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Parenting Across Difference:

How Multiethnic and Multi-Faith Families Share Cultural Assets with their Children

 

Scott Seider & Daphne Henry, Boston College

James Huguley, University of Pittsburgh

 

Project Overview

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Parents and caregivers often draw upon their religious and ethnic backgrounds to share a rich array of values, traditions, and practices with their children. These values, traditions, and practices then contribute to their children's positive development. Yet, relatively little research has investigated the sharing of these cultural assets in families led by parents from different religious or ethnic backgrounds, despite the fact that approximately 1 in 5 youth in the United States are growing up in such interfaith or multiethnic households.

 

This project will investigate:

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• how parents leading multi-faith or multiethnic families share their respective cultural assets with their children

• how youth raised in multi-faith or multiethnic families integrate the values and practices from their parents’ backgrounds into their own developing identities.

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Read About Our Project in Greater Good Magazine

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Greater Good Magazine recently published an article about our project HERE

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Who Can Participate

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• Parents/guardians leading multi-faith or multiethnic families

• Adolescents or young adults raised in multi-faith or multiethnic families

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Defining "Multi-faith" and "Multiethnic" Families

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• “Multi-faith” refers to families led by parents raised in different religious traditions. Some of these religious traditions may include Mainline Protestant, Evangelical Protestant, Roman Catholic, Mormon, Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and many others.

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• “Multiethnic” refers to families led by parents whose ancestors came from different countries, regions, or cultures. Some of those ethnic groups may include Hispanic or Latinx, Mexican, Black or African American, Nigerian, Caribbean, Asian American, Chinese, Caucasian or White, Italian, and many others.

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What Participation Entails

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Parents/Guardians will:

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• Participate in a 45-minute confidential phone interview. The conversation will allow us to learn more about the specific values, traditions, and practices that parents shared with their children as well as how parents leading interfaith or multiethnic families made decision about which parts of their respective cultures to share with their children.

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Adolescents/Young Adults will:

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• Complete a confidential online survey that takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. The survey includes questions about the ways in which participants have (or have not) incorporated their parents’ religious or ethnic backgrounds into their own developing identities.

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• Participate in a 45-minute confidential phone interview. The interview will allow us to learn more about how young people describe and understand the impact of their parents’ religious or ethnic backgrounds on their own developing identities.

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Honorarium

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• All participants will receive a $10 e-gift card as a small token of gratitude for their participation. Participants who complete both a survey and interview will receive a $25 e-gift card

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How to Participate

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• Adolescents/Young Adults (18-30 years old) raised in multiethnic or multi-faith families and Parents/Guardians leading multiethnic or multi-faith families can contact Prof. Scott Seider to learn more about the project and/or schedule an interview