“Naturally quiet” Asian kids: How White secondary teachers decide which students to refer to school-based mental health services and the influence of the model minority myth on their decisions

While the importance of high school students’ mental well-being is recognized by nearly all educators working in this space, the mental health needs of Asian American students is going both unnoticed and untreated. This dissertation seeks to understand both how White teachers in predominantly White secondary schools make decisions about which students to refer to school-based mental health services and how stereotypes about Asian American students influence teachers’ decision-making process about referring those same students to school-based mental health services. Qualitative research methods and analyses were used to make meaning of one-time interviews with 12 White-identifying high school teachers. The findings were that teachers most often made school-based mental health service referrals for students with declining academic performance, students they saw as socially withdrawing, students who disrupted the classroom environment, or students who disclosed attempts to harm themselves. Teachers most often overlooked students who they believed to be emotionally masking or introverted. Research around racial biases, such as the model minority myth, may cause teachers to overlook Asian American students who they believe match up with stereotypes while they had an easier time identifying and referring Asian American students who presented in ways that defied the model minority stereotype.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Carroll, Alyssa J.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ward Hood, Denice
• Pak, Yoon
• Hale, Jon
• Nelson, Jennifer

• high school
• White teachers
• Asian American students
• school-based mental health services
• model minority myth

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Alyssa J. Carroll

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/115514

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F115514