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Abstract
This study examined the process of cultural socialization among 6- to 8-year-old girls adopted from China, with a focus on adoptive mothers’ decisions about their children's socialization and children's interest in and knowledge about China and being Chinese. Qualitative interviews of 10 mothers and their children were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Three main categories were identified to further specify parental cultural socialization: (1) motivation, (2) approaches to differences, and (3) type of activities that differed in their contextual layers and their degree of structure. Findings additionally revealed the interplay between parents’ cultural socialization practices and children's interest in socialization, patterns of participation, and knowledge and understanding about China or being Chinese. Results suggest that parental cultural socialization in families with children adopted internationally and transracially is more dynamic, complex, and layered than previously thought.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported in part by funding from the William T. Grant Foundation (Faculty Scholars Program) award and Tufts University to the second author. The authors extend their gratitude to the families who graciously welcomed the team into their homes, the adoption agencies who supported this work, and the Adoption and Development Project research team, especially Maggie Beneke, Kate Golden, Iris Chin Ponte, and Stephanie Chin Whitesel for conducting the interviews and for their thoughtful comments.