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METHODOLOGY
Research Design
This study utilized an exploratory design. According to Rubin and Babbie (1997), exploratory designs are used when a researcher is examining a new interest, or when the subject of the study is relatively new and unstudied. This study was exploratory for two major reasons. First, little is known about the subject of the study. Second, the study used a non-probability sample.
Sample
The study contained a sample of 50 adults. A snowball sampling method was used to obtain the sample. The researcher identified subjects who in turn identified other individuals who meet the research criteria. The subjects selected to participate in this study were required to be Cambodian adults (age 18 or older). A non-probability sampling method was also utilized for this research study. The subjects were divided into two groups for comparison. One group included subjects who entered the United States at the age of 18 or younger; the other group contained subjects who entered the United States at the age of 19 or older.
Instrument
Primarily, this researcher developed the research instrument for this study; however, parts of the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (Suinn, Rickard-Figuero, Lew, & Vigil, 1987) were modified for this study. The instrument (Appendix A) contained four sections.
The first section of the questionnaire consisted of closed-ended questions (1-15) addressing the respondents' attitudes toward parent/child interaction. The section measured attitudes on a 4-point Likert-type rating scale. Negatively worded items (questions 1-15) were reverse-scored and then all the items were summed to produce a range of 60 to 15; 60 indicates a highly traditional, Cambodian approach of disciplining children and 15 a liberal American approach.
The second section of the questionnaire contained a list of different disciplinary methods and 30 different types of misbehaviors (16-45). The respondents were asked to choose what types of disciplinary methods that they would use if a child had done a particular behavior. The methods of discipline provided consisted of actions considered to be reasoning (lecture, time out, removal of desired objects), psychological maltreatment (name calling, threats, reject), and physical maltreatment (hit, slap, whip). The section measured attitudes on a 3-point Likert type scale. The items were summed to produce a range from a low of 30 to a high of 90. Low scores indicated discipline practices that are considered maltreatment (physical and psychological), while high scores indicate more liberal discipline practices (reasoning).
The third section of the questionnaire is a modification of the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (Suinn et al., 1987). The section contained questions (46-68) that gathered information about respondents' historical background and recent behavior that may relate to acculturation. The answers were given a numerical value between 1 (low acculturation) and 5 (high acculturation) on a Likert type scale. It has been found to have good concurrent validity. The total scores were obtained by summing the answer for all 21 questions; a low score reflects low acculturation, while a high score reflects high acculturation (Suinn, n.d.).
The fourth section of the questionnaire contained demographic questions (69-78) which addressed: age, gender, time of arrival in the United States, age at entrance in the United States, marital status, household, parent status, education, type of income, and family income.
Data Collection
The data were collected from face-to-face interviews and a group survey questionnaire. The researcher used a snowball approach to collect data. There were two different pools of participants. The first pool of participants was gained when the researcher asked a few acquaintances to participate in the study. The acquaintances then introduced the researcher to other subjects who were willing to participate in the study. Due to time constraints, 22 subjects agreed to participate in the study as a group. Instead of personal interviews, this researcher presented the questionnaire as a survey in a classroom setting to 22 subjects. The researcher was available to answer questions that arose from the questionnaire.
For the second pool of participants, this researcher interviewed 28 respondents who were referred to the researcher through friends and acquaintances. The researcher contacted the respondents who agreed to participate in the study by telephone for a face-to-face interview. This researcher arranged a face-to-face interview with the 28 participants at a mutually convenient time and place. The researcher orally read the questionnaire to the participants rather than having them read it on their own. Each participant was informed of the purpose of the study and given with a consent form (Appendix B) that was signed by the participant. The face-to-face interview occupied approximately 1 hour.
The researcher kept the completed consent form and the questionnaire in two separate boxes for both pools of participants to ensure confidentiality.
Data Analysis
The collected data were entered into the computer for analysis, using the Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) analysis program. Percentages and frequencies were completed for attitudes toward disciplining children, demographic, and descriptive characteristics. The questions on attitudes toward disciplining children, attitudes toward methods of discipline, and acculturation were summed as described in the instrument section. The questions were collapsed into scales and Cronbach's alpha tests were performed to assess the internal consistency reliability of each scale.
Pearson's r correlation was conducted to evaluate the association of attitudes toward disciplining children and acculturation. t-Tests were performed to see whether gender and time of entrance made any difference in the level of acculturation, attitudes toward disciplining children, and attitudes toward discipline methods. One-way ANOVAs were performed to see how age, marital status, household, parent status, level of education, type of income, and approximate gross income impacted attitudes and acculturation.
NEXT CHAPTER - SURVEY RESULTS
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