Examination of Chinese immigrant parents’ beliefs about children’s social development through play: A mixed methods explanatory sequential study.

Abstract

Currently, despite the rapid growth of the population of Chinese immigrant families and children in the United States, preschool-aged Chinese-heritage children are an underrepresented group in research. The overarching purpose of this project was to provide a deeper understanding of Head Start Chinese immigrant parents’ beliefs about children’s social-emotional development, the value of play during the preschool period, and the potential role of cultural orientation. The study followed the steps of a mixed methods explanatory sequential design. First, using quantitative data collected from 213 primary caregivers, the study employed a person-centered lens to explore profiles of parents’ cultural orientations and beliefs about play and academics in preschool to better understand the association of these profiles to children’s social competencies. Next, 34 primary caregivers from the quantitative study participated in in-depth, focus group discussions to further explore parents’ perceptions of children’s social behaviors, cultural adjustment experiences, and their perceptions about U.S. preschools. Four reliable profiles were resolved quantitatively and showed within-group variations in patterns of Chinese immigrant parents’ beliefs and cultural orientations that related differentially to children’s social-emotional competencies as evidenced within peer play at home. Qualitative findings corroborated and elaborated the quantitative findings. These results underscored the importance of engaging with Chinese immigrant parents to inform research and program practices.

Elevated levels of loneliness in migrant children compared to nonmigrant children in urban China: a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies

“…In the context of migrant children in urban China, www.co-psychiatry.com their marginalized socio-economic status -resulting from being rural or nonlocal Hukou holdersmay further exacerbate their risk of loneliness. Additionally, childhood, a crucial developmental stage for learning to connect with others and form interpersonal relationships [61], may amplify the negative impact of internal migration on the social connectedness of migrant children. This is particularly true for those in their prepuberty phase due to their increased vulnerability.…”

Using a Joint Display for Building Integration in a Sequential Study: Informing Data Collection for a Participatory Second Phase

“…Relative to exploratory sequential studies, fewer explanatory sequential studies detail if or how the second phase (qualitative) builds from the first (quantitative). Even when other elements of a quality mixed methods study are reported, such as the intent of a design, details about how building integration is accomplished are not often described (e.g., Hyun et al, 2022; Thornberg et al, 2022). This gap in the explanatory sequential literature is widened when considering added complexity from applying a participatory qualitative phase (i.e., participants driving research processes), since the explanatory design is typically found to be quantitatively driven (Morgan and Hoffman, 2021).…”