Exploring How Shame Affects Asian Americans in the Classroom

Abstract

Asian Americans are the fastest-growing population of any minority group in the United States (Lopez, Ruiz, & Patten, 2017). As colleges seek to become more diverse and increase their enrollment of minority students, educators need to understand the cultural dynamics that affect Asian Americans in the classroom. Because the Confucian values of honor and shame are cultural aspects of the Asian American community (Wong, Kim, Nguyen, Cheng, & Saw, 2014; Zane & Yeh, 2002), this article explores how honor and shame dynamics affect Asian Americans in the classroom (Bankston & Hidalgo, 2006; Yu, 2007). This article seeks to help educators understand the cultural issues that Asian American students face, and consequently empower their students to learn in the classroom.