Grounded Theory (GT) will useful determine how the research data will be collected. A GT methodology assumes that their interpretation of situations shapes individuals' actions. The theory allows respondents to be their own self-director and actors at the same time (El Hussein, Hirst, Salyers, & Osuji, 2014; Glaser, 2002). This line of thought builds upon the concept people are internally driven by their thoughts. More importantly is the fact that people rely upon the information that they gather over time, thus allowing them the knowledge and skills necessary for handling the situations and problems that arise from day-to-day experiences.
One way of appreciating this school of thought is by analyzing social structures based on the Straussian grounded theory which postulates that since individuals act social beings whose actions mainly fall within the overarching socio-environmental conditions that affect and influence their daily activities (El Hussein, Hirst, Salyers, & Osuji, 2014). In this case, therefore, no single individual action can be defined outside its socio-environmental conditions. Understanding social phenomena is contingent upon analyzing overarching contextual conditions.
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A narrative research method is especially suited to family research because it acknowledges and emphasizes meanings, the existence of multiple realities within a family, and the socio-psychological affect context within which knowledge is created (Glaser, 2002). Qualitative methods can provide rich texts, clear examples, and in-depth illustrations that allow researchers to paint a vivid picture of the meanings, motivations, and details of family life (Creswell, & Poth, 2017). A large number of studies on immigrant family acculturation have been done using quantitative methods of probability sampling and statistical data analysis.
These studies have yielded general results on the salience of acculturation strategies, the effects of an acculturation gap between immigrant parents and their children, ethnic identification, family processes, structure, and functioning that facilitate or challenge acculturation, as well as the ecological influences on the psychological wellbeing of immigrant parents and their children. Qualitative studies, on the same issues stated above, tend to provide in-depth, contextual, and nuanced information on the meanings and dynamic processes involved in immigration and acculturation experiences. The present study seeks to explore these meanings and processes among immigrants in the United States.
Qualitative researchers frequently strive to address a topic of interest as seen through the eyes of the participant. Detailed narratives are elicited through interviews and shared experiences in order to draw out the meaning ascribed to specific phenomenon (Corbin, & Strauss, 1990). A consideration of the qualitative paradigm implies that a comparison is made with an alternate paradigm, in this case the quantitative paradigm.
Research Question
A guiding purpose of this study is the exploration of the relationship between acculturation and adaptation of immigrants in the United States within the context of their lived experiences as immigrants in an ecological and cultural paradigm that is different from their heritage culture. This study will seek to highlight the environmental influences that interact to generate immigrant families’ fluid and dynamic adaptation in a new culture. The adaptation experiences of their young children will also be an area of significant emphasis, to explore the developmental trajectory of ethnic identification. Specific questions of interest include:
What is adaptation’s role and effect on the process of acculturation of migrants in the US?’
How do immigrant parents perceive parenting in the United States relative to their experiences of ‘native’ parenting?
What negotiations/compromises, if any, are made in their acculturation process?
How do these compromises impact child-rearing practices and ideologies? How do the children of these immigrant parents perceive the bi-cultural environment that they live in?
How do family culture and acculturation dynamics affect young children’s ethnic identity development?
Leveraging the grounded theory, however, requires considerable caution relative to its ethical implications, a case in point being privacy and confidentiality issues. In the case of the acculturation process of immigrants, the fundamental question is to uncover the role and purpose of adaptation on acculturation. This might involve the exploration of questions that touch on personal matters, thereby creating the need for a great deal of privacy and confidentiality. In-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with the participants, to elicit narrative descriptions of their lived acculturation experiences. Narrative discourse produces stories that center on human actions (Creswell, & Poth, 2017). Narrative inquiry possesses a Gestalt quality, in which the whole or composite experience or concept is greater than the sum of its interrelated parts. The seemingly distinct stories told by participants sum up to a portrait of the whole. Because a multiplicity of realities provides a more comprehensive perspective, parents, as well as their children, will be interviewed.
References
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches . Sage publications.
Glaser, B. G. (2002). Conceptualization: On theory and theorizing using grounded theory. International journal of qualitative methods , 1 (2), 23-38.
El Hussein, M., Hirst, S., Salyers, V., & Osuji, J. (2014). Using Grounded Theory as a method of inquiry: Advantages and disadvantages. The Qualitative Report, 19 (27), 1-15.
Corbin, J. & Strauss, A. (1990). Grounded theory method: Procedures, canons, and evaluative criteria. Qualitative Sociology, 13 (1), 3-21.
