Journal Entry

As I have been researching topics that relate to my project, specifically cross-cultural parenting studies, I have found that there are many things that can't be applied to all cultures. Specifically, parenting types and their outcomes, although have been said to be cross-culturally proven, have been found to vary significantly, especially between Caucasian and Asian cultures and communities. This directly applies to my project because maybe the outcomes of different parenting types are completley different, even opposite, of what they are here in the States.

To Be Continued...

Annotated Sources

Annotated Sources

1)      Kelley, M.L., & Tseng, H.M. (1992). Cultural differences in child rearing : a comparison of immigrant chinese and caucasian american mothers. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 23(4), Retrieved from http://jcc.sagepub.com/content/23/4/444.full.pdf+html doi: 10.1177/0022022192234002

-          This study looked at the difference of prominent parent traits (such as nurturing, sensitivity, etc) between middle-class Chinese immigrant mothers and middle-class Caucasian American mothers.

Journal Entry

In my field study prep class, we recently talked about perspectives and culture, and how they relate to each other. In a writing exercise, we were challenged to write what we think the definition of culture is. This was difficult because it seems as if culture isn't something that can be defined by words, or really defined by any means at all, but is to be observed and reflected upon, and is something to which one later refers in sentences such as "it's part of the culture" or in phrases such as "culturally acceptable." The definition I settled on is: culture is a term used to define what and how individuals believe based on their religion, history, geography, etc. and how their actions and lives/lifestyles express those beliefs.

Now when it comes to perspective, I think that culture is viewed differently from different perspectives. An individual views their own culture as the norm and other cultures as unique, kind of how I talk normally and people from England have accents, but from an Englishman's perspective, I have an accent.

Now in relation to my project, it's important to remember that there will be things I do and viewpoints that I have that will be unique to my culture and from the perspective of one in the Tibetan community, will definitely not be considered the norm to them. It goes both ways. There will be things I see that do not seem the norm to me. The way Tibetans parent may be completely different because they have a different culture, and from their perspective, that is the norm.

So, then, it is my goal to be able to see through the Tibetans eyes rather than being an outsider looking in. In order to understand their culture, I'll need to change my perspective.

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Journal Entry 8

As I continue to develop a project to study parenting types in the Tibetan community, I have recently read an article that addressed a lot of questions I had regarding how culture and religion play a part in parenting in Tibetan families. This article states that "Often, young children learn to prostrate themselves, hold their hands in prayer, and make offerings of candles, butter lamps, and incense, even before language occurs..." suggesting that there is a very strong presence of religious beliefs incorporated into parenting. Also in the article, I read about how harmony rather than justice is incorporated into parenting. This reminds me strongly of the approach that His Holiness the Dalai Lama takes in "finding the middle road" as my Tibetan teacher T.J.la puts it, in gaining autonomy from China. Reaching the goal of harmony, not necessarily justice, is what the focus of Tibetan government has seem to have been.

Question Development

Here is my project question brought over from my project development tab, it is still under maintenance, stay tuned.


01/12/2011- Project Question

What is the prominent parent type in Tibetan families located in McLeod Ganj, and does this parenting type fit into a category described by Baumrind, or is it something completely different?

Notes on development: This may be one of the hardest assignments I've had since I came to BYU, not because of an intimidating length requirement or a strict grading rubric, but because it requires me to be decisive and really take responsibility for my project and my learning...

25 Questions

Here are my 25 questions, moved over from Proposal Development to Posts

________
25 Questions Assignment   01/10/2011                                                                                                                          Julia Merrill

                                                                                                                                                                      India Field Study

1.     Does the Baumrind parenting style even work/apply abroad? If so:
2.     What is the most prominent parenting style used in Tibetan families?
3.     Do these parenting styles cause the same effects consistent with Baumrind’s theory?
4.     What kinds of relationships do the Tibetan children have with their mothers?
5.     With their fathers?
6.     Siblings?
7.     Extended family? (more in the picture?)

Journal Entry 7

The group that I will be traveling with to India got together and watched the film Seven Years in Tibet this weekend. That film, along with the reading The Making of Modern Tibet by A. Tom Grunfeld that my field study preparation class assigned us to read, has shed a little light on the history of the area in which we will be studying.

The thing about history is that I don't think it's ever unbiased. It has been written by somebody, and nobody is a completely neutral source. Everyone brings some sort of opinion to the table in any work. There will always be details deemed unimportant by the writer, yet may have importance to another. Something will always be left out or it will be mutated, in a small or large way, sometimes unintentionally, and perhaps sometimes not.

Journal Entry 5

My field study preparation course has recently required us to read some cross-cultural field research sources and then to analyze them, locating and identifying things such as method, audience, sources, etc. One article that I read was one that was written specifically about McLeod Ganj, India, the area in which I will be studying. Although I was supposed to be practicing "speed reading," and therefore read it via "skimming," I found it interesting and plan on reading the remainder of it thoroughly, seeing as it directly relates to my project. From what I gathered while speed-reading the article, I have learned that Tibetan culture rests in the Tibetan people, and their continuation of this culture is the only way to continue their identity as Tibetans, otherwise, they will just be a minority Chinese race.

Journal Entry 4

I loved the notecard exercise.

Specifically, the "Method" notecard. That is something that I have been wondering about as I have thought about my project. I want to find out how Tibetans parent their children, yet I'm not exactly sure the best way is to find this out.
Here are some thoughts concerning this:

Journal Entry 3

NOTE: 25 Questions and Project Question are posted under my Project Development page

First: my thoughts on Inquiry-based learning.
I really liked the excercise we did as a large group class, asking questions about statements posted about questioning. 3 of my questions were:
1) What questions should be asked to find truth?
2) When a question is asked, is the truth found in the answer, or is it found on the path towards the answer?
3) What is the difference between doubting and questioning?

With these questions in mind, I began to develop my project question.

Journal Entry #2

On Friday we looked at pictures of the area in which we will be studying, and it really helped me get an idea of what in my project will be realistic to carry out and what will not. For example, It may be hard to observe parenting style in the market area or in everyday life because I'm not sure how much I will be able to distinguish and separate the group I specifically want to sample in the hub-bub of town.

I know that my project will take form here in the states but I also know that I need to be open to perhaps significant change while abroad because life will be so different and I don't think I'll really know how my day-to-day life and observation opportunitites will vary.

Looking at pictures of the area and getting a feel for the landscape/geography of the town and surrounding areas has helped me get an idea for how I should better carry out my project.

Journal #1

I have been thinking a lot about my project recently. I originally wanted to compare parenting styles used by Tibetans to the styles that have been established and studied here in the US (according to Baumrind). However, after reading the article "What Students Don't Learn Abroad" I decided that this wasn't the approach I really wanted to take. Instead of comparing, I want to strictly observe and learn about their parenting styles as free-standing and original.

Of course, because I have learned and studied the styles taught to me here at BYU, some sort of comparison, whether it be intentional or not, seems inevitable. I would, however, like to try to be as unbiased as possible as I observe and create categories instead of trying to fit my observations into pre-made categories. Instead of using the parenting styles I have studied as set-in-stone-categories, I will use them as very primitive building blocks.