A U.S. researcher has determined children of immigrants are more likely to pursue math and science as pathways to upward mobility.
The study by Vivian Tseng, a program officer with New York's William Grant Foundation, found children of immigrants are more likely to pursue math and science in college than are students from the same ethnic groups whose families have been in the United States for generations.
Additionally, the study found the pursuit of math and science is not isolated to one immigrant group, but exists for children of Latino, Afro-Caribbean and European immigrants.
"For child development researchers, this growth in immigration raises important questions about how children of immigrants are faring in school and work and how the challenges and opportunities of immigration influence how they fare," she said.
Tseng surveyed nearly 800 college students between the ages of 18 and 25 about their aspirations. She also collected data on their majors from the large, urban university they attended.
Students from immigrant families and children of immigrants were defined as those with at least one immigrant parent.
The study appears in the September/October issue of the journal Child Development.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Related stories:
Troubled children hurt peers' test scores, behavior
Troubled children hurt their classmates' math and reading scores and worsen their behavior, according to new research by economists at the University of California, Davis, and University of Pittsburgh.
A reason to smile: New immigrants respond best to oral hygiene campaign
Tapping into the desire to have an attractive smile is the best motivator for improving oral hygiene, and new immigrants are the most receptive to oral health messages, according to a new study in the
Journal of Consumer Research.
Review: 2 new devices mix learning with games
(AP) -- Your kids can learn math, how to tell time and other skills needed for school - and you don't have to pry them away from video games.
Calculators okay in math class, if students know the facts first
Calculators are useful tools in elementary mathematics classes, if students already have some basic skills, new research has found. The findings shed light on the debate about whether and when calculators should be used in the classroom.
Playing video games offers learning across life span, say studies
Certain types of video games can have beneficial effects, improving gamers' dexterity as well as their ability to problem-solve – attributes that have proven useful not only to students but to surgeons, according to research discussed Sunday at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.
Humans' response to risk can be unnecessarily dangerous, study
The traffic light ahead of you is turning yellow. Do you gun the engine and speed through the intersection, trusting that others will wait for their green, or do you slow down and wait your turn?
US immigrant children less physically active than US-born children
Immigrant children in the United States appear to be less physically active and less likely to participate in sports than U.S.–born children, according to a report in the August issue of
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Study: No gender differences in math performance
We've all heard it. Many of us in fact believe it. Girls just aren't as good at math as boys. But is it true? After sifting through mountains of data - including SAT results and math scores from 7 million students who were tested in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act - a team of scientists says the answer is no. Whether they looked at average performance, the scores of the most gifted children or students' ability to solve complex math problems, girls measured up to boys.