My interest in researching 1.5-generation immigrants comes from both my academic background and my own experiences growing up between languages and cultures.
I want to better understand how 1.5-generation immigrants cope with identity crises, acculturation stress, and conflicting cultural values between their first and second languages and cultures. In particular, I’m interested in how identity formation develops among minority immigrant adolescents and how the process of acculturation affects their sense of belonging, self-esteem, confidence, and social relationships.
I’m also interested in the relationship between acculturation, assimilation, and second-language acquisition. Does greater exposure to the dominant culture necessarily lead to stronger language acquisition? How much does assimilation contribute to linguistic confidence? And at what point does adapting to a new culture become beneficial, versus creating pressure to suppress parts of one’s original identity?
These questions are particularly meaningful to me because I have encountered many fellow 1.5-generation immigrants with backgrounds similar to mine. I have noticed that some continue to struggle with linguistic confidence even after many years of living in the United States and developing strong cultural awareness. It strikes me that someone can spend 10 or 20 years acculturating—starting from adolescence—and still experience difficulties integrating socially or feeling completely comfortable with their identity.
I still experience some of these struggles myself. I occasionally find myself becoming self-conscious when someone asks how to pronounce my “real name,” asks about my ethnic background or cultural values, or questions my language abilities. Growing up, I went from wanting to be seen as “Taiwanese” to wanting to be seen as “American,” while simultaneously wishing people would stop asking where I was “really” from.
My academic background has given me a foundation for exploring these questions. I have taken courses in Linguistics, Second Language Acquisition, and Psycholinguistics and earned an MA in Applied Linguistics. My personal background and experiences have also consistently motivated me to explore questions related to language, identity, culture, and education.
I’m particularly interested in how these factors intersect with educational and long-term outcomes for 1.5-generation adolescents. How does identity development affect academic performance? How might language acquisition and social integration influence educational experiences and eventual career outcomes? Are social abilities associated with an individual’s level of language acquisition or their degree of assimilation or integration?
I’m drawn to interdisciplinary research because these questions cannot be understood through linguistics alone. They involve psychology, sociology, education, immigration studies, social identity, language and literacy, and Second Language Acquisition. There is existing research on 1.5-generation immigrants, identity, and second-language acquisition, but I would like to dig deeper into the psychological, linguistic, sociological, and educational dimensions of these experiences.
I’m particularly interested in an academic environment that values diverse cultural backgrounds, interdisciplinary thinking, personal growth, and social transformation. Those values align closely with the questions I want to explore and the kind of researcher I hope to become.
Ultimately, I want my research to contribute to a better understanding of the unique experiences of 1.5-generation immigrants—not only how they acquire a second language, but how they develop a sense of identity and belonging while navigating two cultures. My hope is that this research can help explain why some immigrant adolescents continue to struggle with linguistic confidence, self-esteem, and social integration long after they have become linguistically and culturally familiar with their new environment.
My own journey has made these questions impossible for me to ignore. What began as personal confusion about language and identity has gradually become an academic interest: understanding how people who grow up between cultures learn to navigate, reconcile, and ultimately make peace with all the parts of themselves.
