UNMASKING THE KAPWA SPIRIT: UNDERSTANDING AND ENHANCING THE CIVIC BEHAVIOR OF FILIPINX AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the civic behavior of Filipinx American undergraduate students. Filipinx Americans are the second largest Asian subgroup in the United States. However, research on Filipinx American civic behavior is limited because Filipinx Americans are aggregated into the overall Asian racial category. This research study was a first of its kind to understand what influences the civic behavior of Filipinx American college students. It can help faculty, staff, and administrators shape student experiences on campus to positively increase their civic behavior. Data for this study were collected through online focus groups with 19 full-time California State University, Fullerton undergraduate participants. Using Filipino critical theory and Pilipino American identity development model as the theoretical and conceptual frameworks, this study uncovered that the civic behavior of the participants was influenced by Filipinx values such as Kapwa (interconnectedness), role models, their understanding of their Filipinx American identity, and seeing how social issues affected their everyday experiences. The invisibility and historical oppression of Filipinx and Filipinx Americans caused the participants to turn to group memberships and social comity, leading to very few engaging in traditional forms of civic engagement through political actions. However, as students developed their Filipinx American identity through student organizations or courses, they became more politically engaged or motivated. These findings indicate the need for colleges and universities to improve civic education by creating intentional opportunities to increase the visibility and confidence of Filipinx Americans, engage in discourse with role models, offer different entry points for civic engagement, and embrace the cultural wealth of the Filipinx American community.