Assimilation and Educational Achievement: the Case of the Second Generation Japanese-American

Abstract

A review of the literature reveals three conflicting hypotheses concerning Japanese-American educational achievement. Data from a three-generational, national sample of Japanese-Americans are examined to determine the correlates of the second-generation respondents' (the Nisei) educational achievement. Employing four measures of assimilation—cultural, structural, marital, and identificational—the findings suggest that the greater the assimilation of the respondent, the higher the educational achievement. These findings and their implications are discussed.