Craig Centrie

Centrie's work explores the roles of traditional Vietnamese cultural attitudes and the immigrant or refugee experience in developing identity and cultural attitudes among Vietnamese-American high school students.

Centrie studies the identity formation of 20 Vietnamese high school students. Vietnamese students have a strong pro-school identity that arises from their immigrant or refugee experiences. The Vietnamese thus become model minorities in the eyes of their teachers. Vietnamese male students stress that their perception of freedom is closely linked to going to school and college. They also reported abuse by American students. Vietnamese female identity also centers on their refugee or immigrant experiences. Women, however, are less likely than men to have clear plans for the future, create an ideology of romance around Vietnamese males, and struggle to balance traditional female roles with American ideas gender equality. Vietnamese families and community also contribute to the student's pro-school identity by strictly enforcing Vietnamese cultural attitudes.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Research Methodology
2. Vietnamese Refugee Background
3. Inside West Side High School
4. West Side High Vietnamese Males
5. West Side High Vietnamese Females
6. The Contributions of Parents, Family, and Friends
7. Conclusion

Appendix
References
Index