The Benefits and Constraints to "Cultural Insider" Researchers When Recruiting Participants in Chinese Immigrant Communities

• In Event: 29.075 - Exploring Disaggregation With the Asian Pacific American Community

Abstract

This self-study reflects on the experiences of two Chinese cultural insider researchers who recruited participants from Chinese immigrant families for a research project in a Southern new gateway state. This recruitment consisted of three phases: locating and informing potential participants, verifying qualifications and informed consent procedures/signing consent forms, and arranging a time, place, and format for the first interview. Using cultural capital and transnational social spaces as analytical lenses, the findings from this study were both complementary and contradictory to existing research literature. The suggestions made by this study will help researchers from various ethnic backgrounds gain a deeper understanding of the roles of cultural insiders and strategies for utilizing them in the recruitment process.

Authors

• Wenyang Sun, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Xue Lan Rong, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Rebecca S. New, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill