Towards a Diasporic Epistemology: How Filipino Canadian Young Men Make Sense of Educational Success and Failure

• Main Author: Collymore, Tawnee
• Other Authors: Coloma, Roland Sintos
• Language: en_ca
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Diaspora; Filipino Canadians; Young Men; Secondary School; Educational Success; Educational Failure; Immigration; Cultural Factors; 0631; 0700; 0628
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/33641

This thesis forwards the concept of “diasporic epistemology” in order to better understand how Filipino Canadian young males make sense of their educational success and failure. Diasporic epistemology means a dual frame of reference created by the intersection of both structural and cultural conditions specific to a particular diaspora. To investigate this concept, I examined the interview transcripts of six Filipino Canadian young men using the constructivist approach to grounded theory. My research reveals that school structure and Filipino consciousness play a significant role in educational success and failure. Situating my thesis within the academic fields of epistemology, intersectionality, and student achievement, I contend that understanding the diasporic epistemology of racialized minority and immigrant students challenges certain truism in educational research, such as current belief that family’s socio-economic status and parental education are predictors of students’ academic success. The implications for education are greater teacher-student-home relationships and alternative schooling methods