The Educational Experiences of Second-Generation Iranian Undergraduate Students

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This dissertation is about the educational experiences of 30 second-generation Iranian undergraduate students aged 18-28 from a variety of Massachusetts and New York colleges and universities. The students participated in open-ended, in-depth interviews. The aims of the study were to gain a better understanding of their maturation to shed light on other immigrant experiences, and to capture the diversity of religious and ethnic voices among Iranians. Iranian immigrants share a common national heritage byt they are internally diverse in politics, religion, ethnicity, and economic class. There are at least eight religious/ethnic groups: Muslim, Jewish, Armenian, Assyrian Christian, Bahá'í, Kurdish, Turkish, and Zoroastrian. Iranian immigrants often identify themselves in terms of religion/ethnicity and nationality. The author looked at four of these groups (Muslims, Jews, Bahá'ís, and Armenians). Each group brought experiences, memories, and resources as varied as their backgrounds. They also brought something in common - a conviction about the power and value of education. Three factors stood out in the students' education experiences: family, culture, and motivation to attain high socioeconomic status. The findings suggest that among these participants, there was a parenting style based on mutual respect regarding schooling decisions. The findings also reveal tghat these students strategically used the combination of both cultures - Iranian and American - to advance themselves academically. Educational degrees were a "social sign of achievement" indicating to their family and freidns that they have succeeded.