Examining familial and early developmental processes among ethnic majority and minority families in Asia

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Much of the past research on family processes and early childhood development has focused on Western populations (Nielsen et al., 2017). Although more work has since been conducted with non-Western populations, little remains known about the experiences of ethnic minority children relative to their ethnic majority counterparts. This symposium highlights several studies that provide key insights into how children’s early developmental processes may be impacted by their culture, by the social groups to which they belong, and by their families.

Paper 1 focuses on the cognitive development of Singaporean Chinese and Malay children, investigating how their cultural backgrounds and the level of autonomy granted by their parents shape their considerations of free will. Paper 2 focuses on the socioemotional development of Chinese children born and raised in Taiwan and children of new immigrant Chinese and indigenous native Taiwanese families, demonstrating that immigrant status impacted maternal engagement and children’s socioemotional competence. Paper 3 focuses more on the parents of Chinese and Pakistani families in Hong Kong, finding that culture, familial socioeconomic status, and child gender influenced their expectations of early childhood education. Finally, Paper 4 focuses more on the preferences of ethnic Hong Kong Chinese, South/Southeast Asian, and White children, finding that the degree to which children choose their ethnic group members over others depended on the status in which they perceive their group members to occupy. Taken together, these studies highlight the nuanced ways in which cultural and familial contexts form the foundation of children’s early development and educational experiences.

Sub Unit

• Solicited Content: Global South

Chair

• Eva E. Chen, National Tsing Hua University

Individual Presentations

• Parental Autonomy Granting Predicts Children’s Endorsement of Free Choice Among Singaporean Chinese and Malays - Presenting Author: Yue Yu, Nanyang Technological University; Jing Ting Ong; Jallene Chua, National Institute of Education; Mary Simpson, Cornell University; Tamar Kushnir, Duke Univeristy

• Longitudinal Associations Between Non-Indigenous, Indigenous, and Immigrant Mothers’ Engagement and Children’s Socioemotional Development in Taiwan - Presenting Author: Shaocong Ma, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Eva E. Chen, National Tsing Hua University

• Parental Expectations of Early Childhood Education in Hong Kong: Differences between Chinese and Pakistani Parents - Presenting Author: Yau Yu Chan, The University of Hong Kong; Jianbin Li, The Education University of Hong Kong

• Is My Group Better? Investigating Hong Kong Ethnic Majority and Minority Children’s Socializing Preferences - Presenting Author: Eva E. Chen, National Tsing Hua University; Shaocong Ma, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Manya Bala, University of Hong Kong (HKU); Julian Groves; Sarah Elizabeth Gaither, Duke Univeristy