Abstract

Prior studies on student engagement in U.S. higher education focused mainly on the experiences of Black and White students (Meyer, 2014). Southeast Asian American students also face challenges regarding engagement on campus. Due to the influence of the Model Minority Myth, which leads faculty and administration to believe that Southeast Asian students need less academic and social support than other groups of students, Asian American students face unique challenges in campus engagement (Lee, Duesbery, Han, Thupten, Her, & Pang, 2017). This student population is also undergoing racial identity development while at school, which is believed to be an important factor influencing student engagement (Bingham & Okagaki, 2002). This phenomenological study explored the Vietnamese American students’ racial/ethnic identity development and academic/social engagement patterns at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) located in the Southeastern U.S. Based on in-depth, repeated interviews with eight Vietnamese American students, this study showed significant variations in the students’ racial/ethnic identities which were intricately related to their socioeconomic backgrounds, immigration circumstances, and the length of time in the U.S. educational system. While the impact of the Model Minority Myth (MMM) was a common ideological undercurrent found in all participants, their varied academic and social engagement patterns as college students were intrinsically related to the particular stage of their racial/ethnic identity development.