Cultural tension and career development for Asian American college students: A phenomenological study

This mixed methods, phenomenological study examined how cultural tension influences career development for Asian American community college students. Students initially completed Phinney's (1992) Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) and an instrument developed for this study called the Cultural Identification Survey. The mean for ethnic identity search was 3.49 and the mean for the ethnic identity commitment was 3.97. High exploration with high commitment corresponds to Phinney's third stage of ethnic identity development, ethnic identity achievement. On the Cultural Identification survey, the mean for "I identify more with my parents' culture" was 3.55, the mean for "I identify more with White culture than my parents' culture" was 2.80, the mean for "I identify with both White culture and my parents' culture" was 3.45, and the mean for "I feel caught between White culture and my parents' culture" was 2.62. Fourteen students who indicated either "often" or "all the time" to the statement "I feel caught between White culture and my parents' culture" participated in the interview portion of the study. The 14 participants received a mean of 3.30 for ethnic identity search and a mean of 3.56 for ethnic identity commitment on the MEIM corresponding with the ethnic achievement stage. Participants described how they experienced cultural tension through their relationships with their parents. The results indicated that through cultural tension, participants were able to move through the stages of ethnic identity development as described by Phinney (1990), Parental influence on career development, including their support, their understanding of careers, and their exposure to careers, was also found to be part of the participants' experiences. Cultural tension and their parental involvement created learning experiences that had an impact on the career decision-making process.