Introduction
Research on families is important and has been increasingly dominant in research. For such a broad term, “family” needs to be explored aspect by aspect in order to begin to understand a family. It should be no secret that it is extremely difficult for one study to analyze the infinite aspects of a family, this implies that my research is one of the more focused ones on parenting.
Research on families is important and has become increasingly dominant in research. ... in order to begin to understand the concept family. ... this implies that my research is more focused on parenting.
Literature Search
1.
Shimoni, R; Este, David; Clark, Dawne E, (2003). Paternal engagement in immigrant and refugee families. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34, 555-568.
Shimoni et al.’s (2003) study are one of the few studies that explore the role of father in parenting and the obstacles that immigrant fathers might encounter in a foreign country. This study is quite relevant to my research because it suggests factors that may contribute to how fathers choose to parent their children reflecting the effects of being a foreigner.
This study is quite relevant to my research
2.
Buki, Lydia P; Ma, Tsung-Chieh; Strom, Robert D; Strom, Shirley K, (2003). Chinese immigrant mothers of adolescents: self-perceptions of acculturation effects on parenting. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 9, 127-140.
Buki et al’s (2003) study focuses on how the perceptions of acculturation by Chinese immigrant mothers can alter their ways of parenting. Although my research focuses on fathers, this article is relevant because it sheds some light on the possibilities that a father’s reception may affect their parenting styles as well.
3.
Lim, Soh-Leong, Lim, B.K., (2003). Parenting style and child outcomes in Chinese and immigrant Chinese families. Research Marriage & Family Review, 35, 21-43.
In Lim and Lim’s (2003) research, a cross-cultural approach was taken to differentiate the results of parenting style with child’s outcome between Western and Chinese immigrants. This study suggests that Western typology of parenting cannot be translated as the same for Chinese parents. This article is useful for my research because more cultural sensitive types of measurement and understanding will increase the validity of my research.
This study suggests that Western typology of parenting cannot be translated as being the same for Chinese parents.
4. Aycan, Zeynep; Kanungo, Rabindra N, (1998). Impact of acculturation on socialization beliefs and behavioral occurrences among Indo-Canadian immigrants. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 29, 451-467.
Aycan and Kanungo’s (1998) study is focused on how ethno-cultural Canadians deals with acculturation with regards to their behaviour and values. Even though this article studies Indo-Canadians there could be similar tension experienced by Chinese-Canadian parents in choosing between traditional values and new dominant values. This article is important for my research because the level of acculturation the individuals choose greatly effects how they will parent their children.
... study focuses on how ethno-cultural Canadians deals with acculturation .... individuals change to parents
5. Gorman, Jean Cheng, (1998). Parenting attitudes and practices of immigrant Chinese mothers of adolescents. Family Relations, 47, 73-80.
Gorman’s (1998) study focuses on the idea that Chinese parenting, stated as authoritarian, is a misunderstanding of the culture. When coming to a new society Chinese immigrant parents seems to pertain a protective role for their children, however the extent that this control is exerted seems to vary from immigrant family to immigrant family. Gorman’s (1998) study is significant to my own research because it suggests a wide range of parenting styles a mother and/or a father would pursue in parenting different levels of acculturated adolescents.
6.
Chao, Ruth K, Ethos, (1995). Chinese and European American cultural models of the self reflected in mothers' childrearing beliefs. Family Relations, 23, 328-354.
Chao’s (1995) study looked at the differences in childrearing views of Chinese and European mothers based on what qualities are important which is interesting because qualities vary with culture. Since my research is focused on Chinese fathers’ parenting styles I may be able to gather childrearing views of Chinese mothers that might be reflected in Childrearing views of Chinese fathers.
Casual Model
Immigration à Acculturation à Parenting styles of Fathers
My research has undergone some radical changes. The initial conceptualization of my research was to focus on how the country of origin, specifically China and Canada, of the parents impacts their parenting styles to more authoritarian or egalitarian. After some in-depth thinking there seem to be a missing link to this model and realized that immigration is a critical concept that can lead to a more cohesive and interesting topic to study.
In my revised study, immigration was used for my independent variable instead of country of origin because it allowed observation of a specific culture that is greatly increasing in Canada. I also added acculturation as the intervening variable because of its entanglement with immigration. For the dependent variable I was able to narrow the topic of parenting styles to a specific gender.
..
My research has undergone some radical changes. The initial conceptualization of my research was to focus on how the country of origin, specifically China and Canada, of the parents impacts their parenting styles to be more authoritarian or egalitarian. After some in-depth thinking, I realized that there seems to be a missing link to this model. I became aware that immigration is a critical concept that can lead to a more cohesive and interesting topic to study.
In my revised study, immigration was used for my independent variable instead of country of origin because it allowed observation of a specific culture that is greatly increasing in Canada. I also added acculturation as the intervening variable because of its entanglement with immigration. For the dependent variable I was able to narrow the topic of parenting styles to a specific gender.
By using immigration, my study looks at Chinese immigrants that have arrived to Canada from different intervals. Next is acculturation, the intervening variable which is a mandatory process Chinese and other immigrants experience when coming to a culture that is very different from their own. The third concept looks at parenting style of a specific gender, in this case, fathers because I believe there is a lack of studies dealing with the paternal role.
