Early Childhood and the Asian American Experience Exploring Intersectionality and Addressing Misrepresentations

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1. Introduction: Framework for Asian American Early Childhood Education

               Introduction

              Asian American Early Childhood

                             The “Model Minority” Stereotype

                             Cultural Emphasis on Education in Asian Communities

                             Languages of Asian American Early Childhood

                             Nuances of Lack of Representation

              Theoretical Influences for This Book

                             Asian Traditional Values and Asian American Parenting Practices

                             Our Review of AsianCrit based on Early Childhood Education Perspectives

                             Alternative Theories for Asian American Early Childhood Education

              Designing a New Framework for this Book: Intersectionality of Asian American Early Childhood

                             Cultural Dimensions of Asian American Early Childhood

                             Representation of Asian American Children

                             Intersectionality and Socioeconomic Realities in Asian American Early Childhood Education

Navigating Our Research Lens: Our Reflexivity and Positionality for This Significant Book

Chapter 2. Suda (수다) about Asian Beliefs for Early Childhood Research and Practice

              Introduction

              The Suda Approach of Korean American Early Childhood Scholars’ Research and Practice

                             What is Suda?

                             Suda as Theoretical Framework of Korean American Early Childhood Scholars

                             Suda as Research Methods of Korean American Early Childhood Scholars

                             Former Research with Suda in Korean American Families with Young Children

                                           Suda for Children’s Exploration of Racial/cultural Identity and Racism

                                           Suda Examining Our Own Early Education Practice

                                           Suda in Play-Based Family Literacy Practice in Korean American Families          

              Other Early Childhood Approaches Based On Asian Traditional Beliefs

                             Eco-Early Childhood Education in Korea

                             An Inclusion Approach through Confucian Beliefs in Hong Kong

                             Thich Nhat Hanh’s Interbeing for Understanding Immigrant Children’s Lived Experiences

                             Explaining Play in the East Indian Context with Hindu

              Conclusion

Chapter 3. Understanding Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) for Asian American Children: Evolving Perspectives and Imperatives

              Current State of Social and Emotional Learning in Early Childhood Education

                             Importance of SEL in Early Childhood

                             Cultural Responsiveness of SEL in Early Childhood

              Asian American Children’s Social and Emotional Learning

                             Societal Perspectives Influencing Asian American Children’s SEL

                             Asian American Families’ Perspectives and Experiences of Their Children’s SEL

              Implications for Supporting Asian American Children’s Social and Emotional Learning

                             Promoting Culturally Responsive SEL Training in Early Childhood Teacher Education

                             Amplifying the Voices of Asian American Children in SEL Research

              Conclusion: Beyond Model Minority Stereotypes

Chapter 4. Invisible and Untold Poverty among Asian American Children in Early Childhood

              Introduction

              Why is Poverty in Asian Americans Untold and Invisible?

                             Model Minority Myth

                             The Lack of Data and Aggregated Data of Asian Americans

              Asian American Children in Poverty Studied in Early Childhood Education Journals

                             The Process of Selection for Journals in Early Childhood Education 

                             Asian American Children in Poverty Studies in the Selected Journals

                                           Comprehensive focus: Studies addressing Asian American children in poverty

                                           Partial focus: Studies addressing Asian American children in poverty

              Discussion

                             Future Research

                             Educators

                             Limitations of the Chapter 

Chapter 5. Multicultural Picturebooks on Asian or Asian American Children and Their Families

              Multicultural Picturebooks on Asian or Asian American Children

              Underrepresentation and Misrepresentation of Asian American Children in Picturebooks

                             Under-representation

                             Misrepresentation

                             Research Studies on Unpacking Underrepresentation and Misrepresentation of Asian/Asian Americans in Children’s Picturebooks

                             Research Studies on Korean/Korean Americans in Children’s Picturebooks

                             Research Studies on Chinese/Chinese Americans in Children’s Picturebooks

                             Research Studies on Japanese/Japanese Americans in Children’s Picturebooks

                             Research Studies on Filipino/Filipino Americans in Children’s Picturebooks

                             Research Studies on Taiwanese/Taiwanese Americans in Children’s Picturebooks

                             Going Beyond Individual Asian/Asian American Cultures Portrayed in Children’s Picturebooks: Racism and Intersectionality

              Trends of Multicultural Picturebooks on Asian/Asian American Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Chapter 6. Unpacking the Intersectional Invisibility of Asian American Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Research

              Introduction

              The Intersectional Invisibility of Asian American Children with Disabilities

              What We Learned from Research about the Parents of Asian American Children with Disabilities and Their Culture

                             The Cultural Context of Asian American Children with Disabilities        

                             Parents’ Difficulties and Strengths

              What We Learned from Children’s Literature Research about Asian American Children with Disabilities: the In/Visibility of Asian American Children with Disabilities in Picturebooks

                             Henry in A Friend for Henry

                             Chamnan in Bread Song

                             The Deaf Sister in I Have a Sister – My Sister is Deaf

                             The Need for More Mirror/Window Books that Positively Represent Asian Americans with Disabilities

              Implications

                             For Teaching Practice

                             For Researchers

Chapter 7. Asian American Parents’ Perceptions of their Children’s Experiences in the Predominantly White Community

              Introduction

              Asian American Children and Families in Predominantly-White Communities

                             Heritage Language and English for Asian Americans in Predominantly White Communities

                             Current Study

              Methods

                             Context

                             Participants

                             Data

                             Procedures

                             Data Analysis

              Findings

                             “Super Double Minority”

                             Dissonance between Expectations of Heritage Language Learning and Stark Reality

                             Diverse Language Experiences of Asian American Children

                             “Teaching the Kids is Very Tricky.”: Writing Development in Heritage Languages

                             Living in PWS: Advantage or Disadvantage?

              Discussion

             Conclusion

Index

Biography

Sohyun “Soh” Meacham, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Northern Iowa.

Su-Jeong Wee, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Child and Family Studies at California State University, Los Angeles.

Jinhee Kim, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Elementary and Early Childhood Education at Kennesaw State University.

Sophia Han, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education and Teacher Education at the University of South Florida.

Wu-Ying Hsieh, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Special Education at the University of Northern Iowa.

"There is a severe lack of research on the Asian American early childhood education. The authors of Early Childhood and the Asian American Experience address this issue by offering a critical, intersectional analysis of Asian American early childhood education rooted in Asian-centric theorizing and paradigms. This book is an important, impactful intervention in educational research." Wayne Au, Dean and Professor, University of Washington Bothell, Editor, Rethinking Schools.

“Early Childhood and the Asian American Experience: Exploring Intersectionality and Addressing Misrepresentations is a necessary book that provokes readers to rethink the stereotype of Asian-American children as the model minority. I commend the authors for their valuable insights on justice-centered teaching by addressing misrepresentation and offering pathways for inclusivity in early childhood education.” Okhee Lee, Ph.D. Professor, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University