38
life in the U.S. He suggests the need for reconsidering the belief
that immigrants or foreign minorities are strongly motivated to
. integrate as much and as fast as possible to the dominant
cultural patterns" (p. 505).
In reviewing previous research on immigrants in the U.S.,
Portes, Parker, and Cobas (1980) find that up to recent times
immigrant studies have reflected a sociological perspective of
adaptation to the host culture. This body of research has developed
into what is termed the "theory of assimilation." Whether the
immigrants eventually adapt to the host culture is not questioned.
Most works document the length of time and the psychological transition
through which immigrants must pass to acculturate to majority status.
This transition is commonly viewed as a patterned sequence that moved
from cultural dissimilarity to eventual acceptance. Bach (1978)
labels these studies collectively as "the assimilation perspective"
because they focus on the process of consensus building among dissimilar
populations. The assimilation perspective is built on several as
sumptions: that as immigrants become better educated, their behavior
becomes more reflective of the host culture, and they are able to
obtain higher status and more profitable employment. Thus, education
is a status building element in the acculturation process. The lack
of education can be seen to have the reverse effect. Since public
education is free and available to everyone, lack of assimilation
indicates slothful ness, ignorance, and even an unpatriotic attitude
toward the host culture and language. Essential within the assimilation