The relationship between immigration and parenting styles is that the length of time the fathers have been in Canada may result in different parenting styles they might adopt or keep. The relationship in the more complicated model includes the three concepts shown in the casual model. Immigration is related to acculturation because depending on the length of time the Chinese immigrants have immigrated to Canada contributes to how adapted or how different Chinese immigrants are to the dominant Canadian culture. At the intervening level, acculturation is impacts parenting styles, specifically looking at fathers, because if fathers are quite adapted to the practices of the dominant Canadian culture, then they will most likely parent their children in ways deviating from those they practiced in China. However if they are not well adapted to the practices of the dominant Canadian culture then they will most likely retain their traditional cultural ways of parenting.
Edited
By using immigration, my study looks at Chinese immigrants that have arrived in Canada [ from different intervals]. [rewrite] Next is acculturation, the intervening variable which is a mandatory process Chinese and other immigrants experience when coming to a culture that is very different from their own. The third concept looks at parenting style of a specific gender, in this case, fathers because I believe there is a lack of studies dealing with the paternal role. The relationship between immigration and parenting styles is that the length of time the fathers have been in Canada may result in different parenting styles they might adopt or keep. The relationship in the more complicated model includes the three concepts shown in the casual model. Immigration is related to acculturation because depending on the length of time the Chinese immigrants have immigrated to Canada contributes to how adapted or how different Chinese immigrants are to the dominant Canadian culture. At the intervening level, acculturation is impacts parenting styles, specifically looking at fathers, because if fathers are quite adapted to the practices of the dominant Canadian culture, then they will most likely parent their children in ways deviating from those they practiced in China. However if they are not well adapted to the practices of the dominant Canadian culture then they will most likely retain their traditional cultural ways of parenting.
Measuring Concepts
The independent variable, immigration, refers to people who enter and settle in a country or place that is not native to them. The concept of immigration includes various dimensions, such as how they arrived, what process they underwent to arrive, when they arrived, where they came from, and why the came to settle in a foreign place. The working definition of immigration is defined as families with fathers present who have left their homeland, China, to settle in a foreign country, Canada. The unique aspect of this concept is focused on families who have moved as a family unit and not as overseas families. Indicators I intend to use to measure immigration are when they arrived in Canada, frequency of returning to China and the reason the moved to Canada. I want to measure when the fathers arrived in Canada in order to assess how long they have been exposed to the Canadian culture. By measuring the frequency fathers returned to China suggests the level of influence the mother country still has on the fathers. Lastly, to be aware of the reason fathers left their homeland may contribute to how willing they are in absorbing the new Canadian culture. For this concept I intend to use closed ended questions and displayed in a horizontal response bar with responses increasing in increments of three.
Acculturation is normally defined as adoption or modification of practices, values and beliefs when one is exposed to a culture dissimilar to their own ways. There are numerous factors that contribute to adopting a new culture and the extent of this adaptation may be due to perceptions, barriers, learning the language, finding support, and the living environment of immigrant fathers. The working definition of this intervening variable refers to how much fathers felt they belonged to the Canadian culture and if they valued the new cultural experience. Three indicators regarding acculturation would be perceived barriers for fathers in Canada, how much fathers value their own cultural values, beliefs, and practices and in relation how much fathers value the dominant Canadian culture’s values, beliefs and practices, and living environment. In identifying fathers’ perceived barriers, I hope to measure aspects in Canada that are unsupportive to immigrant fathers. Also, in measuring fathers’ value of their own culture and the Canadian culture will show fathers’ attitudes towards acculturation. I would like to understand the living environment of these immigrant fathers because in a context where there is a dense or sparse Chinese population may impact how acculturated the fathers are. For indicating barriers, I plan to display different category names of barriers and as fathers to check three that are most significant. As for measuring paternal values of traditional and new cultural importance, I will use Berry’s acculturation attitude model where he assesses whether acculturating fathers assimilate, separate, integrate, or are marginalized depending on the combination result of how important traditional culture is with regards to new Canadian culture (Aycan & Kanungo, 1998). Berry’s model of acculturation attitudes has been used widely for many ethnic groups cross-culturally and has been suggested that the findings are interesting and useful because the scale profiles each culture differently (Aycan & Kanungo, 1998). Then for examining the living environment I would present it in a Likert scale from one to five.
The Last variable is parenting styles of fathers is defined as how fathers raise and nurture their children. There are various dimensions to his variable that includes paternal involvement in educational success, in health, in psychological well-being, and many more. The working definition of this term means that fathers' level of involvement and engagement with children’s lives to ensure well-being. Three indicators I have chosen for this concept are the amount of control fathers assert over children, the amount of warmth fathers give to children, and how fathers communicate with their children. Understanding the amount of control indicates the level of traditional practices of fathers. Assessing the level of warmth, fathers’ display suggests the level of acculturation within Canadian society. Then when assessing how fathers communicates with their children may imply whether fathers are taking a traditional role of demands and being assertive or non-traditional role of logic and taking the child’s wants into account. When assessing fathers’ level of control and warmth, I plan to use a Likert scale to indicate various displays of the two opposing behaviours. In measuring communication, I would list categories of roles that can be usurped by a parent and see which of these roles they often use to communicate with children.
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