This study examined the experiences of Hmong American parents who navigate the U.S. public school system through Hmong American charter schools. The purpose of this study was to determine the successes and challenges, as defined and described by Hmong American parents, in the hope of creating a positive and effective educational experience for…

This study investigated Hmong American adolescents' perceptions of their mother as helping them understand race as Asian American youths in an urban context. Twenty-four Hmong American adolescents ages 14 to 18 (M = 15.8; 67% female; 54% U.S. born, 46% born in Southeast Asia) participated in semi-structured interviews, following approval of the…

This qualitative research study informed by constructivist grounded theory will analyze and construct meaning as to how female Hmong Principals develop their leadership style through cultural, personal, and professional influences. I aim to gain a deeper understanding by exploring the salient factors that carefully influence their leadership…

The Hmong people are an ethnic group from Southeast Asia. Hmong Americans came to this country as refugees from Laos. Serving as the fabric of the Hmong community, the "1.5 generation" is the unique generation of those born in Laos or Thai refugee camps and transported to America in their childhood. They represent the link between their…

While scholars have noted the levels of educational attainment of Hmong Americans compared to East Asian Americans as well as the overall population, this focus has undermined the achievements of Hmong Americans. To shift the discourse on Hmong American students and provide a liberatory perspective, I examined the student-initiated organizing…

This study describes a method for collecting data from nonliterate, non-English-speaking populations. Our audio computer-assisted self-interview instrument with color-labeled response categories was designed for use with helper assistance. The study included 30 dyads of nonliterate older Hmong respondents and family helpers answering questions…

This paper analyzes metalinguistic comments of two young Hmong Americans in the Minneapolis-St Paul area regarding their identity negotiation using tactics of intersubjectivity (Bucholtz & Hall 2004a, 2004b, 2005), the notion of brought-along identity (Williams 2008) and Zhang's (2017) sociohistorical perspectives in analyzing linguistic…

This qualitative research utilized the descriptive case study approach to examine the lived experiences of twelve 1.5- or 2.0-generation Hmong American women who occupy leadership positions in public schools (K-12) and colleges (community colleges, state colleges, and universities) in California. It delved into their gendered, racial,…

Although scholars have studied migrant children who translate for their families, less is known about how these experiences matter for life-long literacy experiences. This article argues that child language brokers develop advanced skills in literacy and rhetoric from which they draw throughout their lives, in multiple contexts.

Hmong Americans are originally a preliterate, seminomadic, and agrarian ethnic hill tribe from Southeast Asia and have now been in the United States for the last four decades. From the 1960s to the mid 1970s, the Hmong joined forces with the U.S. during the Secret War in Laos. After the U.S. pulled out of Laos in 1975, the new Laotian regime began…

Structural barriers are systemic challenges embedded in culture, economy, and institutions that cause inequality. Produced by systems of power, they require large-scale investment and policy solutions to achieve meaningful change. In 2017, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) conducted focus groups with young women of color to learn what…

This study draws on racial formation theory and theories of racialized masculinities to situate how two early-career male teachers of color from refugee backgrounds (Hmong and Somali) have made sense of conflicting gendered and racialized expectations in predominantly white and feminized professional spaces. Issues of intersectionality, power, and…

This qualitative thematic analysis study examined the motivations of first-generation college graduate Hmong American students in their educational attainment. Currently, Hmong American students are facing cultural and institutional barriers which continue to impact access to and achievement in college. Although there is an educational disparity,…

Background/Context: Community-based youth theater programs afford youth opportunities to explore and "author" new identities by "performing writing." Yet, we know much less about the ways in which immigrant youth are exploring struggles and changes within their families and ethnic community. We particularly lack research about…

Hmong people in the United States of America have started to emerge on the national scene thanks to the recent rise of Hmong politicians winning State representative, senate, and assembly seats. The Hmong-American experience in the United States is a rollercoaster experience. While we have made America our home for the past 45 years, our presence…