A recent study in the United States shows that second-generation immigrant students perform better academically than first generation and third generation immigrant students.

Second generation migrants outperformed first generation students on standardised tests and also earned better grades than their third generation equivalents.

The research was carried out at the University of Washington and is believed to be the first comprehensive review undertaken on immigrant achievement in the US.

According to the US Census Bureau, immigrants make up 25 per cent of the US population that is younger than 18 years.

Five decades of research found that, unsurprisingly, possibly as a result of optimistic attitudes of their parents and improved access to resources, the second generation of immigrants performs better in school than the first.

However, second generation immigrants (students born in the US with at least one foreign-born parent) were found to have a distinct advantage over both first generation (students born outside the US) and third-or-later-generation students (those born in the US with US-born parents).

However, the advantage ‘gap’ differs from community to community. The immigrant advantage was stronger for Asian American youth than for other immigrants, perhaps because many Asian immigrants come to the US with more resources than others.

Overall, the researchers said that immigrant students perform better because of their positive values. Immigrants compare their situations to those still living in their native country, allowing them to be positive about their situation. The sacrifices that their parents made to give them a better life, as well as high expectations from parents, were also key motivators.

Source: Mylien Duong, University of Washington