FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF ETHNIC IDENTITY OF CHINESE-AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS

This study looks into Chinese American adolescents’ sense of self as members of an ethnic group, how ethnic language usage affects the children’s ethnic identity, how the quality of family relationships correlates with their ethnic identity, and how cultural participation relates to their family relationships. Using acculturation, social identity and ethnic identity formation theories as the framework, I interviewed six families of Chinese descent and found that ethnic language usage correlated with Chinese American adolescents’ ethnic identity, and the children who were pretty sure about their identity were more likely to report a close family relationship. The study results indicated that cultural participation does not necessarily increase the quality of family relationship. Parents who tried to understand their children’s Americanness and communicate with them, and who didn’t force their values on their children were more likely to have children report a good quality of family relationships.