Second-generation youths told stories with themes of parental pressure, concern with failure, and a sense of hopelessness. The energy and faith in making it that is characteristic of immigrant students seems to have significantly diminished by the second generation. Although all groups reported that school is important to them and to getting a good job, the immigrant youths were much more likely to value school and schoolwork than their Mexican or U.S.-born peers. Among U.S. students, the researchers found significant differences in attitudes toward school, school authority, and family. The rest were neutral.
Immigrant students are far less likely to view school authority figures negatively.
Forty percent of white American students gave negative responses when asked about their school principal, while only 10 percent of immigrant students did so. Immigrant responses were over 60 percent positive. Second-generation student evaluations of the principal were split 32 percent negative and 32 percent positive. The researchers noted that the students, coming from the same school, were evaluating the same principal. Immigrant students have a strong commitment to learning English.