Civic Engagement of Korean Immigrant College Students in the United States

Abstract

As one of the largest Asian immigrant groups in the United States, Korean immigrants have received scholarly attention for their high educational attainment, cultural preservation, and successful socioeconomic adaptation. However, younger Korean immigrant generations have reported struggles over how to balance and integrate their Korean ethnic and American national identities. This dilemma affects how these youth grow as active U.S. citizens and participate in various civic engagement activities. This study draws from the theoretical framework of an ecological model of human development, conceptions of citizenship, and ethnic identity development to investigate the current level of civic engagement and associated factors among young Korean immigrant generations. The educational contexts examined were parent and peer civic influences, community civic involvement, and school civic learning opportunities. Ethnic identity and three conceptions of citizenship—personally- responsible, participatory, and justice-oriented—were examined as identity-relevant factors contributing to civic engagement. Methodologically, this study used an explanatory mixed-methods design. In the quantitative phase, online survey data were collected from 62 students in two university campuses in the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analyses to examine the relationships between educational contexts and civic engagement as well as identity-relevant factors and civic engagement. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews and observations collected from nine participants provided in-depth explanations for the quantitative analyses results. Findings suggested: (a) Korean immigrant college students were most involved in community service and volunteering activities and least engaged in political voice activities. Online participation is a popular technique for supporting their preferred political candidates and expressing opinions about social issues; (b) Among various educational contexts, peer civic involvement was the only significant factor affecting the participants’ civic engagement. Parents, community, and high school civic learning opportunities did not influence civic engagement; (c) Among identity-relevant factors, participatory citizenship significantly and positively influenced civic engagement. However, ethnic identity had an even more significant influence on civic engagement. With a broader definition of civic engagement, this study created a different profile from that of previous research that limited civic engagement to the conventional political participation of voting. By using an ecological model, this study sheds light on how various educational contexts and identity-relevant factors may affect the civic engagement of young Korean immigrant generations, whose civic engagement has been understudied.