Date of Award

2025

Degree Type

Restricted to Claremont Colleges Dissertation

Degree Name

Education, PhD

Program

School of Educational Studies

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Bruce Matsui

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

David Drew

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Frances Marie Gipson

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2025 Elmer Choe

Keywords

Korean American students, Model Minority Stereotype

Subject Categories

Education

Abstract

The Model Minority Stereotype (MMS) continues to shape the educational experiences of Korean American students, reinforcing high academic expectations while marginalizing their unique challenges. This dissertation examines how MMS perceptions influence academic self-concept and social-emotional well-being among Korean American high school students and recent graduates in Los Angeles County. It further explores how socio-economic status (SES) and generational status moderate these effects. Grounded in the Triangul-Asian Model, which synthesizes Racial Triangulation Theory (Kim, 1999) and Asian Critical Theory (AsianCrit) (Museus & Iftikar, 2013), this study investigates how Korean American students are simultaneously valorized for academic success and marginalized as perpetual foreigners. This study used a structured online survey to collect responses from 65 Korean American high school juniors and seniors as well as recent graduates reflecting on their high school experiences. Participants completed a survey measuring MMS perceptions, academic performance (GPA, standardized test scores), social-emotional well-being, and SES indicators. Factor analysis revealed two uncorrelated dimensions within the MMS scale. A refined MMS variable was constructed by averaging only the three items related to academic stereotype expectations, which were used in all subsequent analyses. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, multiple regression, and factor analysis to assess the following research questions: 1) How do perceptions of the Model Minority Stereotype affect the academic performance of Korean American high school students? 2) How does the internalization of the Model Minority Stereotype impact the academic self-concept of these students? 3) How does socio-economic status influence the perceptions and impacts of the Model Minority Stereotype among Korean American high school students? 4) Are there differences in the perception and impact of MMS among high and low-achieving Korean American students? The results indicate that higher MMS perceptions correlate with increased academic pressure and anxiety, particularly among first-generation students and those from lower-SES backgrounds who report fewer academic resources. Conversely, students from higher-SES families demonstrate a weaker correlation between MMS perceptions and stress, suggesting financial stability may buffer some negative effects. Findings also reveal lower GPA averages among third-generation Korean Americans compared to first- and second- generation peers, challenging assumptions of continuous intergenerational academic success. This study contributes to a critical re-evaluation of MMS and its differentiated effects on Korean American students. The Triangul-Asian Model offered a useful lens for interpreting these patterns, revealing how cultural values, structural inequality, and racial expectations converge to shape Korean American students’ academic and emotional experiences. The findings call for culturally responsive educational policies that recognize mental health needs, socio-economic disparities, and generational variation within the Korean American student population.

ISBN

9798314899816

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