A qualitative research study of the educational experience of students of diverse Asian populations in a baccalaureate business program

In the twenty-first century United States businesses face many forms of competition. Foremost is the rapid globalization of the world's economies. In this regard, the nations of the Pacific Rim have become increasingly important commercial partners for the United States. In addition, America trades 25% more in goods and services with Pacific Rim countries than it does with the European Economic Community, and it is likely that this trend will continue.; Undergraduate business programs in colleges and universities serve the business community of the United States in many important ways and provide resources to help our industries adjust to meet new challenges such as those raised by commerce with the Pacific Rim countries. To be effective in supporting the adjustments demanded by the constantly changing job market, it is critical for business programs to attend to the shifting demographics and respond to the needs of the broadening ethnic pool of the student population.; The fastest growing ethnic group in the United States has been Asian American. The phrase, "Asian American", does not recognize the scope of diversity that exists within Asian populations. Hence, in order to capture the varied ethnicities of Asian peoples in the United States, this study will refer to Asian Americans as "diverse Asian populations". This group calls the United States home and can trace their ancestry to countries from the Asian continent and sub-continent and the islands within the Pacific Rim. United States Census figures show this ethnic group has more than doubled in the last ten years (1995 to 2005), from 1.5% to 3.6%. Despite such sharp increases, diverse Asian populations remain one of the most poorly understood and under-represented minorities in the research literature (Hune & Chan, 1997).; Research has demonstrated that in higher education both male and female Asian cultures generally have a strong work ethic and an ability to take advantage of educational opportunities. For example, among diverse Asian populations 47% have college degrees versus 27% for all other ethnicities. However, there remains a dearth of research literature with respect to this ethnic group in business programs. To work effectively with this group and subsequently make the best use of business programs as a resource for the economy, a deeper understanding is needed of what the nature of the experience is for diverse Asian populations of students in a baccalaureate business program.; This qualitative case study describes the educational experience of four first generation students of diverse Asian backgrounds in a baccalaureate business program at a university located in the Northeast and considers the ways that experience may prepare this group for a professional business career. Participants were recruited from senior level management courses used as a screen for capturing a sample of the diverse Asian populations at the research site. Data were collected in the form of one demographic questionnaire, two interviews, one focus group interview, continuous ongoing observations, drawings data and twelve photographs taken by each of the students as well as institutional artifacts. The data were managed and analyzed, using the qualitative software, NVIVORTM; The findings from this study demonstrate that these students hold faculty in such high regard that classroom engagement may be stifled. Furthermore, there is limited cross-cultural, faculty or peer interaction and evidence that intra-cultural differences may lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness on the part of these students. Finally, there is a perception of gender and racial discrimination that negatively affected the educational experience of some of the participants in this study.; This study raises important implications for practice (the need for new and more inclusive instructional practices), faculty development (the need for professional development experiences that raise faculty awareness and prov...