Sport socialization between parents and children in Chinese immigrant families in the U.S.
This dissertation was guided by three main research questions: (1) What are the socialization goals in general, and the sport socialization goals in particular, of Chinese immigrant parents? (2) What is the influence of parent-child socialization on children’s sports involvement in Chinese immigrant families? and (3) What are the perceived meanings of sport socialization in the context of the overall acculturation experience in the lives of Chinese immigrant parents and children? In order to address these research questions, this study employed a multiple-case studies design, which involved an in-depth exploration of socialization goals, behaviors, and shared meanings within and across selected families. In the project, I utilized multiple forms of data collection, including participant observations, face-to-face interviews, and parents’ journals. The data were collected from the fathers, mothers, and pre-adolescent children from 11 Chinese immigrant families residing in the Houston metropolitan area. Each family’s data were compiled as a case study narrative, on which within-case and comparative coding and analyses were conducted. The findings of the study revealed that family structure and family socialization goals had great influence on the sport socialization goals parents held for their children. Parents’ sport socialization goals were related to socialization goals for children’s other life domains. A number of formal and informal sport socialization paths were provided by parents to achieve the various sport socialization goals. Chinese fathers and mothers were found to vary in their sport socialization practices. “Goal-practice” gaps were detected during the sport socialization process. Such gaps resulted from the perceived quality of sports programs, racial and ethnic biases, peer pressure, and the influence of children. Furthermore, generational differences existed with respect to the perceived meaning of sports involvement.
Sport and Socialization, Socialization Goals, Formal and Informal Socialization Paths, Perceived Meaning, Family System, Chinese Family, Preadolescent Children
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign