December 3, 2007

Purdue research, programs identify and meet needs of Asian families

After conducting research to identify the challenges and stresses faced by Asian graduate students who also are parents, the group has developed a resource list and programming aimed at educating young families on topics ranging from cultural differences to understanding the U.S. public school system.

Judy Myers-Walls, an associate professor in Purdue's Department of Child Development and Family Studies, is the faculty adviser for the informal research team, which consists of graduate students from Korea, Taiwan, China, the Philippines and India.

"What they are going through is very similar to issues faced by others in their place," Myers-Walls said. "Asian students often face unique challenges in university settings because of language barriers and cultural differences. All new parents have struggles. Graduate students have issues they must deal with. When you put all of these issues together, it can be an intense situation for both the students and their spouses."

Myers-Walls said the work began when an international student earned a Bilsland Strategic Initiative Fellowship through the Purdue Graduate School to research the challenges faced by international student families and began interviewing the students of Purdue Village, where many of the families live.

"In Asia, parenting is often done by the extended family," Myers-Walls said. "These students are away from everyone who would be helping to raise the child if they were home, and, in many cases, they reported feeling lost."

In India, several generations of families live in the same home, while in China, the grandparent relationship is highly valued because of the one-child policy, which forces two sets of grandparents to share one grandchild.

"When that child is born in the states, oftentimes grandparents will come and live with graduate students here, either quitting their jobs or retiring," she said. "It is that important to their lives. But sharing residences in America can be stressful for students." 

Spouses of graduate students also reported feeling disconnected from society or lumped together with other student families from their race or ethnic background. Mothers, who often worked professional jobs in their homeland, frequently possess F2 visas, which prevent them from working outside the home in the United States.

"There can be an assumption made from the outside that they will all like each other and get along if they are Korean or Chinese or some group," Myers-Walls said. "However, some of the groups and wives don't want to be thrown together. They feel uncomfortable thinking that everyone is in their business."

The graduate student team has compiled a comprehensive list of resources for international graduate student families on Purdue's campus, including family oriented local attractions, restaurants, therapy, medical care, child care and Asian grocery stores.

This semester the students also organized the Asian International Graduate Student Parenting Workshop Series, a program for which they hope to create a curriculum and continue in the spring if funding becomes available.

Interested families bring their children, who are cared for by other Purdue students while the parents participate in the programming. Guest speakers have talked with the students about topics ranging from money and time management to basic parenting skills.

Some interpreters assist those who primarily speak Mandarin, Korean, Filipino and Hindi.

"We've had great success so far," Myers-Walls said. "We already have several ideas for next semester, including bringing in an Asian police officer to discuss the laws here."

Myers-Walls said she would like to see the sessions become a fully funded program that a graduate student could administer each semester.

"This gives students assisting with the program the chance to engage in research and outreach and it helps the students participating in the program to strengthen their families," she said. "The fact that they are raising their children here will impact them for the rest of their lives. It's a unique opportunity for us to support them as they begin their families."

Writer: Tanya Brown, (765) 494-2079, tanyabrown@purdue.edu

Source: Judy Myers-Walls, (765) 494-2959, jmyerswa@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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