The Interplay of Chinese Tradition and Early Childhood Music Education in the United States

The Interplay of Chinese Tradition and Early Childhood Music Education in the United States

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2014 Understanding Chinese American Parents: The Interplay of Chinese Tradition and Early Childhood Music Education in the United States Juan Julie Yu West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Yu, Juan Julie, "Understanding Chinese American Parents: The Interplay of Chinese Tradition and Early Childhood Music Education in the United States" (2014). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 568. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/568 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Understanding Chinese American Parents: The Interplay of Chinese Tradition and Early Childhood Music Education in the United States Juan Julie Yu Dissertation submitted to the College of Creative Arts at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education Janet Robbins, Ph.D., Chair Molly A. Weaver, Ph.D. Christopher Wilkinson, Ph.D. Joy Faini Saab, Ed.D. Paul Scea, M.A. School of Music Morgantown, West Virginia 2014 Keywords: Chinese American Parents, Early Childhood, Music Education, Acculturation Copyright 2014 Juan Julie Yu Abstract Understanding Chinese American Parents: The Interplay of Chinese Tradition and Early Childhood Music Education in the United States Juan Julie Yu The purpose of this study is to examine the acculturation experience of first-generation Chinese American parents and the values that inform their expectations for their children’s early childhood music education. A primary goal of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of the interplay of Chinese traditional culture and early childhood music education in the United States. The six participants for this study were first-generation Chinese American immigrants who at the time of the interviews had children under age eight and who resided in Philadelphia. As a qualitative multiple-case study, the primary data for this study were six sets of interviews, each set consisting of three different interviews with each of the six participants. Data were coded through the QSR NVivo software system and were analyzed and presented in the form of narrative portraits. The data analysis revealed four prominent themes that gave a voice to Chinese American parents. These themes included the importance of the traditional concept of guan in Chinese American parenting, the high value that Chinese Americans place on education, the function of music in Chinese culture, and the value of music education as moral cultivation. Considered within the context of the Chinese Americans’ acculturation experience, these themes brought to light a number of tensions that Chinese American parents confront in providing for the music education of their young children. More awareness of these tensions will help both early childhood music educators and Chinese American parents build a reciprocal relationship that bridges this “cultural gap” and balances traditional Chinese values with early childhood music education best practices in the United States. DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my loving “tiger” parents and grandparents. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am forever grateful to the members of my dissertation committee who were more than generous with their expertise and precious time. First, I would like to give special thanks to Dr. Janet Robbins, my committee chair. She invested countless hours reading, revising, encouraging, and inspiring me throughout the long process of writing my dissertation. I appreciate most of all her patience. She is a mentor, a friend, and most importantly a loving American mom. I cannot sufficiently express my appreciation for her endless love and guidance. I would like to thank Dr. Molly Weaver for bringing me to the United States and providing me with this wonderful learning opportunity. Her amazing editorial skills taught me that even little things matter. I also want to thank Dr. Christopher Wilkinson for his wisdom and dedication, both of which touched me deeply. Finally, I must thank Dr. Joy Saab and Professor Paul Scea for their insightful advice on my dissertation revisions. My dissertation would not have been completed without the support of my editor and good friend Dr. David Carpenter. The time that he invested in editing my work and the continued support, encouragement, and love from his entire family were much appreciated. I would also like to thank all my participants for giving me their trust and for sharing with me their family stories. I hope that they enjoyed the process and sharing their stories as much as I enjoyed hearing them. Furthermore, I want to thank my friends who were the best cheerleaders and provided me with fun study breaks that kept me going. I want to thank Dr. Jianjun He, who encouraged me to pursue my Ph.D. in music education at West Virginia University. v Finally, I want to express my deepest gratitude to my parents and grandmother who supported me in pursuing my dream and allowed me time away from them to complete my Ph.D. They are living proof that “tiger” parents can be both strict and loving at the same time. My heartfelt thanks to them all. vi Table of Contents Chapter One Introduction……………………………………………………………………… ....1 Statement of Problem ...........................................................................................................4 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................6 Research Questions ..............................................................................................................6 Definitions............................................................................................................................7 Delimitation .........................................................................................................................7 Chapter Two Review of Related Literature .....................................................................................9 Early Childhood Education ..................................................................................................9 Parenting in Early Childhood...................................................................................9 Play in Early Childhood Education ........................................................................10 Early Childhood Music Education .....................................................................................14 Parenting in Early Childhood Music Education ....................................................15 Musical Play...........................................................................................................16 Traditional Chinese Values on Parenting and Music Education .......................................18 Parenting ................................................................................................................18 Confucianism and Music Education ......................................................................22 The Acculturation Experience of Chinese American Parents ............................................24 Summary ............................................................................................................................28 Chapter Three Research Methods ..................................................................................................29 Participants ........................................................................................................................32 Data Collection .................................................................................................................33 The Role of the Researcher ...............................................................................................37 vii Data Analysis ....................................................................................................................39 Confidentiality ..................................................................................................................41 Trustworthiness .................................................................................................................41 Summary ...........................................................................................................................43 Chapter Four Participant Portraits .................................................................................................44 Jean ....................................................................................................................................44 Steven .................................................................................................................................57 Joan ....................................................................................................................................64

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