Sheena Choi - Gender, Ethnicity and Market Forces: Observations of Ethnic Chinese in Korea

In modern society, education is often seen as a vehicle of social mobility. While the myth of social mobility through education may be exaggerated, the value of schooling for socioeconomic attainment is well established (Olneck, 1995). Especially for immigrant children, schooling has been considered an avenue out of poverty and into the middle class (Olneck, 1995, p. 322).

Guskin (1965, p. 151) notes The effect of the school on the identity, attitudes and aspirations of the students is quite understandable for almost every society, the educational institutions represent the major socialization institutions for youth. At an age when individuals are most susceptible to alterations in their identity, the school presents a rather consistent picture of desired behaviors. Also, the school is the major agency of society for training in new skills and areas of knowledge which will enable the adolescent to adapt to the larger society. Schools thus take over from the family the socializing function. Assimilation which is an element of socialization refers to the process whereby one group, usually a subordinate one, becomes indistinguishable from another group, usually a dominant one (Feinberg and Soltis, 1992, p. 25). Therefore, schooling has historically presented and continues to present a challenge to the values and heritage of immigrant groups (Olneck, 1995). The dilemma of whether to assimilate or to maintain an ethnic identity has had profound consequences for immigrant families, often disrupting relationships between generations by transforming the cultural values, practices, and identities of each generation. For this reason, the schooling process sometimes becomes a source of tension, discomfort, and conflict between first-generation immigrants and their native-born offspring. In less developed societies, even primary level education can result in a separation between children and parents, while in developed societies, such as the United States, Western Europe, and Korea, higher education opens the door to a profession, thus, social mobility. In certain respects, these same attitudes influence educational choices, especially those regarding higher education, made by ethnic Chinese in Korea.

The schooling of immigrants and ethnic minorities thus holds substantial symbolic power (Olneck, 1995, p. 310) for both the majority population and its minorities, as it reflects the historical context and the philosophy that inform a given society. In the case of ethnic minorities, the relationship between schooling and cultural values is even more complex, for education often acts as a homogenizing force to integrate immigrant youth into the mainstream language and culture. For this reason, research on immigrants and education illuminates important societal beliefs and aspirations, prevailing educational policies and practices, and contentious debates about multiculturalism (Olneck, 1995). In the case of the United States, which is a heterogeneous society, educators responses to immigrants in the early part of the twentieth century led to the notion of Americanization as the goal of education for immigrants. They thought to promote cultural conformity in order to integrate the population and to enhance immigrants participation in national life (Olneck, 1995, p. 312).