughout the research article is mainly towards the

influences of coping strategies on Hmong adolescents acculturation and its relation

to the acculturative stress and Hmong adolescents behaviors and patters, seondly

the relationship and differences between the Hmong adolescents identity and coping

10


strategies and the effects of all these variables on the modern day generation of

Hmong generation and how they have been dominated by the new dominating

culture of the United States. The most imprtant factor that makes the author

attractive is that successful finding of the negative relation of Hmong adolescents

psyhological well being and the acculturative stress.

Bibliography

Chang, C. S. (2004, May). A Hmong And His Story.

Ed.D., K. Y. (2005). An Assessment of the Hmong American New Year and Its Implications for the Hmong-American Culture. Hmong Studies Journal , 8, 32.

Vang, D. C. (2004-05). Hmong-American K-12 Students and the Academic Skills needed for a College Education: A Review of the Existing Literature and Suggestions for Future Research. Hmong Studies Journal , 5, 31.

Vang, K. M. (2011, May). Living a Double Life: How Hmong Adolescents Adapt With Clashing Cultures. UMI , 93.

Quincy, K. (1988). Hmong: History of a people. Cheney, WA; Eastern Washington University Press

Moua, T. Y. (1994) Values and political leadership: As perceived by the US Hmong.Unpublished doctoral dissertation: United States International University, San Diego.

Yang, D. (1993).Hmong at the turning point Minneapolis: World Bridge Associates.

Yang, Kou (2005) “Research Notes from the Field: Tracing the Path of the Ancestors – A Visit to the Hmong in China” Hmong Studies Journal 6, 2005: 247-294.

Yang, K (2003) “Hmong New Year Celebration” APA News & Review (November/December 2003). 12.

11


Lee. S.J. (2001) “More than “Model Minorities” or “Delinquents”: A look at Hmong American high school students” Harvard Educational Review 71(3): 71(3): 505-528.

Rumberger, R. W. (1991). “Chicano dropouts: A review of research and policy issues.” In R.R. Valencia (Ed.), Chicano school failure and success: Research and policy agendas for the 1990s. New York: Falmer, 64-89.

Hess, R. S. (2000). “Dropping out among Mexican American youth: Reviewing the literature through an ecological perspective” Journal of Education for Students Placed At-Risk, 5 (3):267-289.

Lenneberg, E. (1967). Biological Foundations of Language, New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Lee, R. M, & Liu, H.-T. T (2001) coping with intergenerational family conflict: Comparison of Asian American, Hispanic, and European American college students Journal of Counseling Psychology, 48, 410-419

12

annotated bibliography

Documents

hmong studies journal

academic skills needed

hmong adolescents adapt

annotated bibliography vang

annotated bibliography

empirical articles

hmong adolescents

secondary socialization