Some children of immigrant families adapt quite successfully to their new environment--and some even outperform the norms of U.S. natives. But many others adapt poorly to their role as students, thus further complicating their prospects and limiting their opportunities once they become adults. This paper focuses on the general question: Which forms of experience associated with immigration and settlement are likely to influence the course of adaptation, adjustment, and development of Hispanic immigrant children? Several lines of research and theory on psychosocial stress, coping, and human development are reviewed, and their relevance to our understanding of the process implied by this question are explored. Some answers are suggested, and clues identified. In order to provide a vehicle for venturing into this broad and complex topic, an evolving conceptual framework is elaborated, and testable hypotheses are derived from it. (52pp.)
