Vietnamese-American students at Midwestern Community College: a narrative inquiry study
Date
2007
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Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study was to discover how heuristic knowledge is developed in the academic and social journeys of Vietnamese-American students enrolled at Midwestern Community College, MWCC (a pseudonym). Additionally, the study explored how Vietnamese-American students are able to utilize heuristic knowledge to overcome barriers to their success, as identified by Padilla et al. (1997). Vietnamese-American students were interviewed in an effort to understand how they describe and explain their "lived experiences" while attending MWCC.
The interviews were in-depth, open-ended, private, individual, face-to-face interviews. The transcript data was analyzed to identify emerging themes among the participants' experiences. The data was reported using a narrative inquiry approach to produce a composite image of the experiences of the students. The narrative approach provided a vehicle to express the individual and collective voices of the participants.
The research may have implications for community college faculty, staff, and administrators. This may stimulate awareness of Vietnamese-American students and their needs in community colleges. It may affect the design and delivery of student services such as advising and student development programs. This may also bring a new teaching and learning perspective to faculty members who have these students in their classes.
The interviews were in-depth, open-ended, private, individual, face-to-face interviews. The transcript data was analyzed to identify emerging themes among the participants' experiences. The data was reported using a narrative inquiry approach to produce a composite image of the experiences of the students. The narrative approach provided a vehicle to express the individual and collective voices of the participants.
The research may have implications for community college faculty, staff, and administrators. This may stimulate awareness of Vietnamese-American students and their needs in community colleges. It may affect the design and delivery of student services such as advising and student development programs. This may also bring a new teaching and learning perspective to faculty members who have these students in their classes.
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Subject
community college
heuristic knowledge
Vietnamese-American
community colleges
bilingual education
multicultural education
minority and ethnic groups
sociology