Family and Friends
Understanding the Impact of Transnational Families through Filial Relations and Fathering: Second-generation Return Migrant Fathers in Hong Kong
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lucille Ngan, Anita Chan
Transnational processes are one of the major factors affecting the structure of social relations among Chinese immigrant families. In the last two decades, many Hong Kong emigrants who have immigrated to Western shores as children prior to the 1997 hand-over to China and had been raised in Western societies during their formative years have returned and are now in the parenthood phases of their life-paths. While previous studies have focused on the adverse impact of growing up in transnational families on parent-child relations through the lenses of the “astronaut family” and “parachute children,” research on the extended impact into later stages of the life course is limited. Given that transnational processes also have been identified as one of the key factors impacting on fathers’ negotiation and conception of fathering vales, roles, strategies, and responsibilities at the personal, interpersonal, and familial levels, the question that arises is the long-term impact of migration on filial piety, a fundamental value of Chinese families and traditionally the uppermost duty of sons. This paper fills the gap in the literature by exploring how growing up in transnational families have life-changing consequences into the adult family life of Hong Kong immigrant children as they enter into fatherhood. We explore the intersections between transnational upbringing, filial relations and childrearing and the fathering strategies for cultivating filial relationships. Findings from our qualitative fieldwork point out that transnational upbringing experiences play a substantial role in returnee fathers’ maintenance and cultivation of traditional Chinese filial obligations.
Is the Trailing Wife Always Disadvantaged?: Varying Contexts of Return for the Wives of Western-trained Asian Scientists
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Anju Mary Paul
Asian scientists who train in the West may settle down overseas or may choose to return to Asia at some point in their careers. For returning scientists who are married, this return decision will also impact their spouse. Drawing from fifty interviews with Western-trained, Asian academic bioscientists and/or their spouses who returned to China, India, Singapore, or Taiwan as a result of husband-directed or joint-directed decision-making, we examine the return experiences of trailing wives. We find significant variations in these experiences across the group of trailing wives as a whole, as well as within any given wife’s post-return experience. A typology of supportive and unsupportive "contexts of return" is proposed to highlight how social, cultural, legal, and economic factors influence the post-return experience of trailing wives, independent of husbands’ gender role attitudes.
Religious Social Capital Assisting Latinos to Navigate Educational Systems: A Case Study of a Latino Catholic Parish in the Midwest
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Dr. Gloria Vaquera
Although much research has been conducted on Latino educational progress in the United States, less is known about the role of the church in providing social capital to aid educational attainment for an immigrant community. This paper uses a longitudinal case study to examine the lives of Latino church members, the majority being recent immigrants, and their interactions with a University/Church sponsored pre-college science program. Findings suggest that parishioners utilize the church as a transnational conduit to maintain cultural traditions and also to access networks that facilitate educational opportunities, with recent arrivals using the resources most often. All participants showed increased social capital as a result of participating; however, various political and economic obstacles have impeded the educational trajectories of these students.
Global Perspective on the Contextual Factors in Early Career Teaching: Findings from an International Systematic Review of Research
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Benjamin Kutsyuruba
The issue of teacher attrition has been found to span international boundaries. Researchers and policy makers are rightfully concerned that despite significant investments to establish teaching careers, many teachers across the globe quit the profession within the first two to five years. Beginning teachers are situated in a dynamic contextual landscape that both influences their development and practice and dictates professional expectations for instruction and professional learning. Taking a global perspective, this systematic review of international research literature sought to establish the understanding of teacher induction and mentoring program support of beginning teachers through the following research questions: 1) which nations and regions are represented in research literature that details formal or programmatic support of beginning teachers in their first five years of teaching? 2) what international research evidence is there to describe various contextual factors that affect experiences of beginning teachers? and, 3) how do teacher induction and mentorship programs respond to the various contextual factors affecting beginning teachers? For the purposes of this review, the conceptualization of contextual factors included various societal, organizational, and personal forces that influence the professional practices of beginning teachers. Upon detailing our review method and sampling procedures, we synthesize the convergences and divergences of the findings within each of the contextual factors. Finally, we summarize the international systematic review findings in a heuristic model that offers a visual representation of the implications of our findings, and discuss the implications for policy, practice, and future research.